Use the money on a flash in place of a tripod such as a sb700 or a sb910. A tripod for weddings is not needed. I've been shooting weddings for over 20 years & I have never used a tripod.
If you already have CS5, you do not need PSE, you would be duplicating your photo editing programs. So get LR5.
I use the Nikon 18-300mm VR lens or you may also check the Nikon 18-200mm VR II lens. Do not buy a third party lens, not saying they are inferior, it is just when you ever want to sell the lens you will get way more for your $$ if it is the Nikon lens. Good luck :-P
Check out the Pelican 1510 Case on Amazon for under $200.
http://www.amazon.com/Pelican-1510-Case-Foam-Black/dp/B0014D2WE4
You cannot go wrong using this case. I have two of them, one for my Sigma 500mm f4.5 lens along with additional gear, the other one I have for general traveling when I do not need my big lens. This case is design for over head storage on planes. You may also find this case on eBay for less.
Keep this in mine, the 18-200mm VR version I does not have a lens lock. This lens lock keeps your lens from creeping when you are walking with the camera hanging off your shoulder with the camera and lens pointing down to the ground. Now the version II lens will have this lock on the lens. Nikon has been adding lens locks to a lot of their new lenses.
There is a solution to prevent your lens from creeping and that is by putting on a very wide rubber ban on the zoom ring. You can go to YouTube to see how this works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqHnjgkdjvE
All the comments that have been made are true. But one big issue has been missed, the f2.8 lens is a DX version. The f4 lens is a FX version. F4 lens was specifically designed for a full frame body. If you use the F 2.8 lens on a FX body the camera will go into a crop mode & doing so you do not get all your megapixels such as a D600 is a 24 megapixel camera, the crop mode goes to 18 megapixels. So why buy a lens to use on a FX body and lose all your mega pixels. Doesn't make sense to me.
If this person wants to shoot portraits, f1.2 or f1.4 has way to short of depth of field for portraits. You can buy a lens with this kind of aperture, but you want to be shooting around f5.6 or f8 which on all lenses will be your sharpest point, along with not distorting your images from nose to ear on your subjects.
I am a Nikon person, I had in the past the Nikon 105mm lens, but now using their 200mm lens and I love it. Remember you do not only have to use the lens for macro photography. Go for the Canon lens, do not buy a third party lens. Not saying they are not good, the third party lenses cannot outperform either Canon or Nikon lenses, check out DxO lab reports. Also if you ever want to sell your lens, you will get more money for the Canon lens.
If you have the $$, go with the Really Right Stuff BH-55. I have in the past owned Acratech and Manfrotto ball heads. They work fin but if you have a heave lens plus your camera, the ball head will creep on you. Also you do not want a Aluminum Tripod, they are heavy and cold to the touch, and worse in the winter.
The best after market camera manual you can buy is from "rockynook" press, Mastering the Nikon D7100 by Darrel Young. The first time I came across this type of manual is when I had my D300s, since then I have purchased all my manuals for the D600 and D7000. I have purchase other camera manual in the past, but none of them can compare to the rockynook manuals and are as easy to follow along. I am not sure if the D7100 is out on press yet, but when it is, grab it as soon as you can. "You will never go back to any other manuals.
After you have check all of the straps listed above, go to U-strap.com and you will see why this strap will preform any strap on the market.
Sorry to hear of your miss fortune. Here is a camera strap I found and really like, it is called "U-Strap." The strap material is made of Kevlar, it has a heavy duty quick release clips and the shoulder pad is made of a non-slip material that is very comfortable. The first one I purchased was for my D300s, which was replaced with the D7000. I liked this strap so much, that I purchased one for my D600. The U-Strap is a little expensive, but is it well worth the cost.
When it comes to buying a lens, you also must know if your camera has a motor in the camera that will AF a lens. Some lenses require this function, because some lenses do not have a motor built in the lens. Check your manual to see if your camera has this function. Also, when it comes with a third party lens, there is a reason why they are so much cheaper. Tokina, Sigma and Tamron are good lenses but they are not as great as the Nikon or Canon lenses. If at some point you want to sell your lens or lens, you will get more for you money if it is a Nikon lens.
If you want a good all around lens, which has a good zoom range check out the Nikon DX AF 18-300mm VR. It is a little on the spendie side, but you will love it. Or also check out the Nikon DX AF 18-200mm VR II and not the version I. Make your purchase with either B&H or Adorama, you will not pay sales tax or shipping.
You may want to take your camera and go to camera store and try out the lens you are thinking of buying. Take a few shots in the store and go home and check them out on your computer and see what lens you like best. Then buy your lens with one of the companys I listed above.
HI Joe,
To start off, we know each other. I am a member of Sound Exposure. Now to your problem. I had this happen to me with one of my SanDisk SD cards. I contacted the company and after completing their question. SanDisk replaced my damaged card. So you may want to give this a try also.
If you are looking for one lens to start off with, you may want to check out the Nikon 18-300mm lens. This is a good all around lens for you. It is not too expensive of a lens; check out B&H, you can get if for just under $1000. If you are not too much in a hurry, around Christmas is the best time to purchase cameras and lens. You will find outstanding good deals.