December 2017's News
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Canon: 1DX II 5DS/R 5D Mk IV 6D II 7D II 80D 77D T6 SL2 Lenses
Sony: A9 A7R3 A7RII A7SII A7II A7 A6500 A6300 A6000 RX10 IV RX10III RX100V Lenses
Nikon: D5 D850 D810 D750 D610 D500 D7500 D5600 D3400 Lenses
All Reviews: Apple Fuji LEICA Zeiss Hasselblad Contax Olympus Pentax
Recommended Cameras Best Cameras Gifts How to Take Better Pictures random
Links: Adorama Amazon B&H Crutchfield eBay Tutorial Videos Infrared Facebook Twitter
Adorama's Daily Deals Amazon's Deals-of-the-Day B&H Deal of the Day Crutchfield's Sales
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28 December 2017, Thursday
TODAY ONLY: B&H Mega Deal Zone.
Deals end tonight at 11:59PM NYC time (8:59PM California time).
27 December 2017, Wednesday
Canon 6D Mark II and Canon 50mm f/1.2 L.
NEW: Canon 6D Mk II High ISO Report.
While I'm officially slacking off this holiday week, just between you and me I couldn't resist seeing how my 6D Mk II looks compared to the A7R III. They are about the same.
26 December 2017, Tuesday
Slack Week
I LOVE this week! it's the week most of us get to hang around the family and goof off — and feel good about it because we all worked like crazy all year to have earned it.
B&H is offering free next-day shipping on thousands of items for the next couple of days so you can get anything that Santa might have forgotten:
24 December 2017, Christmas Eve
A very Merry Christmas (and a belated Happy Hanukkah) to all! merrier.
Photo taken with Sony A7R III and Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS at 47mm at f/4 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 2,000, Perfectly Clear. What made the A7R III so perfect for this shot was its fantastic face recognition. I handed the camera to our dad and told him to point and shoot, and hold down the shutter for a while so the camera made a bunch of shots silently from which we picked the best. Every shot is perfectly focussed as the camera just found us and focussed on us, not like in the old days where other cameras would have focussed on Ryan's closest knee. All the camera settings (aperture, ISO, shutter, etc.) are all what it does automatically as I have it set up in preset #2. I put the card together in Photoshop CS6.
23 December 2017, Saturday
Sony FE 100mm STF GM OSS.
NEW: Sony FE 100mm STF G OSS Review.
This is a special ultra-bokeh lens that makes backgrounds super-soft, while keeping your subject ultra sharp.
Deals
Apple iPad 9.7" Wi-Fi 32GB - Space Gray (2017): Reg Price $329 Sale Price $299.
Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM "Contemporary" for Nikon, also for Canon: Reg Price $1,089 Sale Price $789.
Manfrotto XPRO Land Aluminum Monopod, 5 Sections, 55” Max Height: Reg Price $100 Sale Price $50.
Bushnell 16x50mm PowerView Weather Resistant Porro Prism Binocular: Reg Price $70 Sale Price $30.
Computers
HP Elitebook 840 G3 14" Full HD Touchscreen Notebook Computer, Intel Core i5-6200U 2.3GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Windows 7 Pro + Win 10 Pro License: Reg Price $1,200 Sale Price $900.
SiliconDust HDHomeRun Connect: Reg Price $99 Sale price $79. No, I have no idea what this thing does.
Audio
Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A3070 9.2-Channel Network AV Receiver with Dolby Atmos: Reg Price $1,999 Coupon Price $1,399.95 Use Code holidays.
Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A2070 9.2-Channel Network AV Receiver with Dolby Atmos: Reg Price 1,699 Coupon Price $1,199.95 Use Code holidays.
Fender DXA1 Pro In-Ear Monitor, Trans Charcoal: Reg Price $70 Sale Price $30.
Music
Roland FP-30 88 Keys SuperNATURAL Digital Portable Piano, Black: Reg Price $700 Coupon Price $479 Use Code holidays on checkout to get this price.
Fender American Special Stratocaster 6-String Electric Guitar, 22 Frets, Maple Neck, Gloss Polyurethane, Mystic Seafoam: Reg Price $999 Coupon Price $700 Use Code holidays.
22 December 2017, Friday
NEW: Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS Review.
Pro optics, ergonomics and build quality at a consumer price; it's a better lens and just as tough as the huge 24-70/2.8 GM for half the price. Bravo!
21 December 2017, Thursday
Sony A7R III and 24-105mm f/4 G.
NEW: Sony A7R III Review.
World's best high-resolution mirrorless camera.
NEW: Sony A7R III User's Guide.
19 December 2017, Tuesday
Sony Holiday Sales
Sony Full-Frame (A7 and A9 series) deals.
Sony APS-C (A6000 series) deals.
Sony one-inch (RX100 etc.) deals.
17 December 2017, Sunday
eBay Finds
There's a new autofocus 800mm f/5.6 Sigma for Canon EF that appeared on eBay, and the Nikon 13mm f/5.6 auction ends today at 11PM NYC time (8PM California time) and may be the last chance you'll have in years to get a Nikon 13mm.
Be sure to read How to Win at eBay.
16 December 2017, Saturday
Canon EF-s 35mm f/2.8 IS STM Macro.
NEW: Canon 35mm f/2.8 Macro Review.
A fantastic little lens, superb for use as an all-around normal lens.
15 December 2017, Friday
New: iMac Pro.
Hottest Macs ever.
14 December 2017, Thursday
In-Stock: Canon 50mm f/2.8 TS-E (limited stock).
External Drive Sale
B&H has loads of drives on sale.
I've used Super Duper probably every day for over 15 years to clone my Mac's hard drive every afternoon to one of several alternating portable drives. I rotate these among several remote locations, and always have one with me when I travel so I always have a backup in case my house explodes, and also always have access to everything I've ever done.
I used to use Norton Ghost back in the old days to do the same with Windows before I upgraded to Mac in 2000.
Super Duper makes bootable copies, so it's trivial to boot from the backup drive on any other borrowed computer, and voilà, I'm up and running everything as if I was on my main computer!
I run a "smart" backup that only takes about 15 minutes to update whatever's changed since the last backup, and bingo, I have an exact bit-for-bit bootable copy of my drive and I'm on my way. If my house melts down, no big deal; it's all with me.
Since I don't bother with raw files, everything I've ever created digitally is on one 1TB drive for the SSD in my Mac Pro, and a second 4TB drive for the rest of my photo and video files that won't fit on the Mac's SSD. Every bit of film I've ever scanned or had scanned is also on these drives. Ditto for my music and video iTunes library that I've been building for over 10 years — 1,500 CDs and hundreds of my family home movie videos I transfer from DVD are with me.
Every year or so I have a problem or do something stupid, and these backups have always saved me — no lost files, ever. Heck, I back up my iPhones and iPads to my Mac, and these backups are on the Mac and thus in my portable drives as well.
I also attach another drive to my Mac and let it run Time Machine, just because I can. My pictures are kind of important to me, and with this system I've so far looked like a genius for decades anytime something bad happens.
Deals-of-the-Day
B&H's Deal Zone (deals-of-the-day)
Crutchfield's Holiday Specials
12 December 2017, Tuesday
New Big Bags from Think Tank
Think Tank Video Tripod Manager 44 Rolling Bag. bigger.
Think Tank just released their largest rolling bag ever, specifically designed to hold tripods up to 40" long.
Nikon Sale
Nikon D500 DSLR Camera Body with Storage Kit.
Canon Sale
This week only:
5D Mark IV DSLR Camera Body and Storage Kit, and also as a kit with printer with different things for the same ultimiate price.
5D Mark III DSLR Camera Body with Storage Kit
6D Mark II DSLR Camera Body with Storage Kit and as a kit with printer amd differentthings for the same ultimate price.
Rebel T6i DSLR Camera with 18-55mm Lens: $599!
More Canon DSLRs w/free printer with deep discount deals.
Sony Sale
Fuji Sale
Today only: Fujifilm X-T1 with 18-55mm Lens: $849 ($250 Savings)
Apple Sales
This week only:
More Sales
Grail
The Nikon 13mm f/5.6 for actual auction on eBay is up to only $8,100, but as those of you who Know How to Win at eBay know, the actual price won't be known until the very last second of bidding.
350Z
Completely on-topic, my mom-in-law in Palm Desert, California has a pretty much unused Nissan 350Z Touring for sale. Check it out if you want an original classic car that's rarely left the garage.
10 December 2017, Sunday
Nikon 13mm f/5.6 AI-s.
All Hail the Grail
I just found a Nikon 13mm f/5.6 for actual auction on eBay. These only turn up once every few years, and no Nikon collection has much value unless it has at least one of these. (See my Nikon 13mm review.)
These usually sell for $20,000 ~ $30,000, so if you want it you have a week to read my How to Win at eBay series and get it for yourself.
07 December 2017, Thursday
Fearless Photographer book
If you haven't already, check out my friend Dave Wyman's book Fearless Photographer: Nature. It's a great book by an actual photographer who's been shooting every day for almost 70 years — and still has no problem riding his bike 100 miles in a day. Dave has learned a lot with all this shooting and with many decades of leading photo tours, and writes well and shows much more practical information in a format we can use compared to a common photo book.
It's loaded with photos and useful information — it's not the usual throw-away book just loaded with computer screen shots. It applies from beginner to advanced, and applies to digital and film.
More Recommended Books.
Video Accessories sale at B&H.
This means deals on memory cards, too.
What Was New in:
November 2017: Sony 50/2.8 Macro Review, Sony 90/2.8 Macro Review, LEICA CL, Sony 70-300mm G Review, Panasonic G9, iPhone X Review, How to Make Time Exposures with iPhone, 1X Photo Contest, Tamron 100-400mm.
October 2017: Nikon D850 review, Nikon D850 user's guide, Sony A7R III, Sony 24-105mm G, Sony 85/1.8 review, Canon G1X Mk III.
June, July, August and September 2017: Canon 6D Mk II, Canon SL-2, Canon 85/1.4L, Canon TS-E 50/2.8, 90/2.8 & 135/4, Nikon D850, Nikon 70-300 VR DX AF-P, Nikon 28/1.4E, Metabones Mk V Canon EF -> Sony E-mount adapter.
May 2017: Nikon 10-20mm DX VR, Nikon 8-15mm FX Fisheye, Canon 77D Review, Canon Rebel T7i Review, Canon 18-55mm IS STM Review, Springtime in Yosemite, Irix 15mm f/2.4 Review, Sony 16-35/2.8 GM, Sony 12-24/4 G, Fuji X100F Review, Laowa 12mm Review, Olympus TG-5.
March & April 2017: Nikon D7500, Nikon 19mm PC-E review, Nikon D3400 review, Sony A7 Mk II review, Nikon D5600 review.
February 2017: Canon 77D, Canon Rebel T7i, Canon EOS M6, Sony 24-70/2.8 GM, Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM , Sony 70-200mm f/4 G OSS, Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 STF GM OSS, Sony FE 85mm f/1.8.
January 2017: LEICA M10, Fujifilm GFX 50S, Fujifilm X100F, Nikon D5600.
November & December 2016: Fuji X-A10.
September & October 2016: Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 FL, Nikon 19mm PC-E, Sony A6500, Sony RX100 Mk V, Sony Alpha 99 II, Canon EOS M5, Canon EF 70-300 IS II USM, Sony 50mm f/2.8 Macro.
July & August 2016: Canon 5D Mk IV, 16-35 IS II, 24-105 IS II, Nikon D3400, Nikon 105mm f/1.4, Fuji XT-2.
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