Here is a site that has a nice chart that shows the max print sizes relative to megapixels. I would not print below 200 ppi.

http://www.design215.com/toolbox/print_guide.php

Keep in mind your old photos won't have the same pixel count because they were shot in (S). I would highly suggest shoot at max resolution.

What model camera do you have?
Also, do you have the original RAW or JPGs that were not PP'd?

A .50 cal rifle is "better" than a .22 but you wouldn't go squirrel hunting with it. Actually that is up for debate :lol:

tc71, I would suggest doing your own research. If you want scientific data check out a few PC magazines. Maximum PC is a great one, so is PC Magazine. They have been around for 20 years and they perform tests in their lab and publish the benchmarks. You will find a good article in the August 2013 of Maximum PC. They explain, in English, all the components of you PC and what they do. I think this will help when you decide what kind of PC to buy.

Just FYI the video card is only important if you are gaming, rendering 3D, or encoding video. Newer MOBOs have Nvidia or Radeon integrated graphics, one of those are cheaper and just fine.

Linked below is a FAQ from Adobe in regards to photoshop CS6 GPU usage. You will find that it only uses a GPU for a select few features and only 256MB at that. (512 needed for features to be enabled but only utilizes 256). That's big and bad CS6.

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/979969

Also go with a quad core CPU, you will get more bang for your buck vs. 2, 6, or 8.

I was in Charleston, SC during the Geminid meteor showers in 2012. I drove out to Francis Marion State Park to get away from the city lights. Below are a few pictures from that night. There are a few meteors visible in the startrail picture.

D3100, f/3.5, 15sec, ISO-3200, 18mm. AZ=10°, EL=33°


D3100, f/3.5, 15sec, ISO-3200, 18mm. 120 stacked frames. AZ=35°, EL=25°

The first one is my favorite. Just awesome!

I would stay away from mainstream stores like Best Buy, etc. You'll get more bang for your buck from Fry's or Microcenter, I'll link them below.

As far as specs go here is a quick rundown.

CPU - AMD vs Intel is like Ford vs Chevy, get whatever fits you budget, they are both good. If you want to upgrade in the future make sure the socket type is LGA2011 or LGA1150 for Intel and AM3+ for AMD. Stay away from other socket types because they are either phasing out or not upgrade friendly.

RAM - LOTS! I would not settle for less than 8GB of RAM. The more ram you have the more pics and larger files you can have open at once. 12GB is a good amount to shoot for.

HDD - A solid state drive will cost you bucks. Try and get a 7,200 RPM HDD. 1TB is the most I would get. It would be a good idea to get 2 smaller drives and run raid1. If you don't want to mess with that just make sure you backup your data well.

Graphics - If you're not a gamer and not running 3d modeling you can skimp on this. Integrated graphics will be fine. Spend the money you save here by getting more ram or better CPU.

Ports - HDMI, USB 3.0, and most importantly a media card reader.

http://www.frys.com
http://www.microcenter.com

This was taken at the Denver Botanic Gardens. A beam of sunlight coming through the skylight had illuminated this yellow flower / vine. (Not sure what it is.) I used matrix metering to keep the other foliage exposed but the yellow was blowing out. I wanted to keep a large aperture for bokeh, a low ISO, and I went down to the lowest manageable shutter speed using a monopod. I haven't used exposure compensation much but in this case it gave me the effect I wanted.

D7000, f/5.3, 1/20sec, ISO-200, -1.3stop, 210mm, Pattern Metering, no flash

D3100, F/9, 1/30sec, ISO-800, 18mm

Reflecting Skies

You could keep a cheap foam cooler in the trunk or even better an Igloo type plastic/foam cooler. Put it in there and in most situations it will stay at the ambient temperature or below depending on when you last opened it. Just keep it out of direct sunlight.

Edit: Don't put ice or icepacks in the cooler. If you live in an area with medium to high relative humidity you can put a box of baking soda or a bed of charcoal to absorb the moisture out of the cooler.
Overkill level - 8

Thanks everyone. David, keep in mind that the setting I used produce a soft image.

D3100, 58mm, f/22, 1/10sec, ISO-100

Golden Sunset

Thanks Racin. The city was pretty dim at this point. I had actually darkened it just a tad PP. Most of the ground from this vantage point is dead and ugly trees. I'll try to get another shot of the city with better light and a longer lens. This is about 7 miles out, I've had a hard time finding a good vantage point closer to the city in order to use a wider lens.

Thanks Steve, David. I like the blue sky effect myself.

A shot of my home town. The sun would have been inside the arch but cloud cover had rolled in. I was a little upset because I had been going out for days to get the shot. I can't complain too much though, I really like how this turned out.

D7000, 18-105mm @105mm, f/11, 1/5s, ISO-100

Arch on Fire