Thanks to all for the suggestions. DrJ

The Canon kit will be locked in the car when I'm hiking and I'll take the lightweight SONY a6400 on hikes. i insured my stuff for $7500. Thanks, DrJ

I'll be there April 18-29 and will bring extra batteries and a charger for each body. I'll also bring two good binoculars. You'll know it's me by my Cnon 5D Mk III and Sigma 24-105 f4 ART! Thanks DrJ

I can get an optics rider to my homeowners for $80/year to cover $5,000 in equipment with 0 deductable, I need to get models and serial #s. It covers theft from rental cars. DrJ

I think I will bring the Sigma 24-105/4 ART. I'll call my insureance agent to see what my coverage is for rental car breakins. When hiking, the SONY a6400 is real light and I bought a 30-mm prime. Thanks, Joe

billnikon: Thanks, this is helpful. Joe

Larry: My wife planned our itinerary and it includes national parks in the greater GC area. She said that some are good for astro from her readings, but I can't recall which parks. I've photographed comets and the Orion nebula from my home in semi-rural Maryland and I prefer using legacy MF lenses. I'm continually amazed by the image quality of legacy nikkor, Olympus and Tamron SP lenses in particular. I bought a lowly Nikon E 100 f2.8 for about $55 and it is as sharp and many of my newer, expensive lenses. Thanks, Joe

Basil: Beautiful photos. I'm now leaning on taking my Sigma 24-105 f4 ART but it would really annoy me if it were stolen. I did extensive testing with the Tokina 80-400 f4.5-5.6 and it is very sharp specimen. I don't dare take my Canon 100-400 L because it was a present from my late mother and much larger and heavier than the Tokina. I'd be nervous leaving that L in the car. I have a very sharp Canon 100 f2 and EF 100 f2.8 macro that I might consider taking if I leave the Sigma 12-24 home. Thanks.

Larry: Given your comments on an EWA lens, should I not take the Sigma 12-24 and instead take my Sigma ART 24-105 f4?.. or Quantaray/Tokina 19-35 (I have a good specimen, beats my Canon 17-40 L)? Joe

Larry: Given your comments on an EWA lens, should I not take the Sigma 12-24 and instead take my Sigma ART 24-105 f4?.. or Quantaray/Tokina 19-35 (a good specimen)? Joe

My wife and I are hikers and I'll take a SONY, probably the aps-c a6400, on the hikes. We'll probably hike 3-4 hours a day. We'll do sightseeing in the car and that's where the Canon 5D Mk III + Tokina 80-400 would be OK. DrJ

Larry: thanks for the advice. I can easily add a Canon 50/1.8 (an old, sharp metal mount version) to my bag. My sharpest 50 is my SIGMA 50/1.4 ART but it is heavy and I'm afraid to leave it in the car. I evaluated a used Rokinon 14mm/2.8 but it wasn't a sharp specimen, so I didn't buy it. My Sigma 12-24 has a sweet spot at 16-17-mm, but it is only f5.6 there. It is f4.5 at 12-mm--not ideal for astro. I think I have a stitching program on the SONY a6400, but I've not used it. Regards, Joe

I’m taking my wife on a 2-week vacation to the South and West rims of Grand Canyon leaving in mid April. I’m torn on which equipment to bring as I’ll photograph wide landscapes, wildlife, and do some astro. My three best bodies are: Canon 5D Mk III, SONY a7 II and SONY a6400. I intend to bring 2 bodies and I had shoulder surgery in Jan. so I can’t carry too much with my R hand—I can handle the Canon. Most of my best lenses are in Canon EF mount, but they are big and heavy (Canon L and SIGMA ART; SIGMA 12-24 HSM II). The SONY bodies are nice and light, but the SONY kit lenses are mediocre (16-50, 18-55, 55-210). I have the superb SONY 85/1.8 and decent SONY 50/1.8 which I’ll bring. I’m leaning towards taking the Canon 5D Mk III because of the AF SIGMA 12-24 EWA and my desire to get wide Grand Canyon photos. I recently bought the compact Tokina 80-400 f4.5-5.6 because it is much lighter than my Canon L zooms and the Tokina is surprisingly SHARP! I also bought a Sigma MC11 EOS EF to SONY e AF adapter, but it mis-focuses sometimes with the Tokina on the SONYs. The MC11 works real well with my Canon primes—28 f2.8 IS, 35 f2 IS-- which I intend to bring. I have almost any legacy MF option and will bring my excellent Nikkor 24 f2.8 and possibly a 135 f2.8/2.5 with adapters for the one or two systems. Should I bring the Canon and the SONY a6400?.. or the two SONYs and use the SIGMA 12-24 in MF mode on SONYs and bring a MF Tamron SP 60-300 or SP 300 f5.6 prime? Thanks for your advice. DrJ

When I was in English class, the teacher said "irregardless" is not a proper word. "Regardless" and "irrespective" are proper words. Nevertheless, language is constantly changing. DrJ

I have some 30 Canon lenses including L lenses. I have 4 ART lenses. If I had to pick my sharpest lens, it would be the Sigma ART 50 f1.4. My second sharpest is probably the Canon 200 f2.8 L Mk II. I carefully compared the Sigma ART 24-105 f4 to the Canon 24-105 f4 L IS Mk II on a Canon 5D MkIII in a camera store and bought the Sigma. I'm very impressed with Sigma ART image quality. DrJ