I was involved in data protection for about 20 years when I worked for a large global corporation. I can't stress enough how important it is to properly backup your system. I remember many sad faces and irate bosses when they discover that their data is not backed up as they had thought. I think most of us on this forum backup our data in one way or another. I'd just like to add a few points:

1. Check your backups frequently. Don't go months without doing so and then find out when you need to restore something that your backup drive filled and your backups have been failing since last christmas.
2. Make sure any new data drive gets added to backup routine. Seems obvious, but sometimes forgotten.
3. Have an offsite backup. If your only backup is a hard drive in close proximity to your computer then a small catastrophy (fire, water leak, etc..) could wipe out both. If you don't want to do cloud backup then have multiple backup drives that you rotate offsite routinely.
4. Be aware that a malicious hacker could destroy all you data on your local network. Even if you pay off a ransomware attacker there is no guarantee that you will get your data back. Today this is happening at both large and small corporations and governments. Hence the importance of offsite backups.

I think the best approach is to have both local and cloud backup. A local backup gives you quick restore capability and cloud gives you the offsite protection. All that being said, I think its time I reviewed my own backup scheme :) Doesn't hurt to do that once in a while.

Regards,

Alan

I'm trying to get started with my new Nikon D3500 DSLR. I just downloaded & began studying a User's Manual almost 300 pages in length. Worse yet, inside the box the camera came in was a Nikon URL for downloading software updates.

Good grief, this thing looks to be almost as complex as the cockpit of a 747.

I checked Nikon's website for the software. There are just 2 items for my D3500 (ViewNX-i & Capture NX-D), both of which are for installing on one's computer. The ViewNX is used to copy pictures from camera to computer. The Capture NX is used to post-process RAW images and enhance JPEG and TIFF. HOWEVER, I plan to buy either Photoshop PRO or Luminar 3 so I have a couple of questions.

Bearing in mind that, although I am a DSLR novice, I am (not to brag) a computer whiz, please answer the following 2 questions:

Q1- Do I really need the View NX &/or CaptureNX software considering that I will be using either Photoshop Pro or Luminar 3?

Q2- Which do you recommend for a DSLR novice: Photoshop or Luminar?

That's the problem with DxOMark. While their reviews are great, they are slow at testing. Here's an in depth review from an organization I trust, but it doesn't include the Tamron G2, only the older model. https://www.cameralabs.com/nikon-70-200mm-f2-8e-review/ and here is a good review for the Tamron G2 https://www.pcmag.com/review/353225/tamron-sp-70-200mm-f-2-8-di-vc-usd-g2?source=autosuggest

If you are a professional and will be able to have the lens pay for itself, then buy the Nikon, but I could not justify the additional cost posting mainly on social media and for 13x19 prints, so I picked up the Tamron G2 and am very happy with it.

I've been wanting to upgrade from my current D7500 to a full frame, mainly for improved low light performance as well as image quality and have been saving since January for a D760 but since that model seems more and more to be a figment of someone's imagination my husband has been encouraging me to consider the D850. I know it is an excellent camera but I have some questions that some of you folks might help answer since you have real life experience with it as opposed to the enthusiasm of the sales staff at my local camera shop.

Concerning the 45mp resolution: is it true that the huge amount of mps contribute to camera shake? I shoot handheld almost exclusively and am reliably steady down to a shutter speed of 1/20 and sometimes a bit lower. I can't see dragging a tripod around everywhere I go and needing one for steady performance would be a deal breaker here.

Concerning large image file size: I work on a HP laptop with 8 gb of memory - would these large sizes cause problems? I haven't stepped up to working in RAW yet but again, is there a problem converting back to jpeg?

Weight is probably just a personal decision - it's a pound heavier than my D7500 which itself is a bit of a beast - I'm unsure whether that extra weight will cause a problem with every day usage.

As to my shooting style - I do a bit of everything but particularly travel photography, candid portraits, some landscape, and some street when I get the chance. Also, I'm not at all interested in going mirrorless at this time - maybe in a few years when Nikon works out the bugs in this first generation product and there are more lenses available.

So … I'd be very grateful for any advice you can give - thanks in advance!