Inside the Bahai House of Worship on the North Shore north of Chicago. First time inside I did not see the sign and snapped off a couple of pics of the dome. OOPS!

I am staying with Nikon lenses. I have had several Tamrons including their 18-270, their 24-70 G2 and 150-600 original version; only the 18-270 is still in my possession. I thought the Tamron 18-270 was a good lens until I compared my copy side by side with my now defunct Nikon 18-200 DX VR....NOT! The Nikon was the sharper lens, at least my copy was.

I had a very good copy of Nikon's 18-200 DX VR, had it about ten years; it stopped focusing last October. Because I also have a Nikon FX body, I took a current iteration Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 and mounted it on a D7100 body. I use that lens on either body; on the cropped sensor body I get extra reach which I like. It works for my purposes. Yes, it is a pricey lens but it was my choice to make.

I have Nikon remotes for both my D7100 and D850, don't use either since I found out how to use the self timer and time delay features built into the camera software. I use a tripod and set the delays to minimize mirror slap. It works.

I presume you have the manual focus Nikkor? I have one myself; it does a nice job especially on a D850. I shot the "Dragon Lights" lantern festival in downtown Chicago last year; used that lens exclusively on a D850. From my experience the older Nikkor manual focus lenses perform better on a D850 than on my D7100; I have tested them all on both bodies. Lenses are leftovers from my film days, and glad I did not get rid of them.

I did not have a spare body until I bought my first D7100; that's when my D300 became my spare. Eventually sold the D300 to get a second D7100. I have not kept any Nikon DSLR that had more than 13,000 shutter actuations on it. When I jumped into the deep end of the pool and got a D850, I sold off the older of the D7100's. For now I like having one cropped sensor body because of the extra reach as some have pointed out. When my 18-200 DX VR stopped working, I did not replace it; instead got an FX lens. I use the D850 for landscape work; the D7100 for other things and some long range landscape work. I am not a fan of changing lenses outdoors; that is also why I prefer having two bodies; so I have two systems ready to go. I do have a couple of manual focus Nikkors (made in Japan) from film days; they work much better on the D850 than on the D7100. IF I win the lottery, I might sell off the D7100 and get a second full frame Nikon body.

Tale of two different days at the dam on the Wisconsin River at Prairie du Sac......shot of the dam was very early January this year; seagulls everywhere; looked like a remake of Hitchcock's "The Birds"; not one eagle around. Remainder of the shots taken late afternoon March 7th; not one seagull to be seen; however up to a couple dozen bald eagles no more than a quarter mile from the dam. Last shot is twilight in monochrome; all shots off hand.

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My very first D7100 was a total DUD! Something was wrong right out of the box as they say. I bought it new at a Calumet Photography in Oak Brook, IL I bought it as an upgrade to my D300 because I got antsy and tired of waiting for Nikon to bring out the upgrade back then. The Calumet store manager, after playing with my D7100 for over an hour after hours offered me a full refund which I took. Months later I ordered a D7100 from B&H because it was on sale. Sold the D300 and bought a second D7100. I have flipped several Nikon DSLR's to upgrade; have never kept one that had more than 14,000 shutter actuations. The last upgrade I went into the deep end of the pool, sold off a D7100 and bought a D850. The D7100 still takes nice shots but it is NOT a D850. It does not matter what I am shooting now, I take both bodies with me ready to shoot. The D7100 gives me added reach when I want it because it's a cropped sensor camera.

NICE SHOT! And this winter seems to be especially BRUTAL.

I had an 18-200 DX lens for a long time (I believe almost ten years ?); it worked for me and thought I got lots of nice shots. Had it initially on a D300, then on a D7100. Upgraded from the D7100 to a D850 a year ago; used the 18-200 on the D850 some until I could afford a Nikon pro lens. Focus lock stopped working on my 18-200 last October; have not replaced it and most likely will not because I do not want any more DX lenses. At present I have a 70-200 on the D7100 when I want more reach.

While I get the reasoning, look what happened to the Right Turn on Red Law; it's ridiculous around here; they don't even pause to look any more; they just go likes it's green!

I learned how to hold a camera from my earlier days shooting competitively; learned how to "address the target" as it was called back then. Even taking the shot with a DSLR, there's a rhythm as well as breathing control. IS/VR or not, it starts with proper technique and muscle memory learned for me a lot of years ago. I do catch myself rushing the shot at times so I stop and reset, then take the shot. I am a Baby Boomer.

Steam on a sub freezing morning. First three shots compass heading 190 degrees (subject backlit); second three compass heading 20 degrees. Native shots; no filters of any kind used.

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All about the angle of the sun on the subject. Wilmington, IL area after the Kankakee River flood two weeks ago; ice floes stacked over 10 feet high on the bank of the river in some places.

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Ya know....do what YOU want to do. You can go crazy researching lens and body reviews to the point ya get "paralysis by analysis". Rent the lens and play with it. When I upgraded from a D7100 to a D850, all I had were a Nikon 18-70 kit lens from my D70s days and a Nikon 18-200 DX VR that, by the way, quit focusing last October; and four manual focus Nikkors for film days; even borrowed an old Nikkor zoom just so I could play with my new "toy". Eventually I acquired a couple of Nikon FX lenses; have not replaced that 18-200 DX and probably will not. I shot my two DX lenses on my D850 and got acceptable results understanding the limitations. I use both bodies regularly. I have a current iteration Nikon 70-200 and use it on both bodies but mainly on the D7100 because I get more reach that way. 70-200 on a D7100 gives me approximately a 105-300 which is plenty of reach when I want/need it; and I like how quickly that lens locks onto my subject on either body. Whatever works for YOU! YOUR money; YOUR toys. There are enough "experts" on this site that you will never lack for "advice". You play in this sandbox long enough, you will get sand kicked in your face!!!!