Thanks for the info dsmeltz. I'll definitely look into a refurbished unit right from Sigma. Buying from a seller from Japan would also make me wonder about gray market items.

Seems like I remember reading something years ago about being careful with compatibility. It's been years ago, and maybe the concern was just about warranty issues.

My current favorite lens is a 70-300mm zoom but after a vacation to southern Utah I'm looking for something that will give me both a wider angle for the broad scenery shots, but also a longer zoom for animals, birds, etc., without having to change lenses. I'm looking at a gently used SIGMA APO 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM at half of the $2K retail price, but it's from Japan. I know that there won't be any warranty beyond the limited eBay safety net, but is there anything else I need to be concerned about with ordering a Japanese lens? (or any other suggestions?)

Great photos! They bring back fond memories - I used to live in the park on the TN side and I'm planning trip down to visit friends next month. I think living in such a photogenic place was got me interested photography way back when.

Don't worry about learning all of Photoshop all at one time. It's a huge and powerful program and you'll drive yourself crazy! Take it in small chunks, start with just learning about the things you would use the most, and then you can expand from there. YouTube is a great resource, and lynda.com is a also a great resource if you have access to it.

I agree with the "Dummies" books. I refuse to buy them just on principle - I may not know how to do something, but that doesn't mean I'm a dummy.
(Although, I had no problem learning how to juggle using the book Juggling for the Complete Klutz.)

Beautiful shots! The colors aren't that vivid here in the Adirondacks. :(

Beautiful!

Bryce and the Canyonlands Complex just moved up a few notches on my travel bucket list!

Great photos!

I visited Victoria Falls several years ago (also in July) and was just awestruck - it was a phenomenal experience!

I have the Wacam Intuos Draw - it's pretty basic but does everything I need it to do. I've found I can much more detail work with the pen than I can with the mouse, but I think it's just personal preference.

I've used an online company called Mixbook for some family generation photos and was very happy with the results.

There were 2 major reasons that we chose Mixbook over some of the others like Snapfish.
1) Several people could be working on the project with their own login accounts. They just can't be working on the same page at the same time.
2) The had lots of options that weren't tied to the themes. We just chose a color palette and a specific font.

I'm not sure about the others, but Mixbook specifically said that their papers were acid-free.

You can still find 35mm film, just not in retail brick & mortar stores. That being said - why?

I started out with a Pentax K1000 35mm back in the late 1980's and when I moved to digital I stayed with Pentax because the lenses were compatible - they are all K-mount. Yea for standardization!!
Just recently, I debated and debated about moving to Nikon (I had decided on the D3300) but in the end I stayed with Pentax, bought the K70, and I'm very happy with it. It's probably just personal preference but I find the Pentax menu system much more intuitive and Nikon although admittedly, it's probably just because that's what I'm most familiar with.

In my book, the only advantage in moving to either Nikon or Canon is the availability of lenses - both Nikon and Canon have a much larger variety. BUT, that opinion is also based on how I use my camera.

Botswana and Tanzania! That will be quite the tour covering a LOT of miles (it's close to 2K miles from Gabarone, Botswana, to Dodoma, Tanzania).

I highly recommend Odysseys Unlimited. I took their Wildlife Tour a few years ago that was South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. They specialize in small groups (nothing over 24 people) - out in the bush one day we were in the tall land cruisers with enough vehicles so everyone had a window seat, and I saw another tour vehicle where people were just crammed into it and just about crawling over each other trying to see a leopard. They just really take care of their clients and I found the tour to be really well paced.

I travelled to Africa with Odysses Unlimited a few years back - we went to South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and the trip was billed as a wildlife tour. Here are some comments and suggestions:

- I used my 70-300mm zoom lens almost exclusively.You won't have time to change lenses in the field (animals don't wait for you!) so if you feel you need another lens take another body with you. I found that the 70mm was wide enough for things like Victoria Falls, and the 300mm was long enough for animals and birds.
- I was concerned about losing 1 large memory card so I took a bunch of smaller cards, used a new card every day, and wrote the date on the card. I ended up not losing any cards, but the multiple cards eased my anxiety about it, and also made organizing a bit easier when I got back.
- I lost both lens caps even tho they were tethered. I'd much rather use a clear UV filter and a lens hood and not worry about caps.
- The dust wasn't all that bad for me, but I still wouldn't change lenses in the field. I didn't even feel the need to clean my camera in the evenings, but I certainly was aware of it and I did blow off the lenses every evening and sometimes in the afternoon.
- My camera at the time took AA batteries and I took 2 sets of rechargables and 1 set of alkaline. That seemed to work out well for me, but do think about extra batteries and how you're going to charge them.

I was a little worried that I'd have my nose in my camera and would really "be" there, but I found that it really wasn't an issue. (It was more of an issue for the couple who's only camera was a min-iPad with a case, so every time they took a photo it looked like they were holding an open book in front of their face!). I took over 3K photos over the 17-day trip. Folks in the group thought that was incredibly high, I thought it was kind of low, but we did spend a few days in places like Johannesburg and Cape Town so less photos there.

HAVE FUN!! Africa was a magical place and I'd go back in a heart beat!

I went on an African Safari a few years back (close to Kruger) that was billed as a wildlife tour. The only lens I took with me (mostly due to weight constraints) was a 70-300mm zoom. The 70mm was enough of a 'wide' angle to get some great shots of Victoria Falls, and the 300mm was enough to get some great wildlife shots. (http://dragonflypaperthings.com/africa/)

Have fun!

Try Avon Skin-So-Soft. I know a lot of fishermen who use it regularly - it smells much better and is much healthier than smoking! Also, I haven't tried it, but I've heard that small dabs of Vick's Vaporub works.