June & July 2018's News

B&H Photo - Video - Pro Audio

27 July 2018, Friday

In-Stock: The Sony A7 Mk III kit with the 28-70mm lens is in-stock at Adorama and at Crutchfield.

The A7 Mk III is my favorite mirrorless camera, and it's state-of-the-art. The all-plastic 28-70mm is great if you want a super lightweight full-frame lens. If you want an all metal lens and count every pixel, you'll prefer the fantastic 24-105.

25 July 2018, Wednesday

NEW: Nikon Full-Frame FX Mirrorless!

Today is a milestone in photography. Only about once every 20 years does Nikon announce something game-changing. Half of those times Nikon has redefined the entire face of photography as it did with the Nikon F of 1959 that was the world's first hugely popular 35mm SLR system, the Nikon F4 in 1988 that was the world's first professional autofocus SLR and the Nikon D1 in 1999 that was the world's first practical DSLR.

24 July 2018, Tuesday

Got iPhone?

I presume everyone does, but in case you don't yet, just look at what comes out of it. This is as-shot and as-edited in two seconds right on the phone with one finger:

Katie and Stella at summer fun at The Inn. iPhone X portrait mode, Snapseed app portrait mode, 6mm wide camera at f/2.4 at 1/120 at Auto ISO 25, as created in-camera. bigger or Full Resolution.

I'd have to work a lot longer trying to get a result as good on my LEICA, Canon, Nikon, Fuji or Sony. On any of these I'd need a 50mm or 85mm f/1.8 lens, and if I actually got focus dead-on the eyes, I'd have to wait till the next day to ingest the image into my Mac to highlight the faces as they need to be in this shot. The dry file out of any of these cameras would have been awful, since the kids were in shadow; Katie's face was very dark.

Easy in the iPhone X; the Portrait mode gets the background out of focus magically and the free Snapseed app's Portrait filter lightened the faces and darkened the background. I could have gotten this with a "real" camera, but I'd never have bothered. With iPhone, we get great shots we'd never have gotten otherwise as we actually live life.

Of course we need our big cameras for star trails and ultra-telephoto and other crazy shots, but for vacation and family, everyone deserves an iPhone. Be sure to get one with the dual rear cameras that include the longer-lens camera, which are the 7 Plus, 8 Plus and iPhone X.

20 July 1969, The End of Impossible

49 YEARS: MEN ON MOON

49 years ago today America showed the world that absolutely nothing is impossible by landing two men on the moon.

America landed ten more men on the moon in the next few years, but no one else has been there since.

Next year it will have been 50 years. Next: MARS!!!!

NEW From Fuji

Fuji 8-16mm f/2.8.

This is a non-distorting 12~24mm equivalent ultra-ultrawide. Bravo, Fuji!

You also can get the Fuji FLCP-8-16 Front Cap if you lose it at what is a very reasonable price compared to what others charge for specialized caps you can't get anywhere else. Again, thank you Fuji.

Fuji 200mm f/2.

This is a 300mm equivalent super lens. This is the premiere professional sports and portrait focal length comparable to Nikon (300mm f/2.8 VR II), Canon (300mm f/2.8 L II IS) and Sony (400mm f/2.8) - but this is only an APS-C lens. f/2 at 200mm on APS-C gives about the same depth of field as f/2.8 on 300mm; don't start comparing this new Fuji to a 300mm f/2 lens.

Fuji FLCP-105 Front Cap.

Fuji PRF-105 Clear Protective Filter.

19 July 2018, Thursday

NEW: Fuji XF 10 Point & Shoot. Also in gold.

Also at Adorama and at Adorama in gold.

The XF10 is a basic iPhone-like P&S camera with only one fixed lens and no viewfinder. It has a screen smaller than an iPhone and has only one lens and one sensor, not three faster lenses and three cameras like most of the better iPhones today. The point of the XF10 is for people who want a dedicated camera with olde-tyme photo features like exposure modes, fake film profiles and ISOs, Since the XF10 is optimized for ISO 200 I suspect the iPhone, with a base ISO of around 20, gives images at least as clean.

You people know who you are; I'm sticking with my iPhone X which for me has far more capabilities.

17 July 2018, Prime Day

Today is Amazon's Prime Day. Today is the day in the middle of the summer when half of us are on vacation that Amazon runs a big sale to spice things up when the Internet is slow.

Among other things, today is an excellent day to order Amazon Alexas at 40% off. (the echo show is $100 off for instance).

We have a ton of Echo Dots all over our house; they are even better when plugged into your stereo system or powered speakers for serious music listening with a 3.5mm to RCA adapter cord. These Dots are magic hockey pucks with great sound when plugged into real equipment. I even use one on my desk plugged into the analog input of my Benchmark DAC1-HDR since it's easier to tell Alexa what I want to hear then to stop what I'm doing and direct my Mac Pro there instead.

13 July 2018, Friday the Thirteenth

NEW: Sony RX100 VA. also at Adorama.

11 July 2018, Wednesday

NEW: Nikon P1000. Also at Adorama.

A point-and-shoot with an insane 125× optical zoom that covers the equivalent of of 24 ~ 3,000mm!

Also available are the optional ML-L7 remote control, optional 17079 holster bag and replacement for the included HB-CP1 lens hood.

If you want one, order it now because the last time Nikon introduced some hot point & shoots, the DL series in 2016, they simply canceled the whole project a year later when they didn't get enough orders. They hadn't completed the design before they announced them, and then gave up!

Of course if Nikon had asked a Nikon Icon first they could have read that I thought that the DL series was a waste of time. So sad.

10 July 2018, Tuesday

Tamron 100-400mm.

NEW: Tamron 100-400mm Review.

Unlike the crummy Tamron 18-400mm, this full-frame 100-400mm is a really good lens for less than half the price of Canon or Nikon.

NEW: Best 80-400mm & 100-400mm Lenses Compared.

09 July 2018, Monday

New Fuji Deals.

08 July 2018, Sunday

Ruin, San Diego, California, 28 July 1996.

NEW: How to Win Photo Contests.

05 July 2018, Thursday

Tamron 18-400mm.

NEW: Tamron 18-400mm Review.

04 July 2018, Independence Day

Fireworks!!! (Nikon D800E, Nikon 24mm f/1.4 G, program auto gave f/1.4 at 1/30 at Auto ISO 6,400, Matrix meter, autofocuses once on Ryan then set to MANUAL focus to hold, VIVID Picture Control at +3 Saturation, A3 M1 AWB.)

How to Photograph Fireworks.

NEW: Canon Lens Sale.

Most of the really good ones are a few hundred dollars off. Canon calls these "Instant Rebates," but they really are fat discounts; there's nothing to mail in or wait for.

29 June 2018, Friday

Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS.

NEW: Sony 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS.

Sony joins the big boys with a 400mm f/2.8. It's the world's lightest 400/2.8 ever, weighing only 3/4 what Nikon or Canon's newest 400/2.8s weigh.

Bravo, Sony!

The world always changes. Sony is moving ahead faster than any of the top camera makers we all used back in the 1980s.

21 June 2018, Thursday

DEALS: B&H is having two days of Fuji Deals.

19 June 2018, Tuesday

DEALS: B&H is having two days of Mega Deals, many of which are only while supplies last.

14 June 2018, FLAG DAY

Yosemite Falls.

NEW: Yosemite in Springtime.

What I did last month; shot in part on:

Kodak Medalist II.

NEW: Kodak Medalist II Review.

07 June 2018, Thursday

New 70-200mm Lenses From Canon

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II.

NEW: Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS II Review.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III.

NEW: Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS L III Review.

Updated: All Sony Cameras Compared.

I added the RX100 Mark 6 and RX10 Mark IV, and updated the prices of all cameras. Interesting is how the A9 is now $500 less than ever, now just $3,998 for the world's top professional mirrorless camera.

06 June 2018, Wednesday

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX100 Mark VI.

NEW: Sony RX100 Mark 6.

The World's Best pocket camera evolves, now with a 24-200mm equivalent lens - and it's still the the same size and weight as the old RX100 Mk V!

Free One-Day Shipping on Canon!

Crutchfield is giving FREE one-day shipping on all Canon DSLR cameras, lenses, and flashes until June 30th. Whoo hoo!

03 June 2018, Sunday

DEAL: Canon Pro-100 Printer & Paper: $59.99 after rebate.

Not bad for the same printer for which plenty of people paid $369!

You're getting the printer and paper for $309.99, and then a $250 rebate.

What Was New in:

May 2018: Marc Silber's Secrets to Creating Amazing Photos, Sigma 105mm f/1.4, Fuji X-T100, Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 IS/VR Review, beyerdynamic Amiron Home Review, Sigma 70mm Full-Frame Macro Art Lens, Nikon D1 High ISO Samples, Vello MB-D18 (BG-N19) Grip Review, Sunpak RD2000 Review, Small Flashes Compared.

April 2018: Irix 11mm f/4 Review,Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8, Canon 85mm f/1.4 L IS Review,Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 VR/IS Review, Best 70-200mm f/2.8 Lenses Compared, Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 VR/IS Review, Best 24-105mm Lenses Compared, MindShift 18L Backpack, Fuji GF 250mm f/4, Fuji GF 1.4X TC WR Teleconverter, Fuji MCEX-45G WR Macro Extension Tube, Fuji MCEX-18G WR Macro Extension Tube, Sony RX10 Mk IV Review, Sony RX10 Mk IV User's Guide, beyerdynamic Aventho Wireless Review.

March 2018: Nikon 70-300mm AFP E FX Review, Nikon 28mm f/1.4 E FX Review, Nikon 10-20mm Review, Nikon D7500 Review.

February 2018: Sony A7 III, Yosemite Photos, Nikon 50mm f/1.8 Pancake-NIKKOR review, beyerdynamic DT1350 review, beyerdynamic DT240 review, Canon SL2 review.

Janaury 2018: Nikon 180-400mm, Canon 6D Mk II review, Canon 18-135mm USM review, Fuji X-A5, Sony 18-135mm.

December 2017: Canon 35mm f/2.8 Macro review, Sony A7R III review, Sony A7R III user's guide, Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS review, Sony FE 100mm STF G OSS review.

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.

September and October 2014

July and August 2014

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Thanks for reading!

Ken