Archives for May 2023

Starts Thur 4pm ET: Nikon Z8 Live Panel Q&A Stream II

NO, you are not seeing twice. NO, I didn’t post the same thing twice. This is a separate and independent Nikon Z8 live stream 🙂

Starting at 4pm ET on Thursday 5/11/23, Adorama is hosting a Nikon Z8 launch live Q&A panel live-stream with four photographers, Jide Alakija, Kristi Odom, Mark Cruz and Seth Miranda! This being a YouTube live stream you can also ask questions during the live event in the YouTube Live Chat!

IF you miss it live, fear not, it will remain on YouTube for eternity or until Google goes bankrupt, whichever happens first 😉

The Nikon Z8 is available for pre-ordering at Adorama starting at $4000…

Pre-order the NEW Nikon Z8 Mirrorless AND its Battery Grip AND SmallRiG Cages

Pre-orders for the new Google Pixel 7a get freebies but pre-orders for the new Nikon Z8 full-frame mirrorless camera get the prestige of being one of the first to have it in your hands. This being a euphemism for getting no freebies 🙂

The Nikon Z8 is out for pre-order for $4000 as body-only, OR $4147 with the FTZ II Adapter kit OR $4900 with the 24-120mm f4 lens OR $5047 with both.

Pre-orders are accepted at B&H Photo and at Adorama.

The first wave of accessories is out as well, B&H has a trio of pre-order listings for SmallRiG camera cages ranging from $70 (basic) to $119 (with the battery grip attached to the camera) to $129 (handheld, no grip).

Pre-orders are also accepted for Nikon’s own MB-N12 battery grip for $347. The grip accepts two EN-EL15 batteries [BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED!]

Pre-Order the NEW Google Pixel 7a with CHOICE of FREEBIE

Yesterday, surprisingly at the very end of the 2-hour long Google I/O Keynote, Google revealed their brand new Google Pixel 7a mid-range “Pure Android” phone with a price of $499! And the wait is not long, because pre-orders are already accepted!

And you have a choice of FREEBIES! If you buy it from The Google Store directly, you get FREE Pixel Buds A-series AND a limited edition phone case.

If you are not interested in that, or want to decide what freebie to buy, Amazon is offering a FREE Amazon $50 Gift Card on purchases until 5/21/23 at 11:59pm PT or earlier if sold out.

It may have a mid-range price, but you get the Tensor G2 chip, 8GB RAM, unlocked (with Google Fi option), wireless charging, extreme battery saver (promises 72 hours), Google One VPN, 6.1″ FHD up to 90Hz, etc, etc, etc…

Thursday: Synology, Zhiyun, Nanuk, Optoma, Etc

Thirsty-Thursday is here and with it we have a fresh six-pack of B&H Photo daily deals good until 5/11/23 at 11:59pm ET or earlier if sold out:

+ Zhiyun FIVERAY F100 LED Light Stick Combo for $199

+ Synology DiskStation DS1621+ 6-Bay NAS Enclosure for $720 after in-cart coupon
+ HDDs NOT included

+ NANUK 918 Waterproof Carry-On Hard Case with Lid Organizer for $155 after in-cart coupon
+ three color options

+ Optoma UHZ50 3000-Lumen XPR 4K UHD Home Theater DLP Projector for $1999

+ CoreSWX Hypercore NEO 150 Mini 147Wh Lithium-Ion Battery (V-Mount) for $299

+ SaraMonic Vmic4 Dual-Capsule Camera-Mount Supercardioid Shotgun Microphone for $74
+ alt fact: Saramonic was created by Sarah and Monique!

UPDATE
Quiet times at the Adorama daily deals, an OnStage mic and a Sony wireless earphone.

Meanwhile the headliner of today’s action at Amazon is the Aquasonic Vibe Series Ultra Whitening Toothbrush offered for $27 in three color options (great for color-coding for different members of the househould). Optionally there are some volume-buy clip-on coupons on the listing that get you a bigger discount (5% to 15% off) depending on how many you buy…

Starts Wedn 1pm ET: Google I/O 2023 Keynote Live-Tweeting

Yes dear readers, time sure does fly! The time has come for another Google I/O event, headlined by “The Keynote”. As it is often the case, I will be live-tweeting this on Twitter, user name is @1001noisycamera [without the final “s” because user-name limits]…

Google will be live-streaming the event, with a separate ASL stream as well. And as usual, various tech websites and personalities will be having pre-game shows, stream-along commentary tracks, and post-game shows. The official Google stream is YouTube-embedded below…

Wedn: Lowepro PA 300AW, 2pk 64GB USB A flash, 27″ LG, M1 Max MacBook, SmallRiG Monolight, Etc

Yes, Wednesday is here again and we start with the B&H Photo daily deals for 5/10/23:

+ 2-pack of Kingston 64GB Exodia USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A Flash Drives for $5.78
+ that’s under $3 per 64GB flash drive, oh my!

+ Lowepro Photo Active 300 AW Backpack (Blue/Black) for $60

+ SmallRig RC 220D Daylight LED Monolight for $229 with FREE SmallRig V-Mount Battery Plate

+ LG 27GN95B-B 27″ 16:9 144 Hz IPS 4K Gaming Monitor (Black & Red) for $570
+ HDMI + DisplayPort Inputs
+ 3840 x 2160 4K UHD Resolution
+ 1000:1 Contrast Ratio

+ LEXAR 320GB Professional CFexpress Type A Card GOLD Series with Card Reader for $380 after in-cart coupon

+ Apple 14.2″ MacBook Pro with M1 Max Chip (Late 2021, Space Gray) for $2499
+ M1 Max 10-Core Chip, 32-Core GPU, 16-Core Neural Engine
+ 64GB Unified RAM, 2TB SSD
14.2″ 3024×1964 Liquid Retina XDR Screen
+ to make it easier to distinguish, Apple should rename MacBooks that use their own processors as MaxBooks 😉

THEN we head on off to the Adorama daily deals where we find two offerings:

+ Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB NVMe PCIe Gen 3.0 x4 M.2 Internal SSD for $60

+ SanDisk 1TB Ultra Dual Drive Luxe USB Type-C Flash Drive for $90

MEANwhile the headliners at the Amazon USA Gold Box are Kindle e-reader sales (latest Paperwhite and “Basic” models), Echo Show devices, and BOSE headphones…

Tue: Lowepro Whistler Backpack 450 AW II for $250, Etc

Two options at the Tuesday 5/9/23 Adorama daily deals as follows:

+ Lowepro Whistler Backpack 450 AW II, Gray for $250

+ Potensic T25 GPS RC Drone with 2K HD Camera, 3x Batteries and Carrying Bag for $135

MEANwhile among the Tuesday Amazon USA Gold Box offerings they have sales on Echo Show, Beats, Fire TV, Kindles, Samsung memory, Fitbits, Ninja, DeWalt, BreVille, etc, etc, etc…

Tue: Screen Protectors (44o), Lensbaby 56/1.6 SE Wood GB, Benro, GVM, Thule, 16″ ASUS StudioBook, Etc

Tuesday 5/9/23 is upon us with a fresh set of B&H Photo daily deals:

+ Vello LCD screen protectors, 44 options, $10 to $13
+ check individual listings for specific camera compatibility

+ Lensbaby Velvet 56mm f/1.6 SE Lens in Wooden Gift Box for $350 in Canon EF or Nikon F

+ Benro #3 MCT38AF Monopod with Flip Locks and 3-Leg Base for $70

+ GVM PR150R RGB/Bi-Color LED Video Light Kit with Lantern Softbox for $228

+ Thule Crossover Wheeled Luggage with Expandable Suiter (22″, Black) for $180

+ ASUS 16″ ProArt StudioBook OLED 16 Series Laptop for $1800
+ 2.3 GHz Intel Core i7 14-Core (12th Gen)
+ 16GB DDR5 RAM, 2 x 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD
+ 16″ 3840 x 2400 OLED Display
+ 100% DCI-P3 Color, HDR10
+ Go ASUS Go!

Monday: SpyderX, SmallRIG, PaperShoot DIY P&S Cameras, 2pk 128GB Lexar UHS-II SDXC, Etc

Monday is here and the Adorama daily deal for 5/8/23 is the Datacolor SpyderX Pro + Cube Kit going for $129…

THEN we head on over to the B&H Photo daily deals where we have a fresh 6-pack of offerings:

+ SmallRig RM75 Mini On-Camera LED Video Light for $44

+ Paper Shoot DIY Digital Point & Shoot Cameras (7 options) for $90

+ 2pk LeXaR 128GB Professional 2000x UHS-II SDXC for $170 after in-cart coupon

+ also a CAD mic, AirFREE purifier and Platin 5.1 HT

Sunday: Venus Optics Laowa 12/2.8 Zero-D for $699 [10o], KOWA, Bravia, K&F, Etc

Sun-Day is a Lenze Day at the 5/7/23 B&H Photo daily deals as follows:

+ Venus Optics Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D for $699
+ Mirrorless options: Sony E, Leica L, Canon RF, Nikon Z
+ DSLR Options, two color options each: Canon EF and Nikon F and Pentax K

+ K&F Concept Beta Photography Backpack (Army Green, 20L) for $50
+ I believe “Beta” is the bag’s name, it’s not in a product for beta testing 😉

+ KOWA 6.5×32 or 8×32 BD II XD Wide-Angle Binoculars for $280 each with FREE harness strap

+ 64GB Kingston DataTraveler Exodia Flash Drive for $4
+ USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A Connection
+ Keyring Loop Protective Cap

+ Samsung MX-ST50B Sound Tower 240W Wireless Party Speaker for $248

+ Sony BRAVIA XR A90K 42″ HDR 4K UHD OLED TV for $998 after in-cart coupon

MEANwhile the Adorama daily deal is the BUYPOWER SlateHako AD420N Gaming Desktop Computer for $830 with Core i5-12600KF 3.7GHz, 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 (8GB), W11H, etc….

IF YOU LIKE e-READING, as usual, on Sundays, the Kindle daily deals are LOADED, this time around they have 141 options!

ONE OF THOSE daily deal e-books is related to photography, “Still Pictures: On Photography and Memory” for $4 by Janet Malcolm (Jan 2023, Farrar et al, 165, 4.3/5 on 61 ratings). You also get a $0.40 GoK (Great On Kindle) e-credit for future purchases on eligible GoK ebooks…

NANlite, Manfrotto Nitro, Joby, Etc

As usual, the Friday B&H Photo daily deals run until Saturday (aka Caturday) at 11:59pm ET or earlier if sold out:

+ NanLITE Halo 10B Bi-Color USB LED Ring Light (10″) for $35

+ PortaBRACE Cable Tote Bag (Small) for $65~

+ Vello SM-LV Selfie Mirror Viewer for Vlogging for $13

+ Joby Action Grip for $3

+ 35-foot Alfratron HDMI 2.0 cable for $15

+ Polsen volume controller for $20

+ flash deal: MANfrotto 612 Nitrotech Fluid Video Head and 536 Carbon Fiber Single Leg Tripod for $1274 after in-cart coupon
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Friday: CLAR 204 Phantom Series Bi-Color On Camera LED Light for $20

The Friday Adorama daily deals headliner is the CLAR 204 Phantom Series Bi-Color On Camera LED Light offered for $20… The other item offered is the Pictar Smart 18mm Wide Angle Lens for Smartphones going for $60…

Among the Amazon Gold Box offerings they have:

+ Canon Instant Savings promotion on various DSLR and mirrorless cameras of both 35mm FF and APS-C kind

+ Samsung S23 Ultra flagship starting at $1000 (256GB storage)

+ Samsung Memory and Drives sale including SDXC, SSD internal and external, and microSD

+ nearly 180 eBooks in the Friday Kindle daily deals

+ Prime members only: 17% off the Kindle Scribe e-reader

Thursday: Interfit, Star Wars, 48″ Philips, FeelWorld, Etc

May The Force Be With You at the Thursday May 4th Meh website with a Meh-rathon, their own variant of a “Woot OFF”. The day started at 12:01am ET with, what else, a Grogu-Baby-Yoda plush type thing 🙂

Thirsty-Thursday is here with a fresh set of B&H Photo daily deals:

+ Interfit Badger Unleashed Battery-Powered Flash Head for $220

+ FeelWORLD LUT7 7″ 3D LUT 4K HDMI Monitor for $200

+ Philips 498P9Z 48.8″ 1440p HDR Curved Monitor for $700
+ DisplayPort | HDMI Dual
+ QHD 5120 x 1440 at 165 Hz
+ Adaptive-Sync Compatile
+ you can watch two Star Wars movies side by side 😉

+ Manfrotto Carbon Fiber Boom Pole for VR Camera (Small) for $130

+ Auray Hard Case For Podcast Production Console for $60

+ Direct Sound CX36C 36″ Headphone Extension Cable with 3.5mm Jack & 1/4″ Adapter for $5

UPDATE: the Thursday Adorama daily deal are two “off topic” audio-related products…

Wedn: CamBee, SpyderX, Benro, Nanuk, Zoom, Etc

The Battle of The Hump is here, yes, it is another Wednesday and we have a fresh six-pack of name-brand B&H Photo daily deals:

+ CamBEE Professional RGB 600 Panel 2-Light Kit for $220

+ SpyderX Elite Colorimeter for $135

+ Benro #4 MCT48AF Monopod with Flip Locks, 3-Leg Base, and S6 Video Head for $125

+ Nanuk 923 15″ Laptop Case for $150 after coupon
+ three color options, for color-coding the OS of the laptop 😉

+ ZOOM H4n Pro 4-Input / 4-Track Portable Handy Recorder with Onboard X/Y Mic Capsule (Brown) for $160

+ AngelBIRD 2TB AV Pro CFexpress 2.0 Type B Memory Card for $450

UPDATE: the Adorama daily deal for Wednesday 5/3/23 is the Microsoft LifeCam Cinema 720p Web Cam for $35, and the Razer Blade 14 14″ QHD 165Hz Gaming Notebook (AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX 3.3GHz, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti (8GB), Wind 11H)for $1649…

Tue: Fuji Instax Link Wide Smartphone Printer for $90

If you think printing is fun-da-mental, the Tuesday 5/2/23 Adorama daily deal is the new condition Fujifilm Instax Link Wide Smartphone Printer, in the Mocha Gray color scheme, offered for $90…

Tuesday: Lens Bag, GVM BiC Wands, Shape Tripod, Kindle e-readers, Etc

Tuesday is here with a 7+1 formation in the B&H Photoo daily deals as followz:

+ PortaBrace LB-1B Lens Bag (Black) for $149~
+ because the lenses deserve their very own dedicated BAG the LENS BAGS!

+ GVM BD25R Bi-Color RGB LED Light Wands, 24-inch for $169 or 48-inch for $300
+ you get more inches per $ with the 48-inch option 😉

+ Shape Pro Video Carbon Fiber Tripod with 100mm Bowl & Fluid Head (33 lb Payload) for $999~
+ or you can buy 99 Ritz Camera $10 tripods 😉

+ SmallRIG cases for BlackMagic cameras, two options, $47 to $59

+ Vello COOLTOOL Camera Plate Combo Tool for $5

+ also: Samson mic and PC Mover software

+ flash deal: Sunpak Mobile Vlogging Kit with Tripod & Accessories for $20
+ yes, ideal for Accessories Hoarders 🙂

MEANwhile the headliner Woot deal of the day is another variant of the refurbished Kindle eBook reader sale with prices starting at $20. These come with a 90-day warranty, unlike the certified refurbished sold at the Amazon website (for more) that come with a 1-year warranty.

As regular readers know, I have a little bit of a Kindle fetish soft spot 😉 The sale includes “basic” Kindles, Paperwhites and Oasis models. If I needed/wanted an e-reader from this sale, I would go for the 2018 Paperwhite (starting at $40) or the 2019 “basic” Kindle (starting at $30) or Oasis models. I had the 2015 Paperwhite ($20) a few years ago and it was already getting too slow, so unless you have the patience of a saint or are buying a specific price point, or you plan on reading lightweight ebooks (eg poetry, smaller ebooks without graphics, etc), I’d go with the more recent / less older models.

The sale also includes a bunch of Fire tablets ranging from $15 (yes, $15 for a color tablet) to $70. I bought the original “Kindle Fire” tablet on the hype train excitement of that time, but haven’t followed with them closely since. The last few years I’ve been using smaller touchscreen Chromebooks as tablet stand-ins.

Having said that, the price is definitely right, especially if you are part of the Amazon media ecosystem (Prime Videos, Kids programs, Kindle Unlimited reading, Amazon Music, non-stop Prime shopping, etc, etc, etc).

Monday: Lowepro PRO Trekker, Vanguard VEO 2 GO, Etc

Monday brings two very on-topic Adorama daily deals for May Day 2023, aka 5/1/23:

+ Lowepro Pro Trekker BP 350 AW II Backpack for Pro CSC / DSLR, Black/Dark Gray for $300

+ Vanguard VEO 2 GO 235CB 5-Section Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod with T-50 Compact Ball Head for $150

MEANwhile a busy day at the Amazon USA Gold Box:

+ pay $40, get $50 iHOP Gift Card
+ BONUS diabetes with purchase 😉

+ ten pages of AmazonBasics Electronics, Etc, Etc

+ sexy Breville Espresso machines

+ Ninja kitchen gear, six options, $50 to $200

+ 20% to 25% off Samsung Galaxy Watch 5