If you need a Photo Backpack with a good hip supension belt system check out Click Elite's Action Photography Packs. Like a Camping Backpack, most of the weight is carried on your hips. This feature as well as being able to hold a hydration bladder and FF camera really narrows down your choices.
I have their Escape model, and it also has an external sleeve with drain for a hydration bladder. It will take a FF camera, I use it with my Canon 60D with Battery Grip and Sigma 150-500 Lens attached. Very comfortable and versitial design pack, and the quality is excellent as well. I bought the greenish gray color, although with a tripod attached in the external carrier, it makes it fairly obvious you are a photographer.
B&H carries some of the Click Elite product line, I purchased mine from them a few years ago
Bob

I have been doing some light reading on sensor technology since my initial posting.
This is what I have learned so far.
As a general rule of thumb, larger senors have larger photosites, which typically have greater Dynamic Range as well as better Image Quality and less noise at the same ISO setting than smaller sensors.
They also typically are better for large prints.
The larger sensors do have less DOF and coresponding lower pixel density per unit area.
It is the increased Dynamic Range, Higher IQ, and Higher Shutter Sync Speeds (Leaf Shutters) that is fueling the interest in Medium Format Digital photography, as well as there increasing affordability (comparative to a few years ago).
Bob

You defintely want to go with Carbon Fiber for weight, probably 4 section legs for minimal collapsed length. It is a trade off for between stremgth and packability between 3 section & 4 or more section legs.
You may want to consider a CF Monopod to begin with, Manfrotto used to make a adjustable support brace you attached beneath the head and could be used against you body forming a tripod. I use the Manfrotto single axis monopod adjustable head (Acra Swiss version) on mine, as I have found the ball heads have to many degrees of freedom when used on a monopod.
I prefer the "Twist Lock" design over the "Flip Latches" as they don't seem to catch as much when hiking through brush, and I can unlock all the sectons of a leg at one time easier.
In addition to the Tripod's Load Capacity, the diameter of the legs is an important factor, the strength increases by Diameter^4 th for the change in diameter, if I remember my structural design correctly. A small change in diameter is a large increase in strength. Larger Diameter Legs = Stronger/Greater Stability.
I would suggest you consider Vanguard's Tripods, I have been happy with my Vanguard CF with 4 section legs. It was about $ 350 several years ago, which is about double your budget, and that is w/o a Ball Head. That is why I suggested a CF Monopod to start with. Vanguard also has some nice Ball Heads as well, I would suggest a "Open Frame" design, lighter, and easier to clean/keep clean.
Also you may want to look at Click Elite's Adventure series of photography backpacks, some models have a built in sleeve for a hydration bladder, it is external to the camera section, and has an external drain in the bladder sleeve just in case. The waist belt is as good as those found on non photography backpacks such as Deuter, Osprey, Kelty, etc., quality is also excellent.
The waist belt which places the load on your hips, is another area that when I was researching this a few years ago I found that many photographic backpacks were deficient in MHO.
Bob

I know that a FF Sensor has larger photosites and therefore lower noise, and also for the same focal length lens, a wider FOV.
I also understand that a Crop Sensor has more DOF than the FF sensor, but not clear on how much more DOF.
Ignoring the FOV difference factor, and with maxium DOF being an important factor for Landscape, wouldn't a Crop Senor have a slight advantage over a FF Sensor, at least in theory? I realize that for portraiture it is typically the opposite, you want less DOF for background blurring, hence the preference for f2.8 and faster lenses.
I think of Landscapes as being more wide open distant vistas, and typically requiring In Camera cropping or PP cropping, which to me makes the greater FOV of the FF sensor typically a mute point.
The new Canon 7D MKII based on reviews, seems to have decent Low Light performance (Low noise at high ISO), and seems to address many issues for wildlife & action photography as well.
I would be intetested in technical references, re. formulas for sensor DOF and FOV calculations as well as lens design.
I wish that Lens Manfactures would standardize their FOV angle references to either the diagonal, or horizontal/verticaI FOV angles.

Bob

I have a Click Elite Backpack that I use, not sure of the model, but it fits my Canon 60D with battery grip and Sigma 150-500 mounted. It is a Top Load design and can fit additional lenses to either side of the main camera body/lens compartment which is shapped like a "Y".
It also has a external sleeve with a drain for a hydration bladder, which for me was one of my required features.
It has a excelent waist belt system, like a true backpack, so the load is on your hips, not your shoulders.
I use it when I need to hike in several miles to photograph something in the Sierras like water falls, or other secenic vistas. I use the 150-500 when photographing Raptors, Bald Eagles, or other wildlife.
I have a bad back, so something that placed the majority of the weight on my hips was a requirement. I found that many photography specific "backpacks" didn't have a good load carrying waist belt system when I was looking several years ago.
The quality and construction of the backpack is excelent like Deuter, Jansport, Kelty, Osprey, and other camping backpack manufactures.
I bought mine from B&H BTW.

Bob

Is there a way in PS CS6 to Create and/or Edit "Actions" with a script/text editor, rather than the Screen Recorder?
This would be similar to using the VBA/VSTO Editors in Microsoft Office.
Bob

Digital Photo Professional does have straightening and cropping, I believe the keyboard shortcut is Alt + C, Menu Tap is Trimming or something to that effect.
You may want to try Corel's PaintShop Pro & AfterShot Pro, you can download 30 Day Trails from their Web Site.
AfterShot Pro is their competitor to Lightroom, l find it renders faster than Lightroom 4, and you can switch between "Catalogs" without having to restart the Program as you do with Lightroom.
Paint Shop Pro also has a Script Text Editor as well the typical Key Stoke/Mouse Click Macro Recorder.
As far as I am aware PS Elements does not record Macros aka Actions, but can run PS Actions if PS Elements also supports the functionality.

Bob

All batteries self discharge over time.
I used to use some "15 minute Rapid Chargers" but I found that this greatly reduced their life.
I am currently using a pair of Powerex (MAHA) MH-C9000 which have indvidual programable charge rates for each of its 4 AA/AAA slots. Charge Rates are from 100 ma - 2000 ma in 100 ma steps. Default is 1000 ma which is fine for AA's bot to high for AAA's. I typically charge at 50% or lower of the batteries mAh rating for the longest battery life (recharge cycles)
It also has Charge, Refresh/Analyze, Break In, and Discharge cycles all programable.
Sanyo's Eneloop batteries are well known for holding a charge over time, better than other brands.

You an download 30 day trail versions of Corell's PaintShop Pro & AfterShot Pro from their Web Site.
AfterShot Pro is their product to compete with Lightroom.
PaintShop Pro has a scripting editor to create macros for automating tasks, as well as the typical mouse/keybord action recorder.

Canon's Digital Photo Professional (DPP)does have image straightening and cropping, I believe that the keyboard shortcut is Alt + C.
I have found Digital Photography School a good resource for tips as well as ebooks for photography.
Understanding DPP by Andrew Gibson is the best book I have found on Canon's DPP program.
You may find that DPP is all you need as a RAW editor.
Canon has added video tutorials on using DPP in their on line learing center as well.

Bob