Who appointed you the topic cop? It is not time to move on. It is a valid complaint. Low ISO's are not glamorous to the general public, ie, the purchasers of the majority of cameras, hence they basically ignore it. Don't worry about noise, you can shoot at 1/1000 sec by candle light, rather than you can shoot this waterfall at 1/10 sec without any filter.

As for 1/3 of a stop, I routinely make that sort of correction in my post processing, so it can be significant. That is the difference between a snap shot and a photograph.

I have done it numerous times with an 18 mm Nikon lens, both in landscape and portrait modes. The key is shoot in manual mode, so the exposure and depth of field stay constant. Meter on the brightest area for your settings. Shoot in RAW, as this provides the most information. Also, do not skimp on the number of images. Typically i use 5, with at least a 50% overlap. After stitching in Elements, I go in and fine tune the image using shadows/highlights, sharpening, etc.

If you read the rules of the forum, you would see IT IS NOT YOUR RIGHT! The rules state:

"- Please do not edit and re-upload other people's pictures without their explicit permission. In other words, you may not open someone's topic, download an image, edit it (that includes adjusting settings, cropping, adding/removing visual elements, etc.), re-post it, and say "here is a version of your photo that I like better" unless they specifically ask for it."

It is people like you who give this forum a bad name.

DX is cropped sensor, for Nikon a factor of 1.5, hence a 100 mm lens would appear as a 150 mm. FX is full size sensor, 36x24 mm, same as film.

What does your histogram look like, it will not lie about the exposure. Also, shoot in RAW, the ability of lightroom to bring back an underexposed image is amazing. Just use fill light and tonal correction curves (the dark slider).

For a couple of years, I used the Nikon 18-105 mm for my landscape shots, and kept wishing for more. Recently got the Sigma 10-20 mm. It is rarely off the camera. Why? Amazing depth of field, even at f/11, a foot to infinity. Just leave the distance scale at 3 feet, and shoot in manual focus, so no time lost while it focuses. Wider field, about 102 degrees at 10 mm, so I rarely have to stitch. If you are serious about doing landscape, an ultrawide (not a fish eye) is a must. Outdoor Photographer did a blurb on it a month or so back on ultrawides. Think it is at their website. This Sigma also has a Canon mount. price $479.

Purpose of forum: "This is where we scrutinize photos and discuss specific issues of a given shot". Sounds to me it belongs here, since he asked for input.

Issues to discuss: On first photo, I agree the fog is over exposed. If shot in RAW, it may be possible to somewhat correct. This is a good example of why one should bracket, say in 1/2 steps, even if not doing HDR. Also, play close attention to the histogram, and I leave the "blinkie" alway active, so I can see immediately if a shot is over blow, and where. Still enjoyable images.

True, but I believe the HDR software in the camera only works if you shoot jpeg, so you cannot do in camera HDR in RAW.

There was a recent article about this is a photo magazine, and it did get good reviews. Look to see it more and more. The down side is its only two photos, and lacks the power of a stand alone program. Also only works with jpeg.

"Beam me up Scotty, no intelligent life down here"

Thanks for your thoughts. I will let things rest a few days and come to a final decision. This site has definately become more and more hostile in the last few weeks, why I do not know. My guess is a lot of beginners out there think they are the next Ansel, and know it all. Maybe blame the manufacturers, "buy his camera and all your images will be great mentality". Maybe blame administration for not caring, and allowing it to go on. At any rate, if someone asks for advice in an area of photography I am knowledgable, I am glad to offer it. You can take it or leave it, but those resorting to name calling need more help than can be offered here, and since it has been allowed to continue, have lowered the standards of this site to. There are many sites out there where people exchange ideas, even disagree, but are civil and respectful, for they know, one outburst will get them thrown out immediately.

It is not you I am referring to.

I see a growing trend at this site where more and more people have resorted to name calling. and totally immature behavior. I have enough grief in my life without adding this site to the list. I have asked questions, and have been ripped, having been told it is "none of my business what they do". Others have been called every name in the book if they offered a differing opinion. To those I have helped, I hope you continue to grow. To those who act like a bunch of spoiled brats, how many others, who have a wealth of knowledge to share, are you going to drive away?

I have to agree with you 100%. There is a time for learning, and then a time for providing a knowledgable service. I have seen similar posts, "I just got my camera and am going to photograph a wedding. Please help". Too many think just because they bought a camera, they are a photographer. It took me several years and thousands of images to be confident in my area of photography, but I would still pass on portraits. If you do even know which lens to use, you are not ready, let alone knowing about lighting and composition. Do these people a favor and pass. If anyone takes offense to it, think of it this way. Would you want the photographs of your special event to be dark, blurry and not capturing that moment? Professionals are there for a reason. They know how to get the job done. It is not as simple as pressing the shutter, as you will only get one change to do it right.

You said you have bought a lot of lenses and over the last few years had to return ONE. Does not sound like a high percentage to me. You said build quality is not as good as 10 years ago. Wrong on count two, with the advent of CAD, the quality of today's zooms are as good as fixed lenses. You said your new lens is from China, made with the cheapest materials available. Just opinion, show me facts. Grey market lenses are the same, the major difference is the manual is not in English. As for warrenty, that is the manufacturers just wanting to dig deeper in your pocket, forcing you to pay a primium for the same produce. A trick they learned from the drug companies.