I own a GX 9. It is a great camera, hardly larger than a point and shoot, with the ability to use your lenses. I use a G9 for travel and find that it is a much more capable camera and has a more sturdy build. But for hiking, biking and candid street shots, the size and quality of GX9 image is hard to beat. You do miss out on some of the stabilizer features of your Olympus lenses when mounted on Panasonic cameras. Enjoy, it’s a great camera.

With a Dx body, the 50 1.8 is a great lens to have on your camera for most of the wedding. At my 2 children’s wedding we had professional photographers. My kids love the candid shots that I took of people, of preparations, of the couple in unscripted moments. I used a 80-200 2.8 on a D800 and a 70-200 E2.8 on a D850 quite a bit in that role to keep my distance and get the spontaneity. I laid my camera down a lot too, enjoying the time with family. I am glad that I did. A lot of what you chose depends on what your role is. I personally don’t like the pictures that I have taken of people with anything wider than a 28, even corrected in photoshop. I also only use a camera wide open on a body part, like the face or hands, and even then, it’s for the effects given with the narrow focus range. Image stabilization then becomes more important with the F stop above 4. I love my Nikon 24-70 E2.8. The Tamron came out after and by reports is equivalent in quality and less expensive. My vote goes to image stabilization: a Nikon or Tamron 24-70 f2.8 or a Nikon 70-200 E2.8 to use along side the 50 1.8 that you already have.

This is a very fun list. Hard to beat playing Little John while your 3 yr old grandson plays Robin Hood.

I would add to the list:
Own high quality original art
Travel to your most exotic location
Drink at an outside table In Spring in Paris

With 2 bodies, 2 flashes and 3 lenses I would look at a Lowepro or Tenba backpack. That is especially true if you ever carry a tripod or even a monopod.

I wouldn’t hesitate to do most hikes alone. If you just stick to boardwalks you’ll see beautiful features. If you want to go into more isolated areas, it’s still safe. Years ago I backpacked multiple times miles from the roads with my small children. Hikes around the falls, into lone geyser and in the Old Faithful area are highly traveled. Have fun. Maybe I’ll see you there. I won’t be giving safety a second thought after many many trips to Yellowstone. Just obey basic precautions and you’ll be Far safer than riding the subway.

I use my IPad Pro for simple edits when quickly altering a photo to send via the Internet. I love my Mac Book pro for photography editing. Get the MacBook and a cheaper $300 iPad if needed for reading etc.

If your in an environment where there will be a lot of dings, I prefer the plastic cases over aluminum. Pelican cases are tough and waterproof. I use them with dividers for photography in rough situations like rafting and some handgun carrying with a foam insert. Same cases, different inserts. The Halliburton aluminum briefcases are beautiful and sturdy pieces, but they will dent and scuff. Makes me a little sad when that happens to a beautiful and expensive piece.

The combined weight of the D850 mounted with the 500 5.6 is about the same as the Nikkor 200-500 f5.6 alone. Amazing engineering.

I prefer backpacks. I own Lowepro and Tenba. Due to the weight, I simply can’t comfortably carry a shoulder bag with two DSLR bodies and the big 3, let alone additional gear. Many backpack 18-20 inches tall, 13-15 inches wide should handle your gear. Look carefully at the pictures and look on YouTube for reviews to judge capacity. You won’t go wrong with Tenba or LowePro, they are tough and well designed.

I have only sold them gear. The gear I sold was nearly as good as an open box purchase. They were professional, honest and fairly priced. When I looked on their site for my gear, I thought it was a good value knowing the quality of the gear.

I bought a Dell 4K. It’s great. Buy a monitor with a USB C power outlet so that you can just hook up your Pro directly to the monitor without an additional power cord. One cord, USB C, for both powering up your computer and for data transmission.

Just replaced a TV and they are selling 8K now with Samsung. No 8 K media yet, but they’re selling the TV.

Bay photo has done a nice job.

If $1300 is a little steep for IS, I really like my Leupold 10x40’s and have been impressed at Cabelas with Vortex optics. With both brands you get excellent optics, exceptional construction and you don’t pay for the name. I bought Leupold’s mid range binoculars for around $450 on sale 6 years ago and am very happy.

Having said that, the Canon IS 18X50 is like a high quality spotting scope that can be hand held. Using spotting scopes, I have enjoyed watching mountain sheep on a distant snow field and a big grizzly meandering along the edge of a mountain across the valley at Bear Claw Pass just outside Yellowstone. My binoculars just didn’t have the distance. Fatigue is a factor with the weight of Canon IS 18X50, but if you have the money and the super long distance fits with your needs, it’s what I’d buy.

You were smart to ask. Now be even smarter and run away from them, fast.

B&H or Adorama are great companies, use them and it will save you grief, money and time. They are both among the best companies that I have ever dealt with in any arena. I’m sure there are a few others, but those two I have used for years.

I use Peak Design L-BL-3 on my 4/3 Panasonic mirrorless. It is 0.75 inches thick, so too narrow for a heavier camera. I use the Peak Design 1.8” on my D850.

What I like:
—High quality build of strap attachments and buckles
—The easily adjustable length that allows for me to wear it cross body.
—Attach to the camera’s strap rings not to the tripod screw receptacle
—The camera lies comfortably at my hip walking but is quickly ready for a shot
—length of the strap
—Strap is easily folded into a small case, it’s soft not stiff

Good luck with your purchase. All of my straps, after going through a few brands, are Peak Design because I like to carry cross body by the strap rings and I want something that adjusts strap length single handed.