Temple Square is very interesting and picture-worthy. Just don't give them your address or the missionaries will be showing up on your doorstep.
Sushamilt2 wrote:
NP is National Park. There are several in that area. Be sure to look into any passes offered by the feds for the parks, as the entrance fees have increased. We have the "senior" pass that gets us into the NPs for free.
The senior's pass was recently raised to $80, but that's still a bargain for lifetime admission to any National Park (includes forests, historical sites, etc. Basically anything National). That gets the whole carload in, as long as the actual pass owner is in the car. I think it's 62 or over to qualify.
If you want to buy a small point & shoot, go ahead and buy it, but don't let fear of the environment drive your decision. I'd take my best equipment, and just not change lenses while I'm standing on the beach. That's the only place on Hawaii that I'd even give a second thought about not changing lenses.
Stay alert for the unexpected. While driving, we spotted a very small traffic sign that simply said "Aquaduct." It was out in the middle of nowhere, but we weren't in a hurry so we took the turn. We spent the next two hours photographing and walking along miles of the ruins of an ancient Roman aquaduct.
I'd like a separate section for people asking about Abe's of Maine.
bsprague wrote:
Panasonic ZS100. Pocket sized, Leica lens, 1" sensor, 25-250 equivalent field of view and my wife takes sharp pictures with good color on hers. $700. It will do RAW and take video too!
On sale today at Amazon for $547.99.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B010NU5AX8/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_11?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
I have been completely satisfied with the refurbished body and lenses that I have purchased. I'd just make sure that they are factory refurbished by Nikon, not by any third party. Buying refurbished through Cameta, they extend the warranty to one year.
PANASONIC LUMIX ZS100 4K Point and Shoot Camera, 10X LEICA DC Vario-ELMARIT F2.8-5.9 Lens with Hybrid O.I.S, 20.1 Megapixels, 1 Inch High Sensitivity Sensor, 3 Inch LCD, DMC-ZS100K (USA BLACK).
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B010NU5AX8/ref=ox_sc_mini_detail?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Check out the offerings on Celebrity Cruises. They have 3 ships now in the Galapagos ranging from 16 to 100 guests. We went a dozen or so years ago on the 100 passenger Celebrity Xpedition and thought it was fabulous. The naturalist guides were exceptional and groups were limited to around 20 or fewer guests per guide. There were two excursions offered each day, with both low-exertion and high-exertion options for each.
This is not a "photography" tour, and may therefore be less expensive than some that bill themselves that way, but I felt I always had adequate time for photography and most passengers were carrying fairly sophisticated cameras and gear.
I only took two lenses, an 18-55mm and a 70-200mm, and felt this was adequate. Most of my shots were with the shorter lens. A tripod would be a hindrance to photography here. I don't recall if they were even allowed, but I do remember that I never saw one in use the entire trip. Keep it light and pack extra water rather than extra lenses on the excursions.
A word about tripods and monopods. They're for land only. If you try to use them on the ship, they pick up and magnify the ship's vibration. Even when sitting still in the water, or in dock, the engines are running to power the generators and will turn your pictures blurry. You'll have better luck handheld while on board.
kd7eir wrote:
With my bank unless the merchant can PROVE that I received the merchandise that I purchased, I get my money back. It's not up to the merchant to refund the money, if the bank decides that you are owed the money, they simply reverse the payment they made to the merchant and there is NOTHING the merchant can do to stop them.
That's with a credit card, which gives you far greater consumer protection. Unfortunately, the OP paid in advance with a check.
Peterff wrote:
But when you say "I have to pay sales tax to the state where the item is sent" do you personally have to collect and pay that tax, or does the retailer do that?
The online retailer charges me the tax based upon the point of delivery, rather than my state of residence. When I buy something shipped to my home in Delaware, no tax. When I have it shipped to my father in Idaho, the retailer charges me Idaho sales tax.
I wouldn't buy a used lens from an individual without seeing the serial number to check if it is gray market. I also wouldn't bother to PM anyone to find out what the obscured number is. There are plenty of sellers out there competing for a limited number of buyers, so why would you want to put obstacles in the way of your sale? Unless you fear that the lens you are selling has previously been reported stolen, you have no risk in displaying it.
You pay sales tax to the state to which the product is delivered. I live in Delaware, which has no sales tax, but when I purchase a gift online for family living in other states, I have to pay sales tax to the state where the item is sent.
If you have Windows, the Paint program is included free and you can very easily add text to a picture.