If you are not using a tripod or at least a monopod, you are never going to get the sharp photos the Nikon 24-70mm lens is capable of delivering.

You can easily find photos of water moccasins online to compare to your own. Your photo resembles the coloring and pattern found on photos young water moccasins. I wouldn't want to step on one and there are probably many in and around Lake Apopka.

When I retired, I took a commercial photography program at a tech school in Orlando. Since graduating, I have done some wedding and special event photography. I mostly do it for fun but the money does come in handy. Keep in mind your local city or county may require that you get a business license and a prospective client will probably want to see your portfolio. You may also need a Federal I tax I.D. number. If you are just starting out, I suggest you get as much education (business and photography) as you can and then see if you can get an internship with a local photographer. You will learn a lot of technique and how to operate a photography business. If you do that, your boss can help you build a good portfolio.

BTW, I also am entitled to wear those dolphins. SSBN632 (Blue)

Adorama, B&H, KEH, UsedPhotoPro, and MPB. I have purchased used equipment from all of them and I have never been burned. I usually try to buy factory refurbished equipment, but if I cannot find what I'm looking for, I will buy used equipment. All of those dealers having systems for rating the condition of each item and they are very reliable. If you have a problem with a piece of used equipment, contact the customer service rep at the company from whom you purchased it. Those companies are very good about standing behind their products.

That's about the silliest conspiracy theory I've heard in years. Where do you get your news? Facebook or You Tube? It certainly did not come from any reputable source. You must think the Nikon engineers are complete fools and that their quality control people are blind. And then you completely overlook the civil and criminal liabilities Sony would be subject to if they ever tried this silly idea.

You can improve the image quality of a mirror lens by using a tripod.

Exposure compensation is a great tool for fine tuning your exposures. Take your camera out, shoot as you usually do and then shoot the same scene repeatedly while adjusting the EC control for each exposure. Review your histogram and photo after each exposure to see the changes your EC adjustments made. Good luck!

I have purchased several photo items from KEH and never had any problems. I have found that their equipment ratings are generally accurate and their prices very reasonable.

I don't have nearly that many transactions, but I have been buying things on eBay for at least that long. I have had very few negative experiences in those transactions, but you do have to read the ads carefully and use good judgement. I also check the seller's feedback history before committing to an expensive purchase. If the deal seems too good to be true or the seller has a lousy feedback history, you should just walk away.

Well, I guess you have choice. Is the price good enough for me to waste about five hours on the trip to Best Buy and back? Aside from your time, factor in the expense of gasoline and at least one meal on the road.

I have bought a lot of stuff on eBay. I always check the seller's reputation (rating) and the location of the item. I don't want to deal with someone I can't trust and I don't want to wait for an item to come from Hong Kong. I also check the shipping charge. I expect the seller to ship the item within in a day to two of payment and to provide a tracking number. I have had very, very few issues and they have been resolved very quickly. It never occurred to me to demand video evidence that an item was shipped. I have never had FEDEX, UPS or the USPS lose an item either shipped to or by me.

If I really cared about the picture and did not want to buy a scanner, I'd send it in to a professional lab and let them do it.

If you care about your photo equipment and the quality of your pictures, suck it up and send them in to be properly cleaned. You made a stupid mistake and you have to pay the piper or live with the consequences.

I think he could compare his photograph to the actual print on the paper.

I think you may have misunderstood. You use aperture priority to control your depth of field and shutter priority to control how you show action in your photos. I would think that auto ISO and shutter priority would be the best way to photograph wildlife.