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May 2015's News RSS Hot Deals
© 2015 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.    Ryan Katie

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Lightroom Made Easy

My friend Phil Steele's updated "Lightroom Made Easy" course for Lightroom 6/CC is still on sale. His courses are the best I've seen: clean, clear, to the point and very helpful.

He's offering 15% off the course! It's now just $39, and if you don't like it, he has a 60-day money-back guarantee. You can't miss! Check it out.

 

Adorama pays top dollar for your used gear.

Amazon

B&H Photo - Video - Pro Audio

I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below.

Phil Steele Event shooting

Phil Steele Training

29 May 2015, Friday

Canon 400 4 DO IS II Review

Canon 400mm f/4 DO IS II.

NEW: Canon 400mm f/4 DO IS II Review.

World's best handheld ultra tele. Birders, nature and sports shooters rejoice!

 

Nikon Deals

Nikon D3300 with 18-55 VR and 55-200mm VR: $597.

 

Canon Deals

Canon T5 with 18-55mm IS and 55-250 STM: $549.

Canon T5 with 18-55mm IS and 75-300mm: $549.

Canon EF-s 17-85mm IS: $299.

 

Tripod Deal

MeFOTO DayTrip Tripod Kit, Titanium: $69 (Regular $99)

 

New Drives

New Releases from WD: My Passport Ultra in a variety of sizes and colors.

500GB at $59.99, 1TB at $79.99 and 2TB at 129.99.

 

NEW: Why Tubes Sound Better.

 

27 May 2015, Wednesday

RIP Mary Ellen Mark

Among the world's best street photographers of all time, she passed away here in Manhattan on Monday.

She didn't stand far away and sneak photos, or stick with the easy subjects; she got in close and got to know the people. That's what a photographer does.

 

Street Photography

A reader asked for a lens suggestion for street photography, but he already had exactly what he needed: the Nikon 35mm f/1.8 DX.

You have to get close to get good pictures. Photos of strangers from afar are boring. The worst street photos are those taken secretly. You have to get up to the subjects, get to know them, and then they'll probably insist you to take their pictures.

If you insist on spying on people from afar, get the newest collapsible 55-200mm VR because it looks like a normal lens and therefore least likely to attract attention to yourself.

This helps you stay undercover. If you walk around with a 70-200/2.8 you will stand out, people will know you're a cop and/or you'll be a target for crime. You won't get any spy shots.

Yawn. Photos of the backs of people crossing the street or strangers having lunch at a cafe aren't street photos; they are just bad photos.

If you want good pictures, you have to walk up to your subjects and get to know them. If you try to shoot without interacting with them first, your photos will be boring — so why bother?

Learn to be a photographer, which means to learn how to approach and break the ice with any and every scary psycho, dope peddler, hooker or whoever, and once you're chatting, they'll eventually insist you take their picture.

One tip is to show them the sorts of people pictures you've already taken. You don't have to menton you're out taking pictures; your camera will show them that. Show them on your iPhone. Eventually they'll insist that you take their photo, too, because they want to be part of the collection.

Real 35mm LEICAs are excellent, but forget LEICA digital cameras like the M240; they're clumsy, bulky toys for dabbling rich guys merely marketed as if they still had the mojo of LEICA's 35mm cameras. The Fuji X100T is the ultimate street and reportage camera, far faster and more capable than any digital LEICA.

It takes time to chat with each subject. You'll get fewer photos, but they'll all be keepers instead of loads of random disconnected perv shots.

Knowing your subject is always the way to a better photo.

 

NEW: LEICA SUMMILUX-M 28mm f/1.4 M ASPH.

While I don't need one, preferring my superb 35mm SUMMILUX, if you prefer 28mm, here you go.

 

AJA Camera Deals: $4,000 off

AJA CION 4K/UHD and 2K/HD Production Camera: $4995.00 after $4000 Instant Rebate (Reg. 8995.00), with free US shipping!



Zeiss 150th Anniversary Sale.

Up to $300 off!

 

'Pod Deals

Manfrotto MMC3-01 Compact Monopod, Black: $14.95 (Reg $24.95).

3 Legged Thing Evolution 3 Punks Rick 5-Section Carbon Fiber Tripod and Airhed Mohawk Ballhead, 44lbs Maximum Capacity, 58.9" Maximum Height: $249.00 with Free Expedited Shipping


3 Legged Thing Evolution 3 Punks Vyv 5-Section Alloy Tripod with Airhed Mohawk Ballhead, 44lbs Maximum Capacity, 55.5" Maximum Height: $199.00 with Free Expedited Shipping.

 

25 May 2015, Memorial Day

A thousand thanks to each of the hundreds of thousands Americans who've given their lives defending the enduring freedom that we all enjoy today.

 

23 May 2015, Saturday

Nikon 300mm f/4 E PF VR

Nikon 300mm f/4E VR PF.

NEW: Nikon 300mm f/4E VR PF Review.

World's lightest 300mm; easy to carry all day in a fanny pack or around my neck, and it works great!

 

22 May 2015, Friday

New: Sigma 150-600mm for Canon.

 

21 May 2015, Thursday

Club Meeting: San Diego Photo Club.

Free presentation by Roy Toft in Pacific Beach.

See you there!

 

Lowepro Bag News & Deals

NEW: Lowepro Runner Series bags.

Deals, all with free US shipping:

Lowepro Nova Sport 17L AW Shoulder Bag for DSLR with Attached Lens, Pepper Red: $19.95 (Regular $56).

Lowepro Passport Sling II Camera Bag, Mica/Green: $19.95 (Regular $39).

Lowepro Photo Sport 18L Shoulder Bag, Purple/Grey: $19.95 (Regular $51).

 

Audio Deals

All with free US shipping:

Denon AVR-S900W 7.2 Channel A/V Receiver with Bluetooth and WIFI: $329 after $50 mail-in-rebate.

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 2-Input/2-Output Portable USB Audio Interface with 2x Microphone Preamplifiers & Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ Cardioid Condenser USB Microphone: $209 ($298 value!).

Sennheiser MKE 600 Shotgun Microphone & Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Professional Monitor Headphones, Black: $329.95 (Savings of $95!)

Sennheiser MKE 400 Compact Super-Cardioid Shotgun Condenser Microphone & Audio-Technica ATH-M30x Professional Monitor Headphones: $199.95 (Savings of $68!)

Audio-Technica ATH-M70X Closed-Back Dynamic Professional Flagship Monitor Headphones & Pair of PreSonus Ceres C4.5BT Two-Way 4.5" Powered Studio Bluetooth Speakers: $299 (Headphones alone are $270 at Amazon)

In Stock: Behringer X18 Ultra-Compact 18-Input 12-Bus Digital iPad/Tablet Mixer with 16 Programmable MIDAS Preamps, Integrated Wifi Module and USB Audio Interface: $699.99 with Free Expedited Shipping

And for you hackers: Dell Inspiron 15 5000 15.6" Touchscreen Notebook Computer, AMD A10-7300 1.90GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 8.1 - Silver: $449.99 (Regular $599)

 

20 May 2015, Wednesday

Deals

Nikon D7100, 18-140mm VR & WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter: $879 with free shipping, refurbished (Regular $969).

Toshiba 16GB Class 10 FlashAir II Wireless SD Card: $24.95 (Regular $59.95)

Lowepro Passport Sling II Camera Bag, Grey/Pink: $19.95 (Regular $39.95)

Lowepro Passport Messenger Shoulder Bag for Compact DSLR or CSC Cameras, Gray: $19.95 (Regular $49.95)

Lowepro Photo Sport 12L Shoulder Bag, Purple/Gray: $19.95 (Regular $44.95)

Tamrac 5371 Travel Pack 71, Compact Photo Backpack, Blue: $29.95 (Regular $59.95)

Elinchrom ELC Pro HD 500/500 To Go 2-Light Kit: $999, with free US shipping! (Regular $1,690!)

Panasonic GM1 with 12-32mm in choice of three colors: $449.99 after $50 mail in rebate.

Sunpak Lightstick 516 LED Dual Panel Photo Video Light: Sale $179.90 (Reg. $249.95)

 

18 May 2015, Monday

NEW: Fuji X-T10.

Fuji's latest; comes in black or silver and as body-only, or with 18-55/2.8-4 or 16-50mm.

 

NEW: Fuji XF 90mm f/2 (135mm eq.).

Now Shipping: Fuji 16mm f/1.4.

 

NEW: Panasonic G7.

 

It's back! Nikon 13mm on eBay

Last week I showed you a nice Nikon 13mm for sale from a legitimate dealer on eBay for a bargain price of $31,000.

$31,000 for one with a box was a steal. The last one that sold privately by a friend of mine went for $26,000 and it had no box, no manual, no case and no filters. This one's got the case and box etc.

A different friend of mine offered the seller $28,000, and the seller didn't budge.

In fact, the seller must have realized he underpriced it, and updated the buy-it-now price to $36,000 (or make him an offer), which is closer to what it's worth. If you're a Nikon collector, you should have bought-it-now last week at $31,000, but in any case, it's the nicest one I've seen for sale in about ten years.

I've known about Ken Hansen as a premium NYC dealer of fine cameras since the 1970s. I've never bought anything from him because I was just a kid in the 1970s, and he specializes in really nice collectible items which kids can't afford. If you want a 13mm, this is the one. Get it before it goes on open auction and closes at $38,450 or gets sold locally and goes away.

Nikon 13mm f/5.6 Review.

 

Rane ME 60

Rane ME 60.

NEW: Rane ME 60 Review.

 

14 May 2015, Thursday

Mother's Day Photo Contest - win an Apple Watch!

Check it out!

 

Panasonic Deals

Panasonic GM1 with 12-32mm, silver, with FREE $200 Adorama Gift Card: $597.99 with Free Shipping

Panasonic GM1, blue, with 12-32mm (silver), with FREE $200 Adorama Gift Card: $597.99 with Free Shipping

 

Kipon Lens Adapters

Adorama is now the US distributor for Kipon lens adaptors. I had to buy mine from China when I got mine a few years ago.

 

12 May 2015, Tuesday

New from Olympus: E-M5 Mk II and 7-14mm lens

Olympus E-M5 II body: $1,199.

Olympus 7-14mm f/2.8: $1,299. 14-28mm equivalent ultrawide.

Olympus 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye: $999. 180º full-frame 16mm fisheye equivalent, but fast f/1.8!

 

Deals

Elinchrome ELC Pro HD 1000/1000 kit: $1,600; was $3,000.

Elinchrome BRX 500/500 to-go set: $709; was $1,400.

 

Panasonic DMC-GX7 with 14-42mm, silver, and FREE Adorama $250 Gift Card: $797.99 + Free Shipping


Panasonic DMC-GX7 with 14-42mm, black and FREE Adorama $250 Gift Card: $797.99 + Free Shipping

 

$500 Instant Rebate on the Panasonic HC-X1000 1080p 4K Ultra HD Camcorder and Bundles.

 

Sony A7S with Atomos Shogun 7" 4K HDMI & 12G-SDI Monitor & Recorder: $4,493.00 with Free Expedited Shipping.

 

Save up to $1050 on Nikon D750 kits.

 

Manfrotto ML240 Mini-24 LED Panel for Micro Four Thirds Cameras and DSLRs, 6000K: $34.90 While Supplies Last.

 

11 May 2015, Monday

Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM Review

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM.

NEW: Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM.

UPDATED: Canon 50mm lenses compared.

 

08 May 2015, Friday

Nikon 80-200mm f/4.5 N Review

Nikon AI Zoom-NIKKOR 80-200mm f/4.5 N.

NEW: Nikon 80-200mm f/4.5 N Review.

Surprise: Nikon's sharpest manual-focus telephoto zoom, and sells for only about $50 used if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

MindShift Rotation 180º Horizon

MindShift Rotation 180 Horizon

Mindshift Rotation 180º Horizon.

I just got a new Mindshift Rotation 180º Horizon backpack system. It's a very well made, inexpensive and clever system from which we actually can get our gear as we're out shooting.

The bottom half is actually a waist pack. When you need some gear, you flick a clever latch and rotate the bottom half of the backpack to bring the waist pack in front of you. You do what you need, and then rotate it back. Flick the latch closed, and you're done. You don't have to stop and you certainly don't need to put your pack on the ground to get your gear.

The top half of the backpack is open for lunch, GPS, a laptop, jacket and whatever else you're packing. There's also a compartment for a 3 litre water sac, and of course loads of little lash-ons and zipper compartments for everything else.

This is a very lightweight system, intended to help outdoor photographers get farther faster with less effort so we can make much better pictures.

 

Elinchrom Deals: Up to 50% OFF hundreds of Elinchrom Lighting Products.

Sony Deals

Sony A7 Series Camera Deals: Starting at $998 after a $700 Instant Rebate.

Sony DSC-HX50V: $273.00 after $125 Instant Rebate

Sony DSC-HX50V with case and free accessories: $273.00 after $125 Instant Rebate

Sony DSC-W830, black: $88.00 after $40 Instant Rebate

Sony DSC-W830, Silver: $88.00 after $40 Instant Rebate

Sony LCS-EBD Case for A5000 & A5100: $15.99 while supplies last

Sony LCS-EBB Case for A5000: $24.99 while supplies last

Sony LCS-ASB1 Active Sling Bag: $39.00 while supplies last

 

Dan Ballard Workshop Opening

Dan Ballard just had some openings pop up on his Wet Mountain Valley, Colorado Workshop 29-31 May 2015. I won't be there; I'm on my own workshop next weekend:

 

06 May 2015, Wednesday

Stereo DSLR Mic Packages

Adorama has a slew of packages that throw in an Audio-Techinca AT8024 Stereo/Mono mic.

 

Nikon 220º 6mm f/2.8 Fisheye

There's one for sale on eBay. The fun part is some video shot through it on a D4S.

 

Photo Caption Contest Winners

I ran a funny photo from The Bulldog at Nikon Miami (the world's greatest ground-to-air photographers) for your caption ideas last week.

I got the idea for the contest when it looked like a photographer got hit by a hand truck that fell out off the roof of a topless bar.

And the winners are:

Nikon Miami

Only 5 more reps and that bikini HAS to fit (Mr. Lanning). bigger. (graphic from Carlos.)

"No! I don't take selfies with it!" (Tom)

"Rent Uhaul dollies now with Nikon back-up cameras to avoid hitting your valuable furniture while moving." (Dr. Luizaga)

"I should be able to get this past airport security okay?" (Jeremy)

"WHEELY WONG STUFF" (Mark Lindquist)

"New Product: SAN (surface to air Nikon) exclusively
brought to you by Smith Storage and Transfer." (Rennie)

"It's easier than carrying a tripod on an escalator." (Ben)

"Keep on truckin' Bulldog!" (Kenneth)

"I can't wait to find the guy who stole my tripod." (Jack)

 

Deals

Flashpoint DSLR Shoulder Rig II with Rails & Quick Release System: $299.95 with Free Expedited Shipping.

Lowepro Passport Sling II Camera Bag, Grey/Pink: $19.95 with Free Shipping.

Lowepro Passport Messenger Shoulder Bag for Compact DSLR or CSC Cameras, Gray: $19.95 with Free Shipping.

 

05 May 2015, Tuesday

JB Camera Designs X100T case

J. B. Camera Designs grip case on my X100T.

 

JB Camera Designs X100T bamboo grip

J. B. Camera Designs bamboo grip on my X100T. (also comes in Peruvian walnut.)

 

NEW: Fuji X100T Accessories

I just got my new J. B. Camera Designs grip case for my X100T. It's a big improvement over the already excellent old X100S case I was using.

I cover all the filters, cases, straps and lenses I use with my X100T at my re-written Fuji X100T Accessories section.

 

04 May 2015, Monday

Card Deals

Mother's Day sales from SanDisk and from Lexar.

 

Nikon L840 Deals

Nikon Coolpix L840 Camera and Bundles has a $100 Instant Rebate!

 

Sennheiser Headphone Deals


Sennheiser HD600: $224 after $25 mail in rebate (Regular $399.95), with free shipping.


Sennheiser HD650: $274 after $25 mail in rebate (Regular $499.95), with free shipping.

HD650 review.

These deals expire tomorrow, so jump on it.

 

Calibrator Deals

X-Rite Monitor Calibration Deals.

 

01 May 2015, Lei Day

NEW: LEICA M Monochrom typ 246: $7,450.

The new typ 246 is the current typ 240, with the mosaic color filter removed from the sensor, making it a pure B&W camera — the idea for which I gave to LEICA back in 2009 and which begat the original M9-based monochrom.

This new Monochrom offers 24MP, but with far more real resolution when shooting B&W because the color mosaic filter is gone, which also gives it much higher light sensitivity - to ISO 25,600.

Shooting with no filter, compared to shooting the current typ 240 set to B&W or converting it later to B&W, the new typ 246 won't be that much sharper, but will be much cleaner at high ISOs.

Of course real B&W is almost always shot with a colored filter over the lens, especially outdoors. When shot with a filter, the typ 246 will be significantly sharper than a color camera shot with a filter, or converted to B&W later.

That's right: just like shooting film, you must use colored filters over your lens when shooting any of the LEICA Monochrom for proper gray-scale rendition. Choice of filter is a critical artistic decision which cannot be corrected later after its effect is forever burnt into a Monochrom file or B&W negative. You can't correct for using the wrong filter later in Photoshop; that's why we shoot with filters in the first place.

I prefer shooting TMAX 100 in my LEICA M3 for B&W, but for those who are serious about B&W and want to shoot in digital instead, the only two choices made in the past 10 years are this new typ 246 or the older M9-based Monochrom.

LEICA also finally took my advice and six years later is finally re-introducing a few filters, but only Yellow, Green and Orange, and only in 39mm, and not until this summer. There may be 46mm filters, but there's no red filter, which is also strongly needed if you're actually serious about B&W shooting. In fact, I also shoot with LEICA "IR" filters that are opaque (black) and only pass infra-red, and with the digital cameras might be very useful. No worries, I get all my LEICA filters used from eBay who has a much wider selection already available today.

You'll see examples of my M3 B&W shots in my shots from last May's Yosemite trip, and as you'll see listed yesterday, we're going to Yosemite again in 2 weeks if you'd like to join us instead of working.

 

Apple accessories rebates

Adorama has rebates on assorted Apple accessories.

Hint: that page lists the full prices; the rebates are substantial and listed as well; you have to do the math to see your effective final price.

Hint: you need to join Adorama's free VIP program to get these, see the link at the black box at the top left here.

Here's the rebate form.

 

Tamron Deals

I wouldn't buy either of these, but hey, we're all different:

Tamron 14-150mm for Micro Four Thirds, black: $459.00 with Free Expedited Shipping.

Tamron 14-150mm for Micro Four Thirds, silver
: $459.00 with Free Expedited Shipping.

 

Scope Case Deal

50% off: Lowepro Scope Travel 200 AW, Dark Olive: $49.95 with Free Shipping.

 

What Was New in:

April 2015

March 2015

Febuary 2015

January 2015

December 2014

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September and October 2014

July and August 2014

June 2014

April & May 2014

March 2014

Jan & Feb 2014

December 2013

November 2013

October 2013

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December 2012

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December 2011

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December 2010

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2005 ~ 2009

 

Help me help you

I support my growing family through this website, as crazy as it might seem.

If you find this as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.

If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family. It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site full-time. Thanks!

If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00.

The biggest help is when you use any of these links when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. It costs you nothing, and is this site's, and thus my family's, biggest source of support. eBay is always a gamble, but all the other places always have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend them all personally.

Thanks for reading!

Ken

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