Congrats on the new system!
1) I would be too scared to try that battery in my ZD back.
2) I use a Sandisk Ultra 8GB card in my ZD (non double buffer model). Give your 16GB Sandisk card a shot, I'd say...
3) I would at least try C1, you might like it.
Welcome .... and get out your asbestos underwear, once you get started, all hope is indeed abandoned.
I started with LR for my ZD, but as I recall, C1 works for free as somewhere along the line there was a deal with Mamiya and and Phase One. IMHO, C1 blows away LR at MFDB conversions. I tend to use a mixed flow as I still have not fronted up the money for a full open license for C1, plus, I have a whole suite of legacy files that life in C1. Workflow wise, as a non-pro, it's just not that big a deal to use C1 as a pre-processor, and finish up the details in LR.
For raw IQ, the ZD is an excellent choice, and it is a matter of patience and discipline to use one well. If it had a better frame rate and ISO performance, I never would have changed. ..... for about 1/2 my work under strobes, the back was way more than sufficient.
But oh those buts ...... let the ISO needs drift up, ie natural light in the studio, and have a model who is less than a stellar ( one that wants to dace rather than pose ) and the ZD has to abandon all hope ..... I gave it almost a year, and as the oil business was good, I had the cash, so a P30+ is was.
As for cards, I using SanDisk 30mb/s 8 gig cards, and they work out just fine ...... I got an 4GB extreme III, and I cannot tell the difference in speed. For almost all my work, the limiting factor on frame rate is now the strobe refresh cycle, not the camera, no matter what card.
If the oil gods had not smiled, I would still be using the ZD, and honestly, it's a really good solution most of the time!
Dave
