Nikon J1 $199; Other Best Camera Deals for Black Friday Weekend

Nikon J1 with 10-30 lens $199 at B&H. Recall that the J1 has a 1-inch sensor like the RX100, so this might be a compact alternative with great high ISO performance (though it's not as pocketable).  DPReview says the high ISO performance is about as good as 12mp m4/3 sensor, and I would agree based on DPR's studio scene test.  Other interesting features: fast and accurate hybrid AF; 60fps raw burst.  Here is the DPR review.

I'll continually update this space with other deals that I find for this Black Friday weekend.

Sandisk Extreme 45mbps.  16GB SDHC $16.99 or 32GB SDHC $24.99 at Amazon.

Pentax WG-10 (shockproof and waterproof) $119 at Target.  14mp BSI sensor.  I'm thinking of buying one for my kids.  Another possible candidate is the Olympus TG-630 (I like the colors better underwater; 12mp BSI).

Nikon S100 (gold). $89 at B&H with free shipping.  This might be a good gift for someone who's not a photographer and just wants the slimmest camera.  Features a touchscreen.

Price drops!!! Olympus XZ-2, Pentax MX-1. And about the Casio EX-10

I just noticed a huge price drop on the Olympus XZ-2 (previously $500 now under $400) and Pentax MX-1 (previously $500 now under $300).  Perhaps it is not entirely a coincidence but Casio recently announced a new camera, the EX-10, which appears to share the same sensor and the same lens with the XZ-2 and MX-1: a 12mp 1/1.7" BSI (backside illumination) CMOS sensor, and a fast 28-112 equivalent f/1.8-2.5 lens.

Even before the price drop, I had been interested in the XZ-2 and MX-1 for reasons discussed below.
I'm interested in the Casio as well and I'll tell you why.

Sigma Black Friday Sale on Refurb Lenses

For its Black Friday sale, Sigma is offering a 15% discount on refurbished lenses, including the following:

Sigma 35 1.4 - the sharpest 35mm full frame, bar none, according to DXO.  $679.  Unfortunately, only the Sony mount is available refurbished at this time.
http://www.sigmaphoto.com/product/35mm-f14-dg-hsm-a-refurbished
Previewed here.

Sigma 50 1.4 - the sharpest fast fifty according to DPR, with quite possibly the best bokeh. $379.
http://www.sigmaphoto.com/product/50mm-f14-ex-dg-hsm-refurbished
Reviewed here.

Sigma 17-50 OS - currently the sharpest standard zoom for APS-C, according to DXO. $499.
http://www.sigmaphoto.com/product/17-50mm-f28-ex-dc-os-hsm-refurbished
Haven't tried it personally.


Notes:
1. Sigma's warranty on refurbished products: 90 days, including a 15-day return policy.  http://www.sigmaphoto.com/sigma-outlet/quality-standards-warranty-shipping

2. We're not affiliated with Sigma and receive no compensation from these links.

Weekend with the LX5; Adorama Black Friday Sale on LX7

Thanksgiving is almost here and with it, that beloved tradition of bargain hunting on Black Friday.  :) One of the more interesting photo-related Black Friday sales I've seen is Adorama's sale of the Panasonic Lumix LX7 for $299 ($100 off).  You may be wondering whether the LX7 would be a good pocket camera.  By serendipity, I took some shots recently with the LX5 (reviewed here), which is practically identical to the LX7, except that the LX7 has a lens that is a full stop faster: the LX5's maximum aperture is f/2.0-3.3 while the LX7's aperture is f/1.4-2.3.  So here are some shots from the LX5.

Yongnuo RF-603 + Olympus OM-D: Reloaded

Do you remember my RF-603 modification post? In that post I was able to modify my Canon version of the Yongnuou RF-603 trigger to make it work with my Olympus camera to trigger external flashes.

Now thanks to member Earlack and his post in this dpreview thread, I was able to further modify the camera cable of the triggers so that they can also wirelessly trigger my camera. Full details after the jump.

Soccer

Some shots from our last soccer game of the season.  Shot with the Nikon D7000 and Nikon 28-70 2.8 (42-105 equivalent).

Quickly Switching Between Shallow and Deep DOF

f/8, 1/320, ISO 100.  Aperture priority.

I love using shallow depth of field, but sometimes I want a deep depth of field.  Here is one way I switch between shallow and deep depth of field quickly in bright conditions without having to rapidly rotate the aperture dial:

Change Is The Only Constant

First of all, I would like to apologize for the recent lack of posts, but you know what happens, you start arranging your life, tasks and schedule, and when you think you have it all figured out, something sudden happens and disrupts all of your future plans, which is how life works.

That's why there are courses like "Change Management" to teach people how to adapt to the continuous changes happening in life, and how not to fall behind or feel unsettled, you have to adapt. By the way, change is not usually a bad thing, but people feel scared of the unknown, while most of the time; despite how uncomfortable it might be, change leads to the better. Go to YouTube and watch "Who moved my cheese".

I am in the middle of one of the bigger changes in my life, and it might take some time to settle down and fall to a semi-steady schedule, so I can't promise regular posts, but I will be doing my best. Below are some of the things I would love to tell you about in the coming posts:

- Olympus 45 1.8 review
- Olympus 75 1.8 review
- Bower 7.5mm Fisheye review
- Yongnuo 560II and 560III review and comparison
- Yongnuo RF-603 review
- Cinematic photography & post processing
- Resuming the post processing series

Well, the plan is to have one of these posts ready in the coming week.

More info about Sony A7 and A7R

Manual available for download:

http://download.sony-asia.com/consumer/IM/4478729112.pdf

 

Frank Doorhof's A7R review:

Part 1: http://www.frankdoorhof.com/site/2013/11/sony-a7r-part-i/

Part 2: http://www.frankdoorhof.com/site/2013/11/sony-a7r-review-part-ii-small-flash-and-more/

 

Steve Huff's A7 and A7R review:

3-part review and wrap-up:  http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2013/10/31/my-1st-look-wrap-up-of-the-sony-a7-and-a7r-cameras/

1st look video review: http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2013/11/01/my-1st-look-video-for-the-sony-a7-and-a7r-is-now-up/

Also check out www.sonyalpharumors.com

Nikon DSLR Tip: See the active AF Area

Do you have one of the newer Nikon DSLRs that has a button on the AF/MF lever?  On these Nikons, you can see the active AF Area by holding down the button on the AF/MF lever.  For example, if you are using the Dynamic 9-point AF you can see the area that is covered by the location of the AF point.  You can keep the button held down even as you move the AF selection point.

Note: the Dynamic 9 and Dynamic 21 point settings are available only in AF-C (continuous AF) or AF-A (automatically chooses AF-C or AF-S).

EDIT: Why would you want to see the active AF area?  One reason is to confirm that the AF Area covers your target adequately.  If not, you can move it around or change the size of the AF Area.