I use the Tamron on a 7D and SL1 and love it. I find it a big jump from the 18-270. Glad I did it.

I got a B&W for polarizer for the rare time I need it. Otherwise I do not use a filter on this lens. Hood is enough protection. This is the first time I have not used a filter and am getting to like it. I think now that with lenses with small hoods I will continue to use filters for protection but for those with bigger lenses I will go naked.

I have been several times. Take only 1 camera and fastest lens you have. You will shoot wide to mild telephoto. Forget anything over 200. You will need your external flash. Shoot at angles if possible with flash. Bounce the flash when close. Tripods not allowed. Stay comfortable. Wear a fleece or light jacket. Comfortable rubber sole shoes. In the immediate area nothing much else to see. But, at a slight distance away and easy to get to is White Sands National Park (lots of photo ops) and Las Cruces, NM with Billy the Kid history. Depending on where you are coming from and what your mode of transportation is I might be able to recommend other things to see. Have a great trip.

Thanks

My mistake. A battery hand grip is what I was asking about. I have an old L hand grip. Thanks for noticing.

I would like to get a hand grip for my new Canon 5D Mark lll. I know the best one out there will probably be the branded Canon one, but if anybody has suggestions as to good aftermarket ones I would appreciate their input. I will only be using it occasionally. Thank you.

I also agree with this. Wish I had the knowledge, creative mind and of course time to learn how to do this. It is not just taking the picture but also the creative sight to see how to do stuff like this. I can take photos but have no gift for the latter (or is it former?) Who cares. You know what I mean.

Your right, I didn't use any nasty words. No need to. As to the other, I can't. I was born in Canada and not of an American mother. Unlike Ted Cruz I intend to keep both US and Canadian citizenships and dual passports. My kids have it too. Eeh!

Excellent

use it in good health.

No I didn't. That's why I order to my Montana address.

Thanks rJay & mac. UPS not a problem. The driver knows all the people up where we are. FEDEX is terrible. Another problem is that the address does not show on any data bases even though it exists. It's strange because never any problem with Amazon or Costco. I also get some problems when I order ammo from some companies.

After much thought, and multiple problems - I did it. I got a 5dMKIII. And now the story. Having had problems ordering from Canon online since I have a CA billing address and a MT shipping address I learned that I need to order on the phone directly with Canon sales. And so, on April 22 I called Canon, explained to the very nice agent my problems with previous orders, and after being assured that with her handling it directly there would be no problem. So I placed my order for a refurbished 5DMKIII for $2239. I got confirmation of the order and eagerly awaited the camera. After not hearing anything in a week I called Canon and was informed that the order was cancelled automatically because of address discrepancy. I again placed the order and this time I was again assured that there would be no problem and that this agent would personally handle the problem with a supervisor the next business day. Having learned not to trust Canon I called this past Monday and was again told that the order was automatically cancelled. At this point I became not so nice. I demanded to talk to a supervisor who said she would personally take care of the problem. She placed the order and said that "By the way, the price just dropped $40 so the cost was $2199). This time it went smoothly and the camera was delivered Thursday 5/7. I am chomping at the bits to get my hands on it when I go back up to my house in MT in a couple of weeks. Until then I will just be happy I got it.

After much deliberation and financial analysis I again succumbed to another GAS attack. The refurbished deal from Canon for the 5D MKlll for $2239 was just too good to pass up. I have been debating this for awhile since it is something I really did not need as I have a 6D with which I am very happy with. But, I gave in. As I shoot both Canon (my main platform for which I have the most lenses) and Nikon I was also considering looking for a refurbished D800 or D810 but the Canon deal was very good and at the right time. Looking forward to getting the new stable mate. Now my only question is to what to do with the 6D. I really don'the need it but I am also not the type who gets rid of anything. Great condition and very low shutter count.

I don't have the Canon 18-55 STM but I do have the 18-135 1:3.5-5.6 IS STM. The lens is a great walk around lens to have on my SL-1 all the time except when I go extreme wide angle or telephoto. I gives me my desired reach in 80% of the time. Takes good still and video and it is mated well to the SL-1 and several other Canon cameras that use the STM technology. It also gives you a better reach than the 18-55. I don't have the Tamron you mentioned, but I do have the 18-270, 18-200 and 150-600 and like them all. the 18-200 is no VC.