You know better than others how close the boat will get to the dolphins. I suppose if it is close, you might want the d600 with the 24-70 lens. But you might be better off just taking the d500 with the longer lens. The dolphins move pretty fast and jump and there really isn't a lot of time to switch cameras. If you get pretty close, then the d600 with the shorter lens might be good.

I would say the first two. When I was there a year ago, I only used a 16-35 f4 (Canon) which has IS and is imo a remarkable lens. Many of the streets in the older places I visited (including Jerusalem) were small and inside buildings, I used it wider than 24 (though most shots were in the 35mm range). There were a few places where we stopped on higher ground that I wished I had had a 70-200. I don't think you really need the 100-400. It is one of the most amazing places I visited. Enjoy your trip!

I have been using the lens for astrophotography. It serves its purpose but is not my favorite lens. It is sharp enough but it has a lot of distortion--bowing in--that needs correction in post-processing. I got the Sigma 14mm for Canon, but it is heavy and not as easy to travel with as the Canon. It is the fastest lens Canon has in that range, but I wish they would update it. I actually use the 16-35 f2.8 II more for astrophotography these days. It is probably the best of the Canon lenses. I had very bad luck trying to get a good copy of a Samyang 14 mm lens for Canon and finally gave up after a few tries and not being able to get much of anything in focus.

What is your small roll-on bag that fits under your seat. That sounds good.

You might want to look into getting the Sony 12-24 f4 lens. I was a bit frustrated in certain places in St. Petersburg wanting a wider angle lens. Overall though, I think you will be happy with the setup.

Thanks everyone! Yes, the poppies were taken at Lake Elsinore, but during the week before things got crazy. And, yes, the croissant was really good!!! Thanks again!

Of course, but I don't want to preview files I want to edit them.

Thanks, I will look for that.

I had to download the newest version of Canon's DPP4 from the Canon website. Then I open the raws in DPP4. They all appear there. You can either edit them in DPP4 and save them or what I did was just go File, Convert and Save (saved them to TIFF files), then opened them in PS and used Filter Camera Raw to do edits and process them as I normally would in Photoshop. It's not the most elegant solution but it works now as other editors figure out how to open and edit them. DPP4 has also gotten a lot better and is easier to use than it used to be.

I have had the RP a couple of weeks now, but haven't had a lot of opportunity to use it. My initial impression is that I really like it. I got both the rf 24-105 F4 lens and the 35 mm 1.8 lens. They are both terrific. I think the others here have pretty much summarized my initial reaction to it although I have not been bothered at all by the evf blackout. I have found the playback display a little fussy, but I suspect that is my lack of familiarity with the camera. I too got this as a hiking and travel camera and am pretty convinced it will be great for both. I get that it is not that much lighter and smaller when you add some of the lenses, but it feels significantly lighter and more manageable to me. I really like framing with ff cameras--to be able to do that with a camera that is smaller than the sl2 I use in my kayak is kind of amazing. I have included two photos--the poppies were taken with the rf 24-105 lens and the the croissant with the 35 mm lens. I processed the poppies some to play with it, but I didn't do much except crop on the other one. I probably punched up the colors too much in the first one, but this will give you some idea of the photos from the camera.

I have bought a couple of cameras and quite a few lenses from Canon refurbished. I periodically check to see what is available, though I pretty much have everything I want right now. I have been completely satisfied with everything I have bought refurbished from Canon.

My sense is that they get a lot of stock in at certain times (like after Christmas on popular cameras) and then stuff trickles in and out at other times. I waited two years to get a 24 mm tilt-shift lens, but then I saw them come up more frequently. At times they will have great sales and then everything goes. For me, it is sort of like clipping coupons, you just keep checking until it comes in and then pounce quickly. And, I agree with those who say popular items tend to disappear quickly. Good luck. I have saved a lot on some items.

Interesting to be sure, but a place where you should certainly be careful -- I saw someone grab a camera off a guy on Las Ramblas and was repeatedly warned about camera thefts in this one area, partly because it is so crowded and there are so many tourists there, especially when the big ships come in. The rest of Barcelona is not so bad. I would recommend the Cathedral and other buildings in the Gothic Quarter, La Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, the Palau, the various Gaudi houses. I always like to take the Hop-On, Hop-off bus to scope out the city and see what places would be interesting to return to. I agree that Montserrat is amazing.

Both B and H and Adorama are excellent. You have no need at all to worry about buying from them (as I am sure many who have responded to this thread have already repeated)

In spite of whatever it is called, I think the Sony rx10 iv is a camera you should really take seriously for what you want to do. It is a very high quality 1" sensor and zoom lens. Thus, bird photos will have more detail than what you are getting with the camera you are using now. The rx10 iv also has outstanding autofocus, which should help you capture the birds. I think it is also an excellent camera not only for your particular purpose but as a way of getting used to using more advanced features in a camera--getting off auto for example, perhaps shooting in raw. I had the III and sold it for other kinds of camera equipment, but I might have kept the IV had I had it then. Sony makes excellent cameras. In short, it is not simply the length of the lens but the combination of elements in the camera that allows you to get the shots you want.

Astrophotography gets expensive fast. You need a decent camera, but more important a good, fast lens, and a very sturdy tripod. On the camera side, maybe a used Canon 6d or Sony a7ii, but that doesn't leave you much for the lens and tripod.