As for hoods on telephoto lenses, some manufacturer's (Fuji for example) have small "doors" (for lack of a better term) on their hoods that allow one to get to CP's mounted on the lens. Would be great if all manufacturers did this.

I guess it's a personal choice, I guess. As for me, wouldn't mount a lens without one. In fact, as long as it fits in my bag, some of my lenses have the hood already mounted.

I always use lens hoods. Scattered light can come in from anywhere. As to that person's response, photographing only with light to your back will result in a lot of very boring images. Finally, nothing protects the lens more than the hood.

No it doesn’t. A 300 is a 300. All that changes is angle of view. No magnification

While I think your 70-300 will be just fine for mammals, you’ll find it tough to use for birds. Renting a 150-600 will cost you around $85 a week. Try lensrentals.com.

Put lens C on camera A and lens D on camera B. Seriously, you don’t tell us what “big” means but if you mean a zoom that gives you a reasonable wide angle at the short end, (28mm for example) that that one. You might consider a second camera as a back up - your choice - but that’s it. One camera, one lens.

After almost 65 years with a camera in my hands I have learned all those listed plus a few more. What an education it’s been.

If you’re interested in wildlife, you will love the D500. My wife is a bird shooter and that 10fps is lights out over any other Nikon save for the higher end models. You won’t regret the move.

I don’t think PPA membership is limited to professionals even though it’s part of their name. PPA does. The point I’m making is that their Membership includes a free equipment policy up to 15,000 but with three stages of deductibles per pear - $250 for the first, 500 for second, etc. it doesn’t cover gear stolen out your unlocked vehicle nor mysterious disappearance. Their bigger policy for a fee covers those situations, has only one deductible - $250. I’ve had two incidents and I was paid the full amount of my coverage that I list per item (Purchase price of course) and I was paid quickly.

If you have a website, if you sell one photo, if you post almost anywhere on line, State Farm may not say you’re a pro but they’ll say you “go around” with your gear. I’m a member of PPA. With membership you can get a policy that I think covers up to $15000 - for free. The deductibles are in three stages to cover three separate damages per Year
They also have a reasonably priced liability policy but I don’t know if an excess line with your auto/homeowners will cover you for personal liability. Best bet is to stick with PPA. Hope this helps

I’m a former Nikon shooter and I think the 200mm macro was one of their best. All metal so it’s a heavy one. If VR is not important to you, see if you can find one. Check out Fred Miranda’s site. Besides being a great lens, You’ll have the comfort of more working space.

I just copied this on Facebook - giving credit to you of course

Give Fred Miranda a try. I’ve had lots of success selling my gear there.

I switched to mirrorless six years ago and I’ve found that I have fewer issues with dust accumulation and, when I do, it’s mostly due to pilot error. The charge on the sensor should dissipate when the camera is off. Now and then, you may need to use a wet method to clean the sensor. If that “smudge” in your sky moves around when you use the blower, then it’s not really a smudge. If it stays in place, use the wet method. Make sure your sensor is pointed down when you use a blower and blow out the chamber too.