Newbie Phewbie

If you expected a new lens and it was shipped to you  without a Sigma box w/manuals etc. and no packing to protect it, I would return it  and file a complaint with amazon. I've never had this ...

Beautiful images, William! The 5th shot is my favorite.

A beautiful and sensitive piece of photography and writing!

The camera remembers your settings when you shoot with NO memory setting - ie your mode dial is not on a memory setting. (eg M in your case). So when you move from M1 to M, it goes to those ...

Life is short. If you can afford it, why not go ahead and get it for $200 off the normal price? And don't be a hoarder :) Sell that 6300 on ebay.

Nice photographs. You should try to get an acupuncturist to hang them on the office wall :)

Thanks for the heads up! I've been waiting for a sale to purchase the 18-135.

A wonderful selection. After I've gotten interested in photographing birds, I notice them so many more of them  in my neighborhood too.

From around Denver. Sunrises are getting earlier! :( A curious white-tailed deer. They are normally very skittish. Goldeneye ducks I love these small, but ambitious raptors - American Kestrel I ...

I've used the 10-18 to shoot interiors and auto-focus worked well even in dimly lit churches. I typically use AF-S center or a small spot. I have the 6500, so I can configure for center, but still ...

+1 Ask the buyer to provide more photographs with exif data. Say f/8 or f/11 pic of a blue sky at 1/4 second. That will tell you if it is on the sensor. How do you even know that this pic was taken ...

The swamp lilies look very much like Irises. Nice pics as always.

Thanks. Right now, I'm just happy when they're in focus. The birds here are very skittish - not many people around. I'm not ready to go crawling on my belly yet :)

Thanks Snapa. I enjoy your photographs. I like being outdoors and having a hobby that encourages that is a plus. We're waiting for it to warm up more consistently so we can start hiking regularly again

Thank you. It is indeed a thrill to get an in-focus shot with good bird posture and background. Right now, I'm just happy with in-focus. :)

A wonderful range of photographs. Thanks for sharing.

I'm beginning to get more success with birds in flight. It was good to hear from you guys that the hit rate is low even when you've got a lot of experience. I've been trying out the "Lock on AF - ...

I'll add my thanks. It is nice to see wildlife from around the world. Great pics!