Buying Trade-Offs on a Pricepoint: Old Flagship vs Latest Entry

Now that we have about 20 years of consumer-accessible interchangeable lens cameras, the options in the used and new market are numerous! And that can trigger some interesting buying trade-offs. Especially if buying on a price-point, and you are fine comparing “apples and oranges” regardless of camera size, sensor size, camera type and so on. For example, would you buy an older flagship or a newer “latest technology” model? And how far back in time would you go?

Such a question was just posed (and answered [no spoilers in the text here]) at the Hyun Ralph Jeong YouTube Channel with two actual cameras, the legendary Canon 5D Mark II versus the all new Canon M50 Mark II. That’s over a decade in age difference, and obviously they are different types of cameras, BUT for someone buying at a price-point and wanting to see what their options are, this is an interesting theoretical and/or practical exercise.

As of the time of writing, the M50 Mark II starts at $600 as body-only in new condition (eg B&H Photo, Adorama) while the Canon 5D Mark II body-only ranges from $470 to $660 at KEH Camera and (obviously) has a wider range on eBayLandia

Needless to say, you can’t take pictures with a body only, so you’d have to figure in the price of a lens, and that opens more comparison threads, eg both with a prime lens, both with a zoom lens, each one with the best available lens money can buy at your designated price-point, and so on…

The possibilities are not infinite, but they can be headache inducing. For example, with an older camera (lots of 5D Mark II used options) you could go for a more beat-up body so you can spend more on the lens… OR you can go the way of adapters with the M50 II… A whole website could be devoted just on this type of a buying comparison (not by me though; that’s your project) πŸ™‚

Thursday: 256GB Samsung EVO Plus SDXC for $32 [limit 3]

A Samsung storage sale is one of the Thursday 1/28/21 Amazon USA Gold Box deals of the day featuring two internal SSDs ($48 and $112) but of photography interest the headliner is the new condition 256GB Samsung EVO Plus SDXC going for $32 with up to three per customer… This is a new-ish line of SD cards; as of the time of writing this averages 4.6 out of 5 based on 123 global ratings….

Meanwhile at the Adorama daily deals (change Friday 10am ET) they have:

+ CLAR Illumi Max 300 High Power 5600K LED Light (132,000 lux @ 0.5m) for $329

+ LetsFit ID152 Fitness Tracker Smart Bracelet with Heart Rate and Sleep Monitor, IP68 Waterproof for $17

Thursday: Nanuk, Anker, Genaray, Manfrotto, Etc

ThirstDAY aka Thursday is here and we have a new 6-pack of B&H daily deals good until 11:59pm ET (or earlier if sold out) as follows:

+ Genaray LED-6200T 144 LED Variable-Color On-Camera Light for $69

+ Manfrotto MK290LTA3-BHUS 290 Light Aluminum Tripod with Ball Head for $100

+ Nanuk 925 Case with Foam for $80 after $70 off automatic in-cart couponeaux

+ Anker 10,000mAh PowerCore Slim 10000 PD Portable Charger for $18
+ have the Rolling Stones yet licensed “Start Me Up” for charging eqiupment? “Charge Me Up!”

+ IndiPro 14.8V 95Wh Lithium-Ion Battery & Pro Charger Kit (V-Mount) for $150
+ the sun has near-infinite power, the rest of the light sources, not so πŸ˜‰

+ reusable masks for childrenz

UPDATE #1: refurbished iPads starting at $70 (iPad 2) headline the Woot daily deals for Thursday, with a total of 17 options, including iPad 2 through 7, Mini 1 through 5, Air 2 and 3, iPad PROs 1 and 2… With a total of 25 (!!!) models as of the time of writing, Wikipedia may be in-order to sort-them-out… But that’s not all, under “Electronics” is another variant of the Fuji EnviroMax single-use battery sale with AAA, C, D and 9V options (the AA sold out)…

UPDATE #2: meanwhile at Best Buy’s they have the 256GB Sandisk Ultra Plus microSDXC for $45 [still not sure what the difference is between the “PLUS” and the non-PLUS), 5TB WD EasyStore External USB 3 HDD for $100, etc etc etc (including… Poo Pourri, a great troll gift!)…

Profoto Off-Camera Flash Kit (C/N/S/F), ASUS ROG, Sylvania Light Bulbs, Etc

A new round of Adorama daily deals has been launched, and this photo-centric set is good until Thursday at 10am ET (or earlier if sold out):

+ Profoto Off-Camera Flash Kit with A1X AirTTL On/Off-Camera Flash and Profoto Connect Flash Trigger for $795
+ in your choice of Canon, Nikon, Sony and Fuji

+ ASUS ROG Strix SCAR G532 15.6″ Full HD 240Hz Gaming Notebook for $1700
+ i7-10875H 2.3GHz, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8GB, Windows 10 Home

+ Explore Scientific FirstLight 70mm f/10 Alt-Az Refractor Telescope with Alt/AZ “U” Yoke Mount for $75

+ VIOFO A129 Pro 4K UHD 2160p Dual Band Wi-Fi Front Dash Camera with GPS Module for $150

Meanwhile at the Wednesday Amazon USA Gold Box, good until 11:59pm pacific time [or earlier if sold out] is a sale on Sylvania light bulbs, smart and otherwise, headlined by 24-packs of Daylight Color (A19, 60W-EQ (9W actual)) for $17 (limit three sets per customer) or Soft White Color for the same price…

Wedn: Lenovo i5-10400 Desktop for $449, Atomos, Zeapon, CLAR, Etc

And just like that we are almost at mid-week, Hump Day is here and we have a new 4-pack of B&H daily deals good until 11:59pm ET (or earlier if sold out):

+ Lenovo IdeaCentre 5 14IMB05 Desktop Computer for $449
+ you can’t get an Apple Silicon Mac Mini at this price πŸ™‚
+ 2.9 GHz i5-10400 six-a-core, 8GB 2933 MHz DDR4, Intel UHD Graphics 630, 256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD, etc
+ processor ranks #320 at cpubenchmark.net
+ keyboard, mouse, power cord included
+ if they don’t include powerbricks with smartphones, why do they include semi-disposable keyboards/mice with desktops? They make the boxes larger and you may end up paying for the extra box size and weight!
+ they should instead include coupons towards useful keyboards/mice/accessories
+ Max RAM 24GB (2 user-replaceable slots, 2x of 4GB included)
+ DVD burner
+ two USB 3.0, four USB 2.0 (soy vey!), two USB-C
+ HDMI and VGA outputs
+ Ethernet, Wifi 5, bluetooth 5, 260W, 1-yr warranty
+ 5.8 kg = 12.79lb (desktop)
+ averages 4.6 out of 5 on 73 customer reviews as of the time of writing
+ option for a $20 off combined purchase discount with Microsoft 365

+ Apexel Gorillas Tripod for $18

+ Atomos Connect 4K for $49

+ Zeapon Micro 2 Micro Rail Slider with EasyLock 2 & Ball Head Bundle for $200

Next up we have the Adorama daily deals (change Wednesday 10am ET) headlined by the CLAR Basic 2-Light LED Softbox Kit going for $80… There’s also single-use 3-ply masks. Masks and more masks. !@#$!@#$!@#$ COVID πŸ™‚

Tuesday: Macro Ring Flash with Transceivers (C/N/S), Etc

Tuesday aka Toonsday aka Tunesday is here and with it we have a new round of B&H daily deals good until 11:59pm ET (or earlier if sold out) as follows:

+ BOLT TTL Macro Ring Flash with Transceiver Set with Additional Transceiver for $300 in your choice of Sony, Nikon or Canon system options

+ Carson JC-1000 2.4″/60mm Refractor Telescope Kit for $60

+ IDX batteries, two options, $230 to $550

+ Letscom fitness tracker for $13

Meanwhile at the Woot daily deals there’s a $100 Chromebook and a $46 coffee machine that brews both K-cups and traditional basket-style… Either way, you may risk expulsion from the Hipster Coffee Club unless you exclusively make PourOver coffee πŸ™‚

Rokinon 24mm T1.5 Cine for $229 [N]

It’s a lens day of the Nikon F kind at the Adorama daily deals, good until Tuesday at 10am ET (or earlier if sold out) you can get the new condition Rokinon 24mm T1.5 Cine for $229 with free US shipping… The other three options go for a lot more as of the time of writing…

Monday Camera and Photo Lightning Deals

It’s been a while since we dove into the Amazon USA Gold Box, more specifically to take a look at the Camera and Photo Lightning Deals. This is an “instant reaction post”, I’m writing it as I see it for the first time… << cue suspense music >>

And as of the time of writing there are 127 items participating. Now let’s see some highlights:

+ stabilizery things including sliders and gimbal stabilizers and tripods

+ LED panel lights

+ monocular-telescope creature

+ ring lights of different kinds including macro and selfie and twins

+ binoculars and action cams

+ studio background and lighting kits
+ if the sky is blue and water is wet, these are in the lighting deals too

+ monolights and on-camera flashes

+ green screen green suit for humans

+ generic camcorder and time-lapse camera

+ Neewer reigns supreme once again, challenging Cal Ripken Jr’s record πŸ˜‰

Prime Only: Fuji Instax Mini 9 Clear Camera for $50

Good until the end of January 2021 (or earlier if sold out) Woot is running a …running Prime members only sale. You have to login with a Prime account through Woot in order to buy these. And surprise surprise, there is a camera among them!

It is the new condition Fuji Instax Mini 9 Clear Camera in the yellow color scheme going for $50 with up to three per customer. It comes with a 90-day Woot warranty. Since this is a Prime-only offer, you get free shipping by default (one of the many Prime benefits)…

UPDATE: among the Monday Amazon USA Gold Box deals of the day (these are open to everyone, not Prime only) you can get:

+ HiSense 43″ Android TV with Remote (2020 model, 43H5500G) for $200

+ Fire Stick TV Lite with Alexa for $22

Monday: Porta Brace, Sirui, Netgear, Vanguard, Etc

Mundane Monday is back and the Meh daily deal (jigsaw puzzles) brings us to the “(Useless) Photography Tip of the Week”: print your beautiful landscape and nature pictures as puzzles πŸ˜‰

To the B&H daily deals we go now, with this round running until Monday at 11:59pm ET (or earlier if sold out):

+ PortaBrace Carrying Case for DSLR Camera, Multiple Lenses and Accessories for $100

+ SirUI SUP224SR Carbon-Fiber Photo/Video Monopod for $130

+ Netgear Orbi Pro AC3000 Wireless Tri-Band Gigabit Wi-Fi System for $270 after an automatic in-cart coupon

+ Motorola Verve Loop 200 Wireless In-Ear Headphones for $12

Meanwhile at the Adorama daily deals (change Monday 10am ET) they have:

+ Pictar Smart Light for $35

+ Vanguard ALTA PRO 2 263AP 3-Section Aluminum Tripod with Alta PH-32 3-Way Pan Head for $100

UPDATE #1: the headliner of the Woot daily deals for Monday is a sale of factory-reconditioned Samsung curved LED monitors with prices ranging from $130 to $300, and screen sizes being either 27″ or 32″. They come with a 90-day Samsung warranty…

REI Mastercard: $100 Gift Card, Rewards, Cellphone Protection, Non-Profit Donations, and Other Benefits

REI hippies and hipsters of the world unite and take over! REI’s e-newsletter is promoting the current promotion for their REI Mastercard credit card (powered by US Bank). If you apply and get approved and make a purchase within 60 days, you will earn a $100 REI gift card as a bonus. The card has a rewards program, 5% on REI purchases, 2% on mobile wallet purchases and 1% on everything else.

These rewards are stackable and separate from the REI Annual Dividend program for REI members (membership is a one-time lifetime-activity, not an annual fee milking).

The card also offers a no-cost cellphone protection (damage or theft) if you pay your cellphone bill with this card. There is a $50 deductible, up to $800 per claim, two claims per year, up to $1000 per 12-month period. Details at the Cellphone Protection page…

Other benefits include “extra savings” on REI travel, automatic REI donation to non-profit nature projects, and no foreign transaction fees, and such, within of course limitations, terms and conditions and such.

Speaking of which, be sure to read up on all of them before applying. And the usual caveats, use credit responsibly, etc, etc, etc…

Spend $25+, Get $6 Kindle Store Credit (Jan 21-28)

Reading is fun-da-mental! If you are a fan of Kindle e-reading, their 25-6 promotion is back. Once you activate it, the promotion runs between January 21-28 in 2021. Better yet, this runs retroactively for the time period. The terms are as before. If you spend $25+ in Kindle ebooks, you will earn a $6 promotional Kindle e-store-credit…

This is especially of interest for photography ebooks and camera e-guides, since they tend to be of the more expensive kind…

Sunday: Nanlite, Morphie, IOgrapher, Outdoor Photographer, Etc

If you have rechargeable devices that are low in power requirements, then you may be interested in the Sunday Meh daily deal, it is a 4-pack of 3000 mAh Morphie powerbanks for $19 total plus shipping for non-Meh-members…

Next up we go to the B&H Photo deals du jour where we have the following offers good until Sunday at 11:59pm ET (or earlier if sold out):

+ Vello HSA-PVU Hot Shoe Adapter with Safe Voltage Conversion for $15

+ NanLite MixPad 11 Tunable RGB Hard and Soft LED Panel for $84

+ Magnus VPH-10P Three-Way Pan and Tilt Head for $25

+ Apexel 4-in-1 Cell Phone Camera System for $18

Next up we go to the Discount MAGS weekend sale (sometimes it ends Monday night instead of Sunday night) where the theme is a multi-year sale, and of photography interest, VideoMaker is around the “default sale price”, but “Outdoor Photographer” is below $5/year, it goes for $13 for a prepaid 3-year subscription. These are printed magazines delivered to USA addresses old-school-style. No auto-renewalings…

Meanwhile at the Adorama daily deals (change Sunday 10am ET) they offer the iOgrapher Filmmaking Multi Case for Smartphones for $40 with free US shipping…

UPDATE #1: at the Best Buy dailies they have the 128GB Sandisk Extreme PLUS microSDXC (V30, A2, U3, C10, UHS I) for $33, and headlined by AKRacing gaming chairs…

Sunday is Samsung Day at the Woot daily deals headlined by the new condition unlocked with 1-year warranty Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G (128GB) for $850 (one per customer). There’s also Samsung tablets ($90 to $430) under “Computers” and “Galaxy Buds Live” for $110 under “Electronics” and such…

Anker, Peak Design, Pelican, Sachtler, Etc [UPDATED]

Friday is also known as FryDay, because it’s a traditional day to fry everything you eat or drink πŸ˜‰ PS: the previous sentence has not been fact-checked!

Car charging fans, the Friday Meh daily deal is for you, it is a 2-pack of Anker 5-port 50W car chargers for $19 total plus shipping. That’s under $10 per charger. Now those long commutes have a utilitarian silver lining: charging everything that could be charged πŸ™‚

Meanwhile the B&H daily deals are, as usual, good until Saturday at 11:59pm ET with the caveat that orders are not accepted Fri PM to Sat PM {check their website for exact times}:

+ open-box Peak Design Shell Form-Fitting Lens Rain and Dust Covers, two options, $20 to $25

+ Pelican ProGear 1810 LED Keychain Light for $6
+ now you can light paint no matter where you are

+ Vello hot-shoe bubble-levels, four options, $6 to $10

+ MiGGo Splat Flexible Tripod 3N1 for $18

+ AmazFit GTS smartwatches, six options, for $90 each

+ reusable masks

+ flash deal: Sachtler Shell Camera Backpack for $96~

+ no teaser for the next flash deal

UPDATE #1: the Friday Best Buy daily deals are headlined by a Razer gaming sale (including mechanical keyboards). There’s also a 1TB WD external USB-C SSD for $140, a 27″ LG IPS FHD monitor for $250 (HDR, DisplayPort), a Samsonite mobile duffe for $70, Rexing dash cams, a $5 wired keypad (could be handy for data entry on laptops without OR with USB OTG dongles on compatible smartphones/tablets), and on and on…

UPDATE #2: at the Woot daily deals they have open-box MacBooks, former-flagship refurbished scatch-n-dent Android phones starting at $60 ($60 = Galaxy S6)… A point of potential consumer confusion in the “Grocery” sub-Woot, the “matcha” they advertise is not matcha. It’s loose leaf tea with matcha sprinkled in. Matcha, by definition, is tea leaves ground to powder and you drink the whole thing. Unlike instant-coffee, (real) matcha does not dissolve (but rather suspends) in water because it’s actual pieces of tea leaf (and not chemical instant coffee that dissolves)…

UPDATE #3: the new incarnation of the Adorama daily deals (change Saturday 10am ET) includes:

+ StabiLens Cinematographer Kit for $120

+ H&A Elite Pro 15′ XLR M to XLR F Microphone Cable with Rean by Neutrik Gold Connectors for $6

Tokina Opera 16-28mm f2.8 for $529 [C/N]

Prepare to sing, prepare for a Night at the Opera at the Adorama daily deals, it is the new condition Tokina Opera 16-28mm f2.8 FX zoom lens going for $529 with free US shipping in your choice of Canon or Nikon DSLR systems… Sale ends on Friday at 10am ET or earlier if sold out…

PS: this is “typo-certified” to be Tokina, not Tamron πŸ™‚

Thursday: refurb Sony Cybershot H300 superzoom for $85

Zoom-zoom at the NewEgg daily deals, good until Thursday 1/21/21 at 11:59pm pacifc time, or earlier if sold out, marketplace seller VIP Outlet is offering the refurbished Sony Cybershot H300 superzoom for $85 with free US shipping. This is sold and shipped by the marketplace seller, not by NewEgg itself…

Thursday: Sigma 10-20/3.5 EX DC HSM for $299 [N], Zeapon, CamCase, Sirui, Elements 2021, Raspberry PI, Etc [UPDATED]

Hooray, hooray, Thirstday is LENS DAY at the B&H daily deals good until 11:59pm ET on Thursday 1/21/21 or earlier for anything that may sell out ahead of its designated expiration time and place…

+ Sigma 10-20mm f3.5 EX DC HSM for $299 in Nikon F only!
+ the Canon EF and Sigma SA remain at regular prices

+ SirUI W-1004 Waterproof Aluminum Alloy Tripod for $100

+ ZeaPon Micro 2 Micro Rail Slider for $150
+ Scott Bakula NOT included

+ CoreSWX TorchLED Bolt 300 On-Camera Light for $150, another option for $399
+ Bolt-On, not to be confused with the infomercial that keeps repeating “apply directly to the forehead”

+ Xcellon 6-in-1 Multiport USB Type-C Docking Station for 10.9, 11 & 12.9″ iPad Air and Pro for $35
+ someone needs to write a summer-y Jimmy Buffet style song called o/~ dongle life o/~

+ CamCase CC5 Mirrorless Camera Case for $119 in two color options
+ the bag is indeed mirrorless, but then almost all bags are mirrorless (unless it’s one of those fashion bags that have a small vanity mirror inside?)

Fresh off the Meh-a-thon, the Thursday Meh daily deal is the Vistatech 2.4GHz Live-Streaming WiFi Video Drone offered for $35. This includes three batteries. It is model DR0N35-0N-4ND-0N. Sounds like a Radio Shack type of a brand name? πŸ™‚

UPDATE #1: it’s name brand electronics at the Thursday Best Buy daily deals including:

+ Adobe Photoshop Elements 2021 for $60
+ 2TB WD EasyStore for $60, 16TB for $300
+ 400GB Sandisk Nintendo microSD for $90Ad
+ Uncharted Supply survival system
+ Acer Predator gaming laptop for $1200
+ b0bsweep robot vacuum thing (also pet toy) for $150

UPDATE #2: the Woot daily deals are headlined by an AmazonBasics luggage sale (20 options, one sold out already, no camera bags), while “Computers” has CanaKit Raspberry PI kits from $50 to $70…

Fuji Instax 210 Instant for $50 (also: 2pk 32GB Lexar CFast 2.0 cards, LG 24″ monitor)

This new incarnation of the Adorama daily deals is all name-brand, and it is good until Thursday at 10am eastern (or earlier if sold out):

+ Fujifilm Instax 210 Instant Photo Camera with Reverse Galilean Style Viewfinder for $50

+ 2pk 32GB Lexar Professional 3500x CFast 2.0 cards for $40
+ if my math is correct, that’s $20 per card πŸ™‚

+ 24″ LG (model 24ML600M-B) 16:9 Full HD IPS 3-Side Borderless Monitor with Dual HDMI for $100

Deal History: List of all 100+ Tuesday Woot-Off deals (for Reference Only)

Now this paragraph is of historic interest. The Tuesday Woot-OFF is OVER. But during the Woot-off on Tuesday there were some technical difficulties. To counter that, for a few hours, Woot launched all the Woot-OFF deals at once. This is a list of 100+ items. If you were always curious to see what items are offered in a Woot-OFF but didn’t want to sit through it throughout the day, this list is a pretty good indicator of what they offer. This was the “Clearance/Sellout” sub-Woot Woot-Off…

Yes, this is the launch of our new “Deal History Channel” πŸ™‚ We’re also planning a “Deal Shark Week” and a “Mega Deal Twilight Zone Marathon” πŸ˜‰

Wedn: Meh-a-Thon, Nanlite, Zhiyun, Manfrotto Nitro, Etc

Countering the Tuesday Woot-Off (more on that in the next post above this), Meh is running its own variant of the Woot-off, a Meh-a-thon at the Meh website. One deal at a time, with a visible countdown clock on it. I have no clue what is in the pipeline, so YMMV…

No flash deals today either, but there are four items in the B&H daily deals for Wednesday 1/20/21 at 11:59pm ET (or earlier if sold out):

+ Nanlite MixPad 27 Tunable RGB Hard and Soft LED Panel for $219

+ Manfrotto 612 Nitrotech Fluid Video Head and Carbon Fiber Twin Leg Tripod with Middle Spreader for $800 after a whooping $500 off in-cart automatic coupon

+ Zhiyun Crane-2 3-Axis Stabilizer with Focus Motor for $359 with FREE Zhiyun-Tech Remote Control for Crane 2

+ Pelican 1637 Air Case (Orange) for $200
+ neither vitamin C nor beta-carotene are in it πŸ˜‰

UPDATE #1: among the Woot daily deals for Wednesday there’s a random accessories sale which includes a variety of self-rings, power banks, and, well, accessories of all kinds πŸ™‚

Woot-OFF Tuesday 8am to 10pm Central

A Woot teaser reveals that on Tuesday 1/19/21 between 8am and 10pm central time there will be another incarnation of the Woot-OFF at the Woot website. The teaser does not indicate which sub-Woots will participate ~ it will be revealed when it goes live on Tuesday at 8am central time…

UPDATE: among the Tuesday Best Buy daily deals is the recurring Joby GorillaPod Creator Kit offered for $50…

UPDATE #2: to the Amazon USA Gold Box we go where they have on sale the Fire HD 8 and HD 10 tablets, but the headliner of today’s deals is the new condition Acer Spin 5 convertible laptop for $840 with up to two per customer at the sale price. This is 13.5″ IPS Touch (2256 x 1504), i0th gen Core i7-1065-G7, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe, backlit keyboard, fingerprint, Active stylus (with Wacom AES 1.0), Wifi 6, promised long battery life, various USB ports (two Thunderbolt 3), microSD card reader, Bluetooth 5, HDMI 2.0, 360-degree dual torque hinge, 2.65 lbs, etc, etc, etc…

Since it’s limit two, you can buy one for yourself and send one to me too πŸ˜‰

UPDATE #3: the latest round of Adorama daily deals is good until Wednesday at 10am eastern:

+ Kodak 10″ Touch Screen Rechargeable Digital Photo Frame Wi-Fi Enabled with HD Photo Display for $120

+ Zendure A2 6700mAh Crush-Proof Portable Charger for $15

Tuesday: Oben, Intel i7, Think Tank, Ziv, Etc

Tuesday is now officially called ToonsDay or TunesDay, or if you have free/available time, you are empowered to watch all the cartoons/anime you want, and listen to all the music you want ~ even Adult AC πŸ˜‰

Meanwhile this round of B&H daily deals is good until Tuesday 1/19/21 at 11:59pm ET or earlier for anything that sells out ahead of time…

+ Oben CTM-2500 5-Section Carbon Fiber Monopod for $65

+ Intel Core i7-8700K 3.7 GHz 6-Core LGA 1151 Processor for $260
+ OR you can buy an Apple M1 computer πŸ™‚
+ funny how things change, especially when you start milking the clock instead of pressing on with innovation; Intel went from having a virtual monopoly to getting owned by AMD/Ryzen, dramatically losing on mobile to Qualcomm/MediaTek/etc, and getting humiliated by the Apple M1 chip

+ Think Tank Video Transport 18 Carry-On Case for $230

+ Impact 5-in-1 Collapsible Oval Reflector with Solid Gold (42×72″) for $50

+ ZIV TTL Cord with Focus Assist for Nikon (Coiled, 3′) for $15

+ SirUI PB-10 Multi-Axial Panoramic Head for $100

Meanwhile at the Adorama daily deals they have Coleman 10×25 Signature Waterproof Roof Prism Binocular offered for $50 with free US shipping… They also have a 50pk of 3-ply single-use masks for $8…

Monday: Nanuk, Mefoto, Acronis, Etc

Our Linguini Experts suggest Monday got its name from the french phrase “Mon Dieu I have to go back to work again”. Disclaimer: the previous sentence has not been fact-checked πŸ™‚

The current round of B&H Photo daily deals is good until 11:59pm ET or earlier if sold out…

+ Nanuk 920 Hard Utility Case with Foam Insert for $80 after automatic $40 off in-cart coupon
+ with purchase, you are contractually obligated to say “Nanu Nanu” Robin Williams style every time you open or close it

+ MeFoto RoadTrip S Travel Tripod in alumin(i)um for $80 in five delightful summer fruit colors

+ Acronis True Image 2021 (1 Windows or Mac License, Download, Standard Perpetual Edition) for $18

+ Dhale 552 Professional Rotary Trimmer (20″) for $129

+ LetsCom ID131Color HR Fitness Tracker for $15 in three color options

+ 50pk 3-ply Kids masks for $5
+ one way to tell how the markets see the ending of COVID (in sight) is the ongoing discounting of masks and other COVIDalia (sanitizers, forehead thermometers, etc)
+ with disposable masks dropping in price, multi-use masks lose favorability because they too have their costs (you have to wash and disinfect them, and that’s not free either ~ costs in terms of water use, power use, time/effort, and detergents)
+ welcome to our new COVID 2021 mini-blog πŸ˜‰

Meanwhile the Adorama daily deals, whose current incarnation ends on Monday at 10am ET features:

+ StabiLens Gimbal Stabilizer Starter Kit, Includes Gimbal Ring, 10x Tungsten Alloy Weights for $80

+ Sirui 82-95mm Nano MC Step-Up ND Filter, 10-Stops for $15

+ Sirui Aluminum Ultra Slim S-Pro Nano MC UV Filter 86mm for $20

+ contrary to popular belief, a Filter CD or a “Hey Man Nice Shot” digital download is NOT included with the purchase of a filter πŸ˜‰

Marumi DHG 37mm Super Circular Polarising Filter for $21

As part of a Woot Plus Leftovers sale that ends on 1/18/21 at 11:59pm central time [or earlier if sold-out], Woot is offering the new condition Marumi DHG 37mm Super Circular Polarising Filter for $21 with up to three per customer. Only this filter-size is available. IT comes with a 90-day Woot warranty…

Single Use Batteries sale (Sony, Fuji, Energizer) [exp 1/31]

If you are fond of single-use batteries from Sony Stamina Plus or Fuji EnviroMAX or Energizer MAX, various sets of various options of these are on sale until 1/31/21 (or earlier if sold out) at this Woot Plus batteries sale. Free shipping for Prime members or flat shipping for non-members…

Sunday: Photoshop Elements 2020 for $32, Etc

It’s party time at the Woot website, they have a sale under “Electronics” featuring five Contixo drones ranging from $55 to $288, plus assorted Contixo items (robot dog, stunt car, remotes)…

But the headliner of photography interest at Woot is under “Computers”, the Adobe Photoshop Elements 2020 (or Premiere Elements 2020) going for $32 each. This is a PC/Mac disk sent by mail. There is NO digital download or email delivery option. Up to ten per customer. This is NOT eligible for an upgrade discount for the 2021 versions per the “Specs” of the product page

Meanwhile at the Best Buy dailies it’s the return of the 6-pack of Insignia (house brand) CR-2032 batteries sold for $7… Of iPad interest, there’s a desk-stand type-thing for the 9.7″ (5th and 6th gen) iPads for $47…

Sunday: Yongnuo Flash, Tripod Collars, Sirui, Tamrac Wheeled

Sunday is here and being Sun-Day it is contractually obligated to be sunny, otherwise you get your money back!

We have a new round of B&H daily deals good until 11:59pm eastern (or earlier if sold out):

+ Yongnuo YN560Li Lithium Speedlite for $48
+ batteries NOT included
+ uses CR18650 Lithium batteries only

+ Vello Tripod Collars for select Canon and Nikon lenses for $30 each

+ SirUI 3T-15 Tabletop Tripod with B-00 Ball Head for $50

+ Tamrac Speedroller Studio M Wheeled Bag for $249
+ NOTE: you can’t fit the whole studio inside, the bathroom and the kitchen have to be packaged separately πŸ˜‰

+ no flash deals today

Meanwhile at the Adorama daily deals [change Sunday 10am ET] they have two offerings:

+ Slik Sprint Pro III BH Travel Tripod with SBH-100 DQ All Metal Ball Head (3.5 lb Capacity) for $55

+ Sirui 105mm Nano MC UV Filter, Aluminum Ring for $35

CLAR Venus 5″ On-Camera RGB LED Light for $79

The current headliner of the Adorama daily deals running until Saturday at 10am ET is the CLAR Venus 5″ On-Camera RGB LED Light going for $79 with free US shipping… The other daily deal is a security camera type thing…

UPDATE: good until Saturday 1/16/21 at 11:59pm pacific time, the NewEgg daily deals include a $50 Adidas gift cad with a bonus $15 Adidas gift card. You pay $50. This is email delivery. ADIDAS of course stands for All Day I Dream About Shutter-speed πŸ™‚

Samsung Trade-In Promotion Offers Up To $700 Credit Towards S21 flagships on select Galaxy, Pixels and iPhones [Cracked Screen Trade-Ins get $150 less]

The official Samsung USA online store is also offering a trade-in promotion for the new Samsung S21 three-headed flagship monster. The maximum you get is $700 with a working screen, or $550 with a cracked screen.

The trade-in credit promotion is stackable with the previously mentioned pre-order bonuses

The trade-in credit depends on which smartphone you trade-in for the S21*. It also has to meet the eligibility requirements (starts up, functions, factory reset, no cracks on screen and lenses, not on a banned list). Please do double-check as I may have made a mistake in the assembly of this list:

$700 trade-in credit

  • Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra
  • Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, S20 Ultra
  • iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 PRO, 12 PRO MAX

$550 trade-in credit

  • Galaxy S20 FE
  • Notes 10, 10 5G, 10 Plus
  • Galaxy S10, S10 5G, S10 Plus, S10e
  • iPhone 11, 11 PRO, 11 MAX, XS, XS MAX

$350 trade-in credit

  • Note 9
  • Galaxy S9, S9 Plus
  • Galaxy A71
  • Pixel 4, 4 XL
  • iPhone 8, 8 Plus, X, XR

$250 trade-in credit

  • Note 8
  • Galaxy S8, S8+, S8 Active
  • iPhone 7, 7 Plus

$200 trade-in credit

  • Galaxy S7, S7 Active, S7 Edge
  • Galaxy A51, A51 5G
  • Pixel 3, 3a, 3 XL, 3a XL
  • iPhone SE, 6S, 6S Plus

Cracked Screen phones are eligible but they usually give you $150 less in trade-in credit for them. The cost-n-profit of fixing/replacing the cracked screen πŸ™‚

Please do check all the details, terms, conditions and restrictions of this promotion. I have not done this type of a promotion before so I don’t have first hand experience to tell you how it works…

Pre-order bonuses with Samsung Galaxy S21* pre-orders

Yesterday, a day after the official “Diet CES 2021” ended, Samsung revealed their new Galaxy S three-headed flagship monster, the S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra [see Footnote #1]. If you missed the live unveiling, you can watch the 88 minute socially-distanced presentation (silver lining, COVID-era pre-recorded presentations start on time)

And as usual, Samsung is running a pre-ordering promotion until January 28 in 2021 with the freebies depending on which model you buy:

+ $100 store credit with the S21
+ $150 store credit with the S21 Plus
+ $200 store credit with the S21 Ultra
+ store credit at the Samsung.com online store and/or the Shop Samsung app

+ when you redeem the store credit at Samsung’s, a Galaxy SmartTag will be included automatically for free during checkout
+ neat trick to “encourage” using the store credit

+ promotion ends 1/28/21

The terms and conditions are a little hard to find and with fineprint at the Samsung website, so I’m cut-n-pasting them here. The terms are as of the time of writing of this blog-post. I do not know if they plan to change them in the future…

“18+ & 50 US/DC/PR/USVI only. By 1/28/21, pre-order and purchase a Samsung Galaxy S21 5G, S21+ 5G, or S21 Ultra 5G on device installment plan, 2-year contract plan, lease or outright purchase at full retail price (β€œQualifying Purchase”), & receive a Samsung Galaxy SmartTag ($30 value) + Samsung Credit either (i) $100 (S21 5G), (ii) $150 (S21+ 5G), or (iii) $200 (S21 Ultra 5G) (β€œGift”). Only available while supplies last. By 2/28/21, using your Qualifying Purchase device, follow instructions on the Shop Samsung app (β€œApp”) to submit required info. Gifts will be emailed apprx 4-6 weeks after verification of Qualifying Purchase. Only 47,000 $100, 37,000 $150, and 47,000 $200 Samsung Credits available. Samsung Credits are valid only at www.Samsung.com or in the App for use towards an eligible purchase, and valid through 4/30/21. Gifts subject to availability and are non-transferrable. Limit 1 Gift per Qualifying Purchase. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Additional restrictions apply. Offer subject to additional terms here. Samsung reserves the right to modify or discontinue offer at any time by posting notice on the app or website”

FootNote #1 once upon a time it was a three-headed monster. With the S20 flagship, it’s actually a five-headed monster because there’s also the “Lite” and the “Fan Edition”. Who knows how many variants we’ll get for the 2021 model? The “Stan” edition? The “Shipper” edition? The “Limited Edition”? The “Insiders” edition? The “Valentine” edition? πŸ˜‰