Your best bet is to check with a data recover service company. In the corporate world we used to send out drives for data recovery all the time for employees that failed to back up their data. It's not cheap with rates from $300/hr. and up. Some firms might have dropped their prices but if I can remember who we used I'll update the post.

I haven't flown commercial aircraft in years and don't miss it at all. I budgeted and learned to fly my own aircraft. It's not as fast as commercial but it is a lot more relaxed. The FAA has had what they call a Light Sport license and it's a lot less expensive than a standard license. I get to load what I want on the plane, leave and return on my schedule and am able to reach smaller airports without needing a connecting flight. The biggest plus is I get to declare ALL expenses on my business. I've never lost any luggage and my gear is in perfect condition when I land. Some older smaller aircraft can be had for less that $20,000 in some cases which is less than most cars these days. Add a small aircraft to your photography tools and you will open doors you never though possible.

The D600 got a bad rap with only a handful of copies that had the shutter/sensor oil issue. Mine was serviced at no charge and still going strong. The D600 and D610 are great values but I think Nikon sells the D610 as well as the D750 for close to the same price. With the D750 you get higher ISO range and a flippy screen. Never heard anyone complain about any of these models but if it were me I'd get the D750 (refurbished are fine) and keep my D600 for a second camera.

I used to use a grey card for years and then match the grey as shot in post. I switched to an ExpoDisc awhile back and it saves hours of work in post. It's a simple (but calibrated) diffusion disc you place over your lens and shoot from the model's position back to the shooting position. You use the shot as the new custom white balance. All shots going forward (as long as the lighting doesn't change) is dead on accurate. It works with daylight, flash, indoor, low light, etc. with no issues. It was the best purchase I've ever made. It is the first thing I place in my bag before anything else. You should check them out. Some people are selling older versions on ebay if you just want to try them out on the cheap.

Flip1948 mentioned the non cpu lens issue and I hope to clarify as I do this with a number of old lenses.

In the Set up menu (should be the wrench icon) you will find the Non CPU lens option. Select a bank number (1-9) to enter the lens info.

It will ask for focal length in mm as well as maximum aperture.

Once these are entered and saved the camera CPU has a better idea of what it is working with and will meter and focus a bit better than with no data.

Older AI-S lenses work best and then AI only. See if this helps as it is a good lens and it might need some fine tuning on the focus which also can be done in the menus. It helps to have a good accurate yardstick and a focus target to verify during the process. Good luck and I hope this helps.

If it is the autofocus version I would avoid it as it isn't as sharp as the manual focus version. The 24mm f/2.8 autofocus (AF or AF-D) are much sharper and give you a bit wider angle than the 28mm but better performance than the old 20mm. I've had my 24mm for years now and will not part with it. If I need a wide zoom for the job I'll pull out my Tokina 17-35mm f/4 as it is a great lens that is built like a tank, is super sharp and costs less than the Nikon lenses in that range. You really can't go wrong with the 24mm. I usually have mine on a spare body so I don't need to swap lenses just grab the other camera and not worry. If you have any questions I'd be more than happy to chat with you.

Refurb items from Nikon are just fine. They go over them with great detail before selling them to the public.

As for the battery door, it's a simple replacement. You can get a door off of ebay if needed and it just snaps on. I picked up one for my D300s awhile back and it's worked out fine. Check them out here:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2322090.m570.l1313&_nkw=nikon+d7500+battery+door&_sacat=0

Good video to start with: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT1fcwMu8jY

Nikon had the fastest autofocus for the full frame mirrorless at f/0.85 so Fuji has some catching up to do.

I think it's just for bragging rights anyway as the depth of field must be about 1/16 of an inch.

If you need that kind of speed just get night vision goggles or turn on a light.

I used a grey card for over 30 years until recently. My sister got me an Expodisc for Christmas and it has been a Godsend. I now save 30-40% of my time in post as I no longer need to apply WB changes per every grey card grouping. Now I just shoot a custom preset for balance as the lighting changes and the white balance is perfect every time. If you do decide to get one get the most current model (version 2.0) and in the largest size for your lens filter size. They come in 77mm and 82mm. Best thing to carry in your bag next to spare batteries.

That's a great tip and I've been doing that for years with lenses and filters that both have metal rings. Lenses with plastic rings either strip out or cross thread too easily and I don't think this will work for plastic. Maybe a dry silicone as it's neutral to corrosion and plastic doesn't react to it.

Nikon is having a special on the Z50 2 lens bundle. For a mirrorless it's super lightweight, has 2 razor sharp lenses that collapse for travel and are corrected for all distortion in camera, great battery life for mirrorless and is super tiny. Father's Day special for body and 2 lenses is $1099. Here's the link to find out more: https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/mirrorless-cameras/1632/z-50.html

Check with Nikon first. I am pretty sure that the D800 series are weather sealed so the camera should survive with proper cleaning. As for the lens that's another story. At least rinse and dry it as best as possible and get both camera and lens to the nearest camera repair location nearest you. Corroision is not an instant thing and the devices could be serviced.

Good luck and hopefully the damage is minimal.

The 16-35mm lens is for FX while the 11-16 is for DX. Both have similar fields of view.

If the OP needs a faster lens for low light get the Tokina. If not the Nikon that you have is fine. I have both the 12-24mm f/4 and 17-35mm f/4 Tokina for my FX and DX cameras and they are both fantastic lenses. Much lower distortion than Nikon's current UWA (ultra wide angle) lenses. The only thing is that the 12-24mm only works on D7000 series and DX cameras that have a focus motor (screw drive auto focus). Not a problem for me but you need to make sure if your camera has this option.

The Tokina you mention comes in two types. The older Pro lens was screw drive while the Pro II version is a built in focus motor.

Either way you look at it the Tokina's are a great deal as they are built like a tank and made to last. Night and day difference from the newer plastic lenses that die if you look at them the wrong way.

Congrats! I'm glad those of us here helped. It's a pretty good deal that LifePixel is having the $50 off special offer for this month.

Looking forward to see some pics when you get it back.