Welcome to the forum. I bought a Canon 80D in December as an upgrade from my Canon SX 40 (which was my third Canon digital camera). I didn't seriously consider a Nikon, as I have been happy with Canon cameras and inkjet printers. If you want to take video, the 80D is an excellent choice.

I bought my 80D in December and I'm still learning how to use it. I highly recommend the book "The Canon EOS 80D for Dummies." I bought my 80D with the EF-S 18-135 IS USM. A couple of months ago I bought the new EF 70-300 IS II USM. I gave it a real workout at the vintage sports car races, shooting approximately 3,000 photos with it. I'm really happy with the 80D and both lenses. Realize the EF 70-300 is a full frame lens and is equivalent to a 112-480 on the 80D (it's also pretty compact for its reach). I have taken a fair amount of video and the results are great. I've found that holding the camera with the strap around my neck stretched tight helps steady the camera for those times when you can't use a tripod (which is most of the time for me).

Nice article about a beautiful place.

I've traveled a lot (42 states so far), but have lived in the Bay Area my whole life. Once you get past the awful traffic, high housing costs and lunatic politics, it is the best place to live IMHO. We have great weather and there is so much close by. From where we live in the East Bay, San Francisco is less than an hour, Marin (and Muir Woods) about an hour, Lake Tahoe is about 4 hours, Yosemite about 3 1/2, Napa Valley about an hour, the Monterey Peninsula about 2 hours, the central coast (San Luis Obispo and environs) about 4 hours, Oregon about 6 hours, San Diego about 7 1/2 hours, Many places in the Sierras are 3-5 hours, and many other places to go. We have many great beaches within 1-2 hours (though the water is pretty cold). I can't think of any place in the country (the world?) that has so much so close.

We could have already gone to Mars; all it takes is the national will and money to do it. Most people don't realize that the NASA budget is only about 0.5% (1/2 of one per cent) of the Federal budget; well in the noise. We could double or triple the NASA budget and it would not be noticed, yet we could really go exploring. Also, there are always "unintended benefits" realized from the technology development. BTW, I'm not too far behind you.

I never shut my desktop down, though I let it go to sleep thus keeping some power on. I only close the lid/screen on my laptop to put it to sleep when necessary. I do this to minimize thermal cycles to improve longevity, by preventing fatigue of the connections. I also try to minimize the thermal cycles of my plasma TV.

Beautiful photo. Where did you take it? We're making our annual trip to Sisters in July and are tentatively planning on a day trip to Mt. Hood. Any suggestions on our visit?

I didn't go much past number 30, but I can't argue with the top 10. I have the original vinyl version of Let it Bleed; their best IMHO.

Welcome to the forum; the more engineers the better. I have similar interests and am an aerospace engineer, though I don't have a camera equipped drone (a term I dislike BTW). As I noted in a previous post: I am a model airplane hobbyist as well as a photography hobbyist; more of the former than the latter actually. A couple of things regarding the "drone." Follow the rules and be safe first and foremost. You are required to register with the FAA and have your registration number on anything that you fly that weighs 250 or more grams. I highly recommend that you join the recognized community based organization for model aircraft flying, the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA). The AMA website is: www.modelaircraft.org/

Have fun!

Welcome to the forum. I am a model airplane hobbyist as well as a photography hobbyist; more of the former than the latter actually. A couple of things regarding the quadcopter. Follow the rules and be safe first and foremost. You are required to register with the FAA and have your registration number on anything that you fly that weighs 250 or more grams. I highly recommend that you join the recognized community based organization for model aircraft flying, the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA). The AMA website is: www.modelaircraft.org/

Have fun!

We can't get anything over the air with an antenna. After constant hassles and horrible customer service from Comcast, we switched to DirecTV about 5 years ago and have had great service. We have a higher-end package, as I want to get sports channels for racing and the Warriors and love National Geographic. Since they were purchased by AT&T, we got a break on our cell phone bill, since we already had AT&T. We have kept our landline, as it is used for our home alarm system and if the power goes out (which is rare), the phone works.

Great shots! I especially like the heritage flight shot.

Beautiful place. We took the train from Rome to the hill country in southern Italy to visit family in 1973. We had lunch in Salerno while waiting for the local train to Potenza. We haven't been back yet, but we will. That was part of an 11 week trip that took us all over Europe.

I don't want driver aids either, except anti-lock brakes. I rarely use my cruise control. We did a 4,000 mile road trip in 11 days and I probably used the cruise control less then 25 miles of it. There is something about a perfectly rev-matched double clutched downshift (especially if done heel and toe) while turning in to a corner, clipping the apex and then accelerating out of it. I drive a Mazda 3 Grand Touring with a 5 speed manual with Bridgestone S-04s and Konis. A few years ago I went for a drive on one of the great roads, CA 128 from Winters, through the Napa Valley and then all the way to CA 1. My son in law went along in his 911 Carerra and our "quick comfort speed" was the same; he was surprised at how well the Mazda handled. Of course I was pushing a little harder than he was, but we were both having fun.

Great set! Number two is my favorite. I love airplanes BTW.

The only time I want a battery for a prime mover is in my RC airplanes. I enjoy driving a responsive fun to drive car. Give me an IC powered car with a manual transmission. Just say no to CVTs. I want 3 pedals. Save the manuals!

Zoom Zoom!