# 3 looking at you even if it is with one eye.

I have both the Exposure & Metering and the Nikon AF Systems book. Both are excellent books that reads like someone is talking to you rather then lecturing to you. I was able to load both on my laptop and on the two Kindles that I have (a reader and a regular color Kindle). Both are in Adobe Acrobat Reader format. With the two Kindles I can use it as a reference. I found that you should have your Camera nearby as he goes through, with menu screen shots, various settings for Focus and Exposure for each Camera so you can follow through and see what he is talking about.

We had a local presentation by a couple who went on a Photo trip to Antarctica and they used something like those ziplog bags or dry bags that paddlerdon mentioned above. They said that they obtained them a sporting goods store that catered to Hunters and Fisherman. The two bags that they showed us were able to fit a fairly large amount of cameras and lenses. They used them on boat trips to view glaciers and other parts of their trip and could also be used when ever your equipment can be protected from rain or water.. This was much better then my backpack and the rain cover that it comes with.

If you have an old battery get the name from it. If you can't see it clearly magnify it. Go onto Amazon and perform a search of the battery. I did this for a Gossen hand held meter and a replacement battery for a Nikon F meter and was surprised to find that they existed. The Gossen works but the Nikon meter didn't.

The market for the serious amateur, hobbyist and professional is not going away. The major camera companies, Nikon and Cannon, should still be there however, maybe not so for the companies with less market share. The snapshot market is gone to the cell phone companies and will not be back. Some of the companies like Sigma and Tamron might not be around in 5 to 10 years. They might be eaten up by the big two or go out of business. The two main companies need to diversify their business to have different streams of income. Nikon makes a lot of money making medical equipment but that might not be enough. Sony is a big electronics manufacture so they may see an opportunity to acquire a company like say Nikon. Who knows. The only thing we do know is that change is in the future.

I purchased a Nikon d7200 that was delivered to my house last week from B&H through FedEX. We had to have someone here the day it was delivered because someone had to sign for the package. If you package had to be signed for they would not just leave it at the front door.

In addition, I received several emails concerning the order, its where abouts and tracking information.

I also put it on a American Express card because of points, it is much easier to cancel and AmEx has a pretty good insurance policy.

This is not to bash because I think you make some valid points about self training that we should all do with our equipment regardless of what type or manufacture. It makes sense to me however, to be able to look up something that you might forget after a period of time away from that subject and want to look up to refresh your memory while in the field.

I download a number fo PDF files including manuals from Nikon. In fact, I have some of Steve Perry's books in PDF format that is on my Kendle's. One is a reader and the other is a color Kindle. The reader is B&W but light and can be read with direct sunlight. The Color one is better for viewing color pictures but is an LCD and therefore more difficult to view in the sun and is a little heavy. You can put one of them in your Camera Bag or Backpack and take it into the field. Manuals would be difficult to read and navigate with the camera but could be done. These are the kind of things that the manufactures should be looking into to better compete with their competition.

I blame the camera industry for not seeing into the future and anticipating what the future market would be.

The touch screen should be available on all makes and models. Yes it is slowly moving into the higher end cameras but it should be standard like it is on all cell phones. If your a young person and all that you have seen and worked with are touch screens and you are handed a camera with no touch screen not only do you think that it is antiquated but you might not know what to do with it.

On the subject of WiFi, why can't you send a picture directly to a social media platform instead of to a phone which you will then have to send it from the very phone that the manufacturer is in competition with.

These are just a few examples I'm sure there are more out there that you guys can come up with.

At a landscape presentation from a camera club the presenter showed us 2 bags that they obtained from a sporting goods store like Dicks or Cabela's. You may want to try there for something that will keep the gear safe.

I was looking for a backpack for my equipment and laptop. The problem was that the laptop was 17" where the backpacks would only take a 15" so I waited. Finally got an email from Amazon about an Amazon Basics and it took the 17" laptop and it was cheaper. So for about $40 I got it and so far it is fine. Will have to wait and see how it last over the years but for that price it was worth it.

Love the photo Bob. The colors are absolutely beautiful. Just wondering how it would look in B&W. Not that I would change it, just curious as to how it would look.

I live in Delaware where there is no sales tax so this doesn't apply to me. Here in Susex county DE there is no access to a retail store that I can go to buy or get advice. I'm sure that there are others here that live in a rural community where there is little to no access to a brick and mortar retailer that stocks the equipment that serious photographers require. As a result, online is the most convenient and in many cases the only means to obtain gear.