Really, I have a question. After I mounted my lens, I can still turn the lens and the body gently and hear a small click noise. In other words, it's not really tight against the body as I would have expected. Is this normal?

Also, I didn't expect that sucker to weight that much. #### that lens is a beast.

Now I get to spend about a month getting use to all of it's features and getting to familiarize myself with it. I hate this period that I call the "wanna shoot pictures, but too fumbalia to do it" stage.

A slight amount of rotational play after the lens mounts is normal. Wiggling side to side is not. What you describe sounds normal. You'll get over the weight once you start seeing the images your new camera and lens are capable of.

That sounds great. Also, I think I'm going to shoot RAW whenever I can, which will be almost always. After reading up on it, it seems like a ALOT less stuff to mess with on the camera, since you do it all in post processing, and the real data is saved forever. All I need to worry about with RAW is getting the exposure right and composition. Do I understand RAW corectly from this perspective on ease of shooting??

What difference does the weight make to the tripod?

That is exactly right. The only thing that affects the RAW image data is ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. And flash power, if you're using flash.

Just to be sure and on the safe side:

If you take the camera body without a lens, and change the camera from horizontal orientation to vertical orientation, then you should hear a small clicking sound as if something is loose.

That sound is normal and apparently comes from the orientation sensor. It is described in the manual somewhere.

Another click happens when attaching the lens; if you attach the lens, and turn it in the bajonet fitting, you should end up with just one firm click, and the lens should fit the body tight and with very little play...

There is very little play,but if I turn teh lens in teh body after it clicks, I can still get a tiny amount of play and some tic sound when I move the lens back and forth. In other words, it's not like screwing on a lens filter where nothing moves. Is that normal?

As far as weigh goes, nothing is wrong wiht it per se, it's just beastly to shoot free hand with. The tripod I have, which is a decent manfrotto, should be find. It's jsut kinda bulky, but that's not really an issue. It will or may become one if I'm packing in to a location however. In any event, I'm pleased with everything about the camera. The interface is very intuitive and fast, and that is something that I like. I think it's even faster than the Sony layout.

Yes, that's normal. You should be able to twist it a tiny bit within its mount, but should not be able to push/pull or move it side to side.

Since you are shooting RAW (good choice), have you chosen a RAW converter? The most commonly recommended options are Adobe Camera RAW, which is built into Photoshop CS2, and Capture One. I really enjoy the interface of Capture One, and it's a good value at $99. You can download a trial version at www.phaseone.com. Another one to try might be RAW Shooter Essentials, which is currently free on the Window's platform. Check it out at www.pixmantec.com.