CAMETA CAMERA was a great source, sorry they are gone now.

B&H, ROBERT'S (in Indiana), SAMMY'S in LA. top three sources for equipment.

ALWAYS buy the US version/never Grey Market.
ALWAYS pay the Nikon price, it is worth it in the long run.

go to the NIKON WEB PAGE and they offer good deals on REFURBISHED (by NIKON) equipment that comes with a warranty from NIKON. Lenses, bodies, flashes. You save a little, they often have incentive sales, and it is direct from NIKON so there is no problem with repairs or warranty service. (I got a 28-200 from their reconditioned listing-needed a 'vacation' lens. TACK SHARP/WORKS PERFECTLY/WARRANTY...saved about $200 from list.)

For anyone who doesn’t already know, avoid camera “deals” on Etsy the same way you would with 42nd St. - the site has more obvious scams than the unclaimed fortune emails I receive routinely from Africa. It’s so bad (It makes Craigslist look like the BBB), that I can’t believe it’s still in business. Here are some examples (and each “seller” has only 1 item, nothing but an email address, and 0 sales, references, reviews or even an address).

Canon EF 300 mm f2.8L IS (in perfect condition complete with case) $800
Canon RP with EF 24-240 & EF 50 for $350
And best of all, Canon 5D MkIV with “complete photography package” which includes a 24-105L and a 16-35L for $889.99 (!)

How do they get away with continuing to post these obvious scams (or stolen/fake merchandise) and stay in business? I’ve come to expect scams on a daily basis, but these are so blatant, it got my attention.

Sharing information regarding equipment others have taken to Hawaii, no matter what the original post said, offers a spectrum of experience and what works/doesn't work which could impact and influence the original poster to change their plan(s).

The more first hand information the better, no matter if what is suggested follows the exact question guideline or not.

He has never been to Hawaii, and the question actually 'speculates' on his plan to take the equipment he listed. He could be wrong....or misdirected as to what might be needed or be the most practical on the trip.

Wow, just had an upsetting situation happen on Instagram. I made a comment on a non photography post on Instagram and someone must have gone to my page, or what ever you call it, and looked at my photos. They then went on to say that many of the photos were not mine! They even said they had seen one on Nat Geo and was not mine and I was not giving credit! I responded to this person saying they were certainly all mine and the response back was there is no watermark and why do others names show up? Then proceeded to ask if I worked for Nat Geo.... I can only assume the other names they referred to are the people I tagged who were on the trip with me and I do not use a watermark, as many on Instagram do not.

This just really upsets me to be accused of claiming someone else’s photo! I did once again reply that I guaranteed that 1,000% they are all my photos and I was honored they thought my photos were Nat Geo worthy....

I've been using Apple's "Photos" app, after the "iPhoto" app was dropped, and have generally been happy with how it works for me. Mostly, I'm interested in some creative cropping and some slight enhancement of the image. For the most part, it does what I want it to do.

However, am I missing out by not using a "real" photo editing app such as Photoshop, Lightroom or some other such thing? That, and one of the members of a press photography group of which I am a member, made this comment: "Why is he not using Photoshop?" I'm not really interested in spending hours and hours tweaking this and that to perfect my images. Just something that might work… better.

Or, to put it differently, what would one of these other editing apps do for me that "Photos" can't?

So, I am looking for recommendations and for those that won't cost a bundle. I'm not looking to purchase something like "Final Cut Pro", but something that a non-professional who does not make his money from his photography could put to good use.

Thank you.