First of all, as stated above the viewing angle is critical. Secondly, get yourself a good calibration tool ( I use Datacolor Spyder 5 Elite+ ). This allows you to adjust the screen brightness before you ever start to calibrate. Another important point is to have your screen warmed up ( 1/2 hour ) before doing anything. Last but not least and I am not trying to be a AH, a $600 dollar computer is not the best tool for serious PP. hope this helps.
WJH
It is on Netflix in the US. Just finished watching all episodes. Some great work and great creativity. After you watch the show, look out for GAS attack.
Enjoy
WJH
Canon refurbished is my preferred way to buy. As one of their techs explained to me. For them to call it refurbished, every function of the item has to be checked by the tech. In comparison, not every new camera of the production line has every function checked. Besides, the warranty on factory refurbished is great and the price is not bad either.
Sometimes hard to find though.
WJH
Having done the Serengeti, the lens you have is perfect. Anything bigger raises the issue of atmospheric distortion (flicker). Been there, very frustrating.
WJH
Go to Amazon. There are plenty out of state options.
wJH
For general purpose photography it's overkill. For art photography it's a different story.
WJH
I calibrate once a month. The Spyder5Elite+ works great. It has the nice feature of notifying you that your brightness needs adjusting. To answer your question is. How critical are you when it comes to judging the results?
And do not forget the the quality of your room lighting.
WJH
Have you considered buying a ring flash adapter for your off camera flash?
There are some fairly inexpensive ones available on the market. You can then dial your flash up or down until you are satisfied with the results.
WJH
Unless you are using it with a very expensive lens ( f 1.4- f2 ) forget it. The downside effects and troubles far outweigh the MAYBE benefits.
WJH
The only time I use the battery grip is when shooting a modeling session. Other than that I feel they are a pain. The extra battery supply is ok, but the extra weight is not. Besides your battery indication on your camera is now worthless. I do not know about small bodied cameras, because I am not using any.
So that is my two cents
Keep shooting
WJH
When you export the pics, the interactive menus gives you the various options. I export to the file of origin. Lightroom then creates the new folder for you within the original folder.
You can also specify in what format you want it saved. If you do not specify, your pictures usually end up in a folder called cameraroll within the genaric picture folder. When you save to this folder, the only drawback is that if the pictures where taken on different dates, the will be saved in dated folders.
Good luck
Wjh
You can never go wrong with Adobe Lightroom 6. Having used the program for years, I cannot say enough good things about it. I consider myself a semi pro when it comes to photography. Good luck and keep shooting.
WJH
Tele converters on long lenses are a bad deal, unless the lens you are using is an expensive wide open lens ( f 2 or so ). The autofocus will not work otherwise. To make it short google the reasons.
WJH
The reason your pictures are not sharp may be as simple as. Telecom vertebra used on long lenses stop down the effective f stop considerably. Unless you are using a expensive wide open lens, the autofocus will not work. A good alternative is live focus if the camera you are using offers it.
WJH