C7 would still suit you pretty well.

The new features are pretty easy to pick up. Puppeteer is fall-down easy to use. There are some nuances to God-rays and IES profiles but these are definitely "finesse" types of additions If you are wanting get expanded control and understanding, the C7 tuts will be good. 

Since the new features I would categorize as advanced usage, they may be showing up on my Dark Arts page for free. ;-)

Mark