I've never baptized someone in a tank that small. I usually have the candidate use one hand to grip their nose, usually with a hankerchief, and the other hand gripping my wrist. Even in one case where the candidate was aquaphobic, he did not panic.

For the last few versions of Windows, including Windows 10, I have been using Advanced System Care Pro by IObit. A registry cleaner is one of the tools in the package. If you go to computer magazines and check out maintenance utility packages, IObit's products are always top-rated. I have found them to be both cost-effective and effective.

Anyone who is serious about large-format digital photography should check out this URL: http://betterlight.com/index.html This is strictly for still-life and landscape photography, as making an image requires both time and a willingness to lug around the equipment. The file sizes are huge too. Still, if you are passionate about both making great images and displaying them in large prints, scanning backs is the way to go.

I lived in Yosemite three years and I've been photographing Yosemite and the Sierras since 1953 as a child. The fall colors come out with the first hard freeze of the season, and they're in full bloom within ten days after that first hard freeze. I've rarely seen the bloom of fall colors as early as late September and as late as the first week of December. Most often, it is between late October and early November.

For photograph destinations, if you go as far south as Lone Pine, you have to drive west to the base of Mt. Whitney or part way up the trail to get really good photo ops. Convict Lake is interesting and has some decent possibilities. The desert hot springs near there are an interesting variation. A little bit further north, the Mammouth Mountain and Mammouth Lakes areas are excellent for both landscape and wildlife photography. If you're a bit more adventurous, go to Devil's Postpile, though it is fairly time-consuming. I can take or leave the earthquake fault. A little further north is the turnoff for Route 120 into Yosemite. That road is amazing and the views are spectacular though at times a bit scary. Any further north, and you get to Mono Lake, which is not mountainous but desert. Beyond that is Lake Tahoe. Have fun! The Eastern Sierras have great possibilities!

Evidently, you have no appreciation for the large-print landscapes, virtually all of which are photographed with prime lenses. There are NO zoom lenses for large-format photography. There are very few high-quality zoom lenses for medium-format photography. Basic laws of physics and optics, along with the problems associated with producing zoom lenses, including the costs involved, argue against your assertion, "They are horrible for landscapes." There is no way to defend that assertion logically. Obviously, you love the convenience of zoom lenses. That's okay. Images made with zoom lenses are fine for electronic displays smaller than the typical home television.

In recent years, the number of megapixels available for full frame and aps/c cameras have made it possible to produce somewhat larger prints that are acceptable in quality for most people. Careful examination of those large prints made with zoom lenses often demonstrates the weaknesses of all but the most expensive zoom optics, whereas there are less-expensive primes that can produce superior images in the hands of a skilled photographer.

Years ago, I joined a color slide club in Glendora, California, and the club in turn was a member of S-4-C, or the "Southern California Council of Camera Clubs. My local group met twice a month, once for color slides and once for "nature" slides. The latter could not show "the hand of man" in the image. Both locally and regionally, there were divisions 1, 2, & 3. You joined with an automatic rating of 3. After you'd won some ribbons, you moved up to be a 2. One or two of our local members were in the 1 division. All were there for mutual support and encouragement -- no politics. I never became a "1" but as a solid "2" I won a number of ribbons.

Having said all of that, I counted those three years of membership as a great experience. When I went to the monthly S4C meeting, all slides were shown with a high-power projector on a screen twelve feet wide. Whereas locally we joined together to rate every slide from 4-9, 9 being best, at S4C meetings there were three judges, and the scores were averaged. Simply from observations stated by the semi-pro or pro judges as we saw the slides, I learned a lot about photography. At those S4C meetings almost every month there were workshops announced at reasonable cost. In short, I found the experiences well worth the effort, and I made a lot of friends.

Almost twenty years ago I spent 24 days in New Zealand, doing a self-guided tour in a rented motorhome. I've always been a landscape photographer, so I did extensive research before going. Landing in Auckland, I took a commuter flight to Christchurch, where I rented the motor home. Going west, I headed towards Mount Cook and the park on the east side. I made some good images there, but not the most memorable. Heading further south, I spent a few days in Queenstown, the most wondrous of that being the world heritage park west of Queenstown. Do NOT attempt to drive in, but take a day tour by bus. You will see flora and fauna (50+ foot tall ferns and perhaps Kiwis) that are truly memorable, and if you take the boat ride down the river, you will see some amazingly rugged coastline. That world heritage park typically sees 300 inches of rain each year, so be prepared! I took me two days to get up the West Coast of South Island, and I spent the night in Blenheim before crossing on the ferry to North Island. Wellington and Auckland, are the largest communities, but I did not make many images. Rotorua has geysers and geothermal generating plants, but nothing more spectacular than Yellowstone in the USA. The one area on North Island where I could make some great images was on the northern tip at Bay of Islands. I shot twenty rolls of 645 format images for slides on the trip, but they've not been scanned yet. (I've not gotten around to it.?!?!?!)

When I went to Yosemite in May, it rained every day. I had the OP/TECH rainsleeve. It comes in two sizes, for small and large cameras.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SF8X1Q4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

As neck/shoulder straps go, you are right about most straps having a similar design. A few years ago I was watching a rantatorial on Luminous Landscape, and the recently deceased founder of the site raved about a strap with a weird name: "Crumpler Convenient Disgrace Camera Strap." On B&H you'll find it here:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/984516-REG/crumpler_cde002_b00000_convenient_disgrace_neck_strap.html

Check it out!

I like what you've done here. The area of prime focus, which gets the viewer's attention, is the eye of the frog, and it is located on the lower left crash point for the rule of thirds. It's a nice job of cropping. If you have enough of the original left to make a good print, that's terrific.

Years ago, when I was competing with slides in the Southern California Council of Camera Clubs (S4C), there were three parallel competitions: "Nature" slides, color slides, and prints. "Color" slides and prints included anthing a photographer wanted to submit, but "nature" slides or prints could NOT in any way show evidence of humanity in the picture. That definition of nature photography has stayed with me. Also, throughout both competitions, there were constant references to the "rule of thirds" (discussed elsewhere on UHH), and the "bullseye" effect. When shooting animals (including birds), photographers tried their best to avoid the "birdseye" effect by paying attention to the background. The efforts I observed in those slide competitions displayed on a 12'x16' wide screen were truly memorable.

Yes! You could spring for a Hassie or Phase One to get the same resolution, sensitivity, and contrast ratio, but the 645Z is as user-friendly as the best Canicon and it produces magnificent images. For something less heavy to carry around I'd get a Sony mirrorless A7rii with Zeiss primes and a G-Series telephoto zoom. I understand that soon there will be a true telephoto prime for birding and wildlife photography, even better than the zoom.

Photomatix Pro can take a single image and do this. If your camera shoots raw and has a broad contrast ration, the resulting HDR image can be quite satisfying. It can also do it with a TIFF file or a high-quality JPG file.

If in the market for a super-zoom, I would want at least a 1-inch sensor. There are several to choose from, but currently the Sony RX10 mark iii is amazing and has all the bells and whistles.

Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras now have access to a 24-240mm zoom -- 10 to 1. Like all long zooms, it has its problems, but to see some in use results, check out the video review by Kai from Digitalrev.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewB7YRV8Yt8