Agreed, sounds like you have the situation covered. I assume your 200-500 is part of that trilogy? Are you doing most of your wildlife photograph out of a safari vehicle? If so, I suggest discussing with your safari guide some sort of camera/lens support system. I found a bean bag very helpful when using the 200-500 on my two bodies. No room in the Toyota Land Cruiser for a tripod so bean bag seemed the best compromise. Next time we go, I think I will take a "rail clamp" which I can then mount my gimbal head on.
Assuming you do take firearms for your game hunting portion of the safari, specifically what animals are you seeking and what rifles do you propose using. Your alternative may be to rent what you need from the safari operator.

You say in a later post you have a d5100, correct?
Is there a chance you have the mode dial set to Auto? When my d5100 is on Auto mode neither auto bracketing or HDR are available.

Wow .910! Biggest I used was a Winchester .458 Magnum and the spun me around and put me on my bum the very first time I fired it. Are you taking any other lens than the 200-500 with you? I ask only because in many cases I had to drop down to my 18-200mm as the 200-0 was just too long for some shots!

The last sentence of your post is the clue for me. Start with the maximum amount in your wife's budget and create a short list of your lens choices. Then do some research on each of your choices and that should shorten your "short list" further. Once you have your short list reduced to your favourite choices, consider renting the one or two top choices and shoot lots of photos of the types of birds, animals and creatures that interest you. If you can follow this procedure of analysis without too much emotion or bias to a specific brand, you should end up with the best choice given the budget constrain you must live with.
As has already been said, you can never have enough reach, so don't chase that specification as you will always be "reaching", be satisfied to work with the best tool (lens) you can afford and work at improving your technique with the kit you have.
Good luck with your search, lets us know what you choose to buy.

I agree with Bram boy's suggestion, especially if your 70-300 is the VR model which I assume it is because you say it is f4.5-5.6. The older version 70-300 was a f4-5.6 without VR. As to selling your D5100 and replacing it with a D7200, that is your decision of course but I suggest you try holding a D7200 body before selling your D5100. The D7200 body is heavier and larger than your D5100, only you can decide which is best for you. I have both, each has its place depending on what I wish to do.
Many members have suggested the Tamron or Sigma 150-600mm models. I have used both the Tamron and Sigma C lenses and would have been pleased to own either one. However, when it came time to lay my money down, I chose the Nikon 200-500 f5.6. So my suggestion is that you take your D5100 to your trusted camera store and mount each of the suggested lenses. Only then will you know which lens is the right lens for you. All three are much bigger, heavier lens than what you have currently.
Like you, I shoot wildlife, from hummingbirds, robins and squirrels to lions, cheetahs and elephants, all of it in their natural habitat.
It is your money so try before you buy, rent if necessary to ensure you are making the choice that best suits your needs.
Good luck!

I envy you Ed! I assume shooting grizzly, brown and black bears in Western Canada is similar to shooting polar bear in Churchill, Manitoba and it appears you have the right camera/lens selections for the task at hand. All the best, Garth

Hi dfrost01, I 'm not going to comment on the camera body selections, as I have no experience with either of your selections, besides saying get what feels best in your hands. Lenses: Alaska grizzles, I have used both my 70-300 and my 200-500 depending on the range I was shooting with my 1.5 crop sensor cameras. For Africa I carried my 18-200 walk around lens, but also used my 70-300 and my 200-500. My 200-500 is usually mounted on my D7200 while my lighter bodied D5100 is a backup with either the 18-200 or 70-300 mounted. Vast majority of my trips in either location were via safari vehicle, canoe, boat in Africa or ATV, canoe, SUV or boat in Alaska. Therefore weight was not a big concern for me. If any walking/hiking involved such as gorilla trekking in Rwanda, then the D5100 with the 18-200. I will not/cannot make specific lens recommendations for you as I lack any experience regarding your chosen camera format but hope my experiences will help you make appropriate lens selections given your chosen fields of endeavour and subject matter. In Africa you will be travelling most of the time on very dusty roads and dirt tracks, so do try to keep your camera equipment protected from the fine almost flour like dust from penetrating your camera and lenses. Keep lens swaps to a minimum if possible! I take an assortment of clear plastic bags to slip over my cameras and attached lenses when not actually using the cameras, just to reduce dust build up on the gear. Tripods or monopods did/do not work well for me bouncing around in a safari vehicle, canoe or boat, but I have used a small bean bag effectively to reduce camera shake.

I have two other suggestions of a non-photographic nature for you:
1) dress in drab (non-camouflage) loose fitting clothing particularly in Africa - less likely to attract all those biting insects that are attracted to bright colours, especially bright blue! Bug spray sort of works- sort of!
2) do ensure all your inoculations are up to date at least 60 days before you go to Africa, particularly Yellow Fever!!!

You will have a great time both in Alaska and in each of the three countries in Africa! I wish you all the best and do post some photos when you return from each trip, I will be waiting and watching. Best regards, Garth

Hi dfrost01; I have been to both Alaska and Africa so may be able to give a few suggestions. What type of pictures do you want to take? i.e. landscapes, animal both big and small, birds in flight? In the case of Africa, what countries will you be visiting? I ask that question simply because it may well influence what lenses you choose to take with your final camera choice.
Best regards,
Garth

Just a precaution. Both my Samsung TV manual and my MacBook Pro manual suggest/recommend powering down the two devices when making a cable connection. However, in truth I like you more often than not just connect the cable with out first powering down the two devices.

Felt obliged to play it safe.

The short answer is Yes you can.
Assumptions:
1) you are going to buy a MacBook Pro 13" with Retina Display with a HDMI port.
2) you have a TV that has a HDMI port.
3) you have a HDMI cable of sufficient length to connect to the laptop and to the TV.

Just remember to turn off both devices before connecting the cable to the TV and Laptop!!

My apologies Srushj, I should have recognized the frame rate issue, but my D5100 is not capable of 60i frame rate. I appreciate knowing this detail as I will be mindful when doing video with my D7200.
Regards

Hi Srushj,
Yes, my iPad has the latest iOS, but ran videos on the previous version of the iOS and as you have discovered, the updated iOS or previous version is not the root of your issue.
May I suggest the following: use your iPad to shoot a video for about one minute and then play the video back. If that works ok, the do another video of at least five minutes and then play back that video. Assuming that 5 minute video runs ok, try a 21 minute video and then play that video back. If all these steps work satisfactorily, I would be suspicious of your camera. Review all settings in your camera with emphasis on you video settings.
Hope this helps!

Your D5200 uses MOV file format (same as my D5100) and your iPad Air also uses and recognizes MOV file format as does my iPad Air. I can play back all my video clips on my iPad Air so I am puzzled as to why you are having trouble. Suggest you talk to Apple before going to the trouble and expense of converting your existing videos.