You are wrong it is not a felony to photograph a child in a public place with out a parents consent in Dade County as long as Dade county is still in the United States. I am not saying that Dade doesn’t have some type of ordinance to this effect but under federal law it is not enforceable
This topic has come up over and over. In the United States there is no expectation of privacy in public spaces or privately owned spaces generally regarded as open to the public such as a mall or stadium. You may photograph any one or anything without needing permission provided you do not use the images for comercial purposes. Comercial is defined as using to advertise or promote. So according to the law you can take a picture of a child in a public place and even sell it provided the image is not used to advertise or promote anything. The public space is extended to private areas viewed easily from public areas. So if Jennifer Aniston is standing Naked in the window of her home and you are walking by her house and see her from the sidewalk and take a picture from the sidewalk you might just have a million dollar pic to sell and you do not need permission. The onus is on her at that point. However You may not cross onto her property and take a picture through the window of her or say climb a tree to get a view not normally available from a public area that would not be legal.

Some of what you say is true - however, I think that you are off the mark regarding private property which allows public access - like a store, mall, sports stadium, concert venue, etc. Let's take a Starbucks location - you go into that coffee shop and start taking photos - the manager comes over to you and tells you that you must stop because, for example, other patrons have complained - you woulld be required to stop tking pictures in that case. If you failed to do so, the manager could ask you to leave the premises - if you refuse to do so the police might well be called and if you still refused to leave an arrest for trespass would be a distinct possibility. The same situation could occur in a mall. As far as pubic venues like a theater - many times cameras are banned entirely from concerts.

If you are going to use an image for comercial purposes you must obtain written consent to use that image. You do not need the consent to take the picture only to use it for comercial purposes. So let’s say you take a picture of a child drinking from a can of coke and the brand is clearly visible. You may sell that picture as art as long as it was taken in a public place. however if you want to sell the image to Coke for an advertising campaign you will need a release from the subject or their legal guardian. Let’s say that public place is a sports stadium and you sell it to them for them to use in some form of ad a realesse is needed from the subject and from Coke

If you are photographing in public areas you need to know your rights and they are pretty broad in scope. If in a public place and not used for comercial purposes as defined by law you may shoot without needing permission period. This is theblaw in the United States. I am only stating what the law is. What is moral or ethical is left to your own opinion.

From Nikon the warranty is 30 or 90 days. Buying a new one you get a year. Some stores, like B&H or Adorama may offer a one year warranty, but this warranty is NOT from Nikon, it is from one of there repair shops.
MOST of the time refurbished come with low shutter counts, but most of the time you will not know the shutter count ahead of time.
If you buy used off ebay, most sellers will give you a shutter count, but you are limited to a 30 day return policy on ebay but sometimes you can get a better price there than on Refurbished, it depends on how patient you are.
Nikon from time to time puts a 10% discount on all refurbished prices they list on their website, Nikonusa.com.
IMHO, I buy NEW bodies and Mint in the box lenses. Generally speaking, problems occur more often in the body than the lens. But one never knows.
Many folks here have been very happy with refurbished.
Good luck and keep on shooting until the end.

I am strictly a point and shooter. I am not a photographer, but I take hundreds of pictures most years. I have several cameras located so I can usually get to a camera when I see something I think interests me. My two favorite cameras are a Nikon PL900 and a Panasonic FZ1000. We are taking a trip next summer and I have the itch to get a Panasonic FZ2500. I think Sony probably makes a better camera, but it is much more expensive. I would think I am probably not the only on this site with the" gotta have the newer camera" disease. I would think several of you had the itch and bought the newer camera. Was it worth it? Do you think you wasted your money?

Some of the reviews state the 2500 is difficult, the manual that comes with it is worthless. and the online manual is 300 pages. Is it so difficult that I will miss pictures on our trip because I cannot figure it out? I would appreciate your advice. As of now, both the P900 and the FZ1000 will go on the trip with us. I am 75 years old, but still farm and can handle carrying those cameras.

You're incorrect in your understanding of refurbish. These are not repaired equipment. The screen capture comes from the Canon USA website and their description of the source of refurbished product offerings.

From digital cameras and lenses, to camcorders, printers, and more, our refurbished products showcase our dedication to product excellence. Shipped back to us as gently used or unboxed returns, our trained Canon technicians perform comprehensive quality assurance inspections, replacing any needed parts with genuine Canon equipment. Plus, all refurbished products are backed by our standard 1-Year limited warranty.

Just when I was starting to feel a bit more comfortable and confident taking pictures (Still have a ways to go), the women in my family (Wife, daughter, and granddaughter) want me to take videos of her upcoming Sweet 16! Since I didn't want to ruin this once in a life time event by taking bad pictures, I suggested they hire a professional to take pictures which they did. However he will only be taking pictures, and my wife and daughter want me to video the event! Needless to say I'm in a total panic hoping that I'm not biting off more than I should. How different/more difficult will taking a video in a Disco type event, compared to taking pictures?

I have a Canon 7D MK II, a EF 50mm 1:1.4 AF/MF, EF 24-105L 1:4 IS USM, EF 70-200 1:2.8L II IS USM. I also have an Canon EF 1.4 III extender, and a 580 EX II speed lite. Since the venue is indoors (Night club setting) with flashing colored lights, the greatest distance I'll be from the entrance, and other party activity will be about 75' or less, I think the one of above lens will suffice. I also have a sturdy tri-pod.

Now all I need are some suggestions that will give me a chance to video some decent footage.
Your help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks Cookie

Hello my fellow UHH members.......yesterday I was all excited to purchase a new lens from a prominent camera online store back East. I saw a price that I thought was a very good deal. I don't like the idea of bashing this company so I will not say their name. I will show you their online advertisement and also share their "motto" which I feel is very hypocritical. "The store you can trust since 1979". The reason why I am sharing with you my thoughts is to help steer you away from the old "bait and switch" type stores. In the photo of the online advertisement shows the lens with the tripod collar on it and a very good price for the lens. In reality, you do not get the tripod collar with the lens. The tripod collar will cost you another $200. The lens also does not come with a lens hood, lens cap or cap on the back end of the lens. That is all extra. Once again, if you see a deal that seems to good to be true, it probably is. I felt this store was trying to be deceptive in their advertising. I felt they were trying to lure me in and then try to sell me the upgraded package they had waiting for people like me. I had to call the company to see if the extra parts were included and they were not. At least they were honest about that. While on the phone the sales representative did tell me all about the "package deal" which included all the extra parts at an extra cost of course. I'm not trying to bash this company, just to warn my fellow hoggers to be cautious when dealing with the "good deals". I ended up not purchasing the lens, I had a bad taste in my mouth regarding honesty.

It's a confusing discussion for sure. When I looked at a digital camera at a trade show, circa 1999, I asked the salesman what the 3x zoom was in millimeters, and he had no idea what I was talking about

Then I bought a Canon Rebel dslr in 2008 and read somewhere that whatever mm I was shooting at should be calculated at 1.5 times that if comparing to film. It was another four years before I stumbled onto UHH and learned that not all dslr's had the same sensor size (hence the 1.5 number didn't apply to all digital cameras).

Even your pared-down "35 mm is the normal" is probably not significant to most hobbyists. Telephoto "effective" reach may be a bigger concern.