i'm planning a trip to this area in early july as i'll b participating in a photo workshop in olympic. so i'm thinking the leader will have olympic NP well covered.

i'm starting my research of "can't miss" locations/shots...especially waterfalls. soooo, i'm seeking spots to visit and shoot. i'll be driving thru idaho....oregon...and washington. there seems so many, so i need to pick and choose. i'm only up for hikes of up to 2 or 3 miles. i thank you in advance for any recommendations!

Thank you to all of the UHH community who responded / reported. Below are the summary statistics. I needed to 'normalize' the data to get the summary counts, so maybe a few lenses were 'upgraded' to the current model if you only reported a focal length. The table shows those lenses with 2 or more responses.

As I've long suspected, the Nikon community members are disproportional to the Nikon worldwide market share. Or maybe, these numbers better match to their relative strength in N. America market?

The most popular prime was the Nikon 500mm f/5.6E AF-S PF ED VR

The most popular zoom was the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G AF-S ED

The most popular super zoom was the Tamron 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD

The Nikon 200-500 and the Canon 100-400 tied as the most popular super telephoto zooms

I have a chance to buy one of these in mint-condition (at least it looks that way to ME!). Last week, I was in my local camera store to pick up my D7200 that had been left there for a sensor cleaning while we were away on a cruise. While in the store a week later to pick up the camera, I saw this beauty in the "used lens" display case. Looks like it had never (or hardly) been used. Price tag on it was, more or less, about $450. I said to the owner (of the shop) that I had heard great things about this lens. He said, "take it and try it out, see how you like it." I said "What to you mean 'take' it?" He said "take it home for a week or two, play around with it and, if you like it, I'll make you a deal."

So, I have a couple of questions. One, what should I consider a good "deal" for this lens? I've seen used lenses in "Ex" and "Ex+" condition from KEH for about what he's priced this lens at. I'm thinking, if he offers a "deal" that is even better… should I jump on it?

Second question is, is this lens weather-sealed? Would it be OK to take this lens out in inclement weather?

I finally had the opportunity, this morning to take this lens out to play with. There was a "chimney fire" in an apartment building about a mile from my house (I do fire photography) but in the 20 minutes it took me to throw on my clothes this morning and get to the scene, the small fire had been put out and the firefighters were packing up. I shot a few photos, anyway. The images I got, though not particularly exciting images, showed off just how sharp this lens is and its ability to produce really creamy bokeh. First thing I noticed was "look at that background blur!"

I'm loving this lens, so far, and if the store's "deal" is $400 or below, I'm thinking I should get it.

I was watching President Biden's speech this morning that dealt with how the government was going to help the people displaced by the recent tornadoes. I'm not a fan of President Biden or big government, but I did want to hear what his position was regarding aid to the displaced. I found the clatter of mechanical shutters a constant distraction. I would think that with all of the mirrorless cameras with electronic shutters available to "these professionals" that they would consider selecting one of the mirrorless cameras for silent shooting. What say you?

I read an online article about this last night. Here's a summary.

When we were all out and about, it wasn't unusual for a family to ask a passing stranger to take a picture of the group. Now, things are different. Passing your phone or camera to a stranger can be a risky operation. A cell phone is one of the most-handled items, so it could be loaded with Covid. In addition, you and the stranger have to be within touching distance each time you pass the phone/camera. Add to these conditions the fact that the family will remove their masks for the picture, and you have ideal conditions for spreading Covid-19.

I've never passed my camera to a stranger for pictures, and I certainly wouldn't rely on a phone for vacation pictures, but a tripod and a timer or remote would also get the job done. Of course, setting it up and taking it down might not be worthwhile. A wide angle lens and an extended arm could probably take a decent shot.

EDIT: I don't know if you'll be able to reqad this.
https://flipboard.com/@WashPost/should-asking-a-stranger-to-take-your-photo-go-the-way-of-the-daguerreotype/a-Y8U7rBr2SumUqsaW2Fo9Gw%3Aa%3A419161690-9373c6358a%2Fwashingtonpost.com