Pre-order new Sony FE 16-35/2.8 and 12-24/4 Lenses

Sony has embraced the smartphone flagship pre-ordering model for their camera gear, where the pre-orders start a few days after the announcement. So starting today, you can pre-order their two new constant aperture FE lenses as follows:

+ Sony FE 12-24mm f4 G for $1700
+ July 31 release estimate

+ Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM for $2200
+ August 31 release estimate

Keep in mind, estimates are only estimates and are subject to change as various factors known and unknown can affect their release and delivery.

Pre-order new Olympus TG-5 Elementproof and Underwater Housing

If you are a fan of elementproof cameras and ones that have an official underwater housing, Olympus has announced the new Tough TG-5 and its accompanying underwater housing, available for pre-order as follows:

+ TG-5 Camera for $450 at Adorama and Amazon itself

+ Olympus Underwater Housing PT-058 for $300 at Amazon itself and Adorama

Pre-order new Element 4K Fire TV Edition HDTVs

If you are a fan of the Amazon ecosystem, you can now place pre-orders for brand new Elements 4K HDTVs with Fire TV built-in (aka Fire TV editions) in 43, 50, 55, and 65 inch sizes, with prices ranging from $450 to $900. Many of them also have a bundle with a free HDTV antenna. The Sound Bar bundles go for more. The shipping estimate is mid-June 2017. Detailed pictures of the TV and remove further down the product pages.

Of photography interest, FireTV has a handful of photo-related apps, including Smugmug, VLC, and a variety of gateway apps by 3rd-parties that offer access to Flickr, Google Photos, OneDrive, file managers, along other mirror/casting apps.

(GONE!?!?!) Pre-order Samsung Chromebook PRO (Intel processor) for $550

As of 5/16/17, the pre-orders disappeared earlier in the day, and now the page itself has been removed, it is a 404 page…

[Read more…]

Pre-order TWO new Amazon Echo Show devices for $360 total (or One for $230)

If you are part of the Amazon ecosystem, their brand new “Amazon Echo Show”, the one with a 7-inch touchscreen built-in, is now available for pre-order at Amazon for $230.

But if you are sold on the Echo/Alexa ecosystem, you can pre-order two of them and use coupon code SHOW2PACK to get $100 off. So it is $460 – $100 = $360. Essentially it is a “Buy One, Get a Second one for $130 more”.

The shipping estimate is late June 2017.

Speaking of Amazon, they are offering the Lord of the Rings: Theatrical Trilogy on BluRay for $10 total (three movies). Limit three sets per customer.

PS: I am trying to figure out how to do the on-going Amazon deals without having a daily bloat appended to the end of the Lightning Deals post. I am leaning towards having a separate permapost (done in the fashion of the Stock Status Tracker that gets frequently updated). Please feel free to opine on this in the comments or use the online contact form or le twitter.

Pre-order new Surface Laptop starting at $999

Today’s Microsoft big event launched “Windows 10 S” (Windows RT reborn in the shadow of ChromeOS), and a brand new Surface Laptop that comes with Windows 10 S out of the box (but upgreable to Windows 10 PRO for $$$). The Surface Laptop is going after the MacBooks, with prices starting at $999 and pre-orders and custom configurations available at the official Microsoft Store. It is expected to begin shipping mid-June 2017.

Customization is in the processor (i5 or i7), RAM (4GB to 16GB), on-board storage (128GB to 512GB SSD), graphics card (Intel HD 620 or Iris Plus 640) and color (four options). Some of the options are interlinked, so you can’t get every combination. It is also compatible with some of the Surface accessories, making it more of a system play if you are already part of the Surface ecosystem (Surface Dial, Surface Dock, etc).

The screen is a 13.5-inch with 2256 x 1504 (201 PPI) resolution, a 3:2, with Gorilla Glass. It is compatible with the Surface Pen, however a Surface Pen is NOT included, despite the $1000 starting price 🙁 It has a full size USB 3.0 port, but not SD card reader built-in. With a renewed focus on education, it will be interesting to see whether Adobe and other photo/imaging software companies will be more motivated to put more of their software in the Windows store. Battery life promises up to 14.5 hours of video playback. It can connect to a 4K monitor using the built-in Mini Display Port.

So there are some things going for it in terms of photography-related use. It’s obviously not a mobile workstation, but for people who need a sleek and modern-looking laptop with a long battery life and access to the Surface ecosystem, this might be of interest (as long as the software options work out for your needs).

If you need some semi-funny (maybe) entertainment, I was live-tweeting / live-trolling the announcement on Twitter 🙂

Become an EchoLookographer with new Amazon Echo Look with LED Lighting and Standard Tripod Socket

Now you can take photography to the next (lower) level with the new Amazon Echo Look device. It is like an Echo, but with a camera! It has built-LED lighting and a standard tripod socket, along with AI that evaluates your fashion (bad enough we have to deal with the humans, now machines will be trolling our fashion choices). The price is $200 at Amazon’s website but you cannot pre-order it yet. It is by invitation only at the moment, so request an invitation if interested.

I requested an invitation for blog-testing purposes, and I almost immediately got an automated email from Amazon with this body of text:

Pre-order new Fuji Square SQ10 Instant for $280

Smartphones can cannibalize entry-level P&S digital cameras, but they can’t do that to instant film cameras, which continue to thrive! Case in point, Fuji has a new square format instant camera (that is also a digital hybrid), the Square SQ10, and it is available for pre-order for $280 at B&H Photo for $280. The digital part is a 1/4″ CMOS sensor that produces 1920 x 1920 digital stills.

Pre-order Sony a9 and Grip and 100-400mm Master lens

The new Sony a9 flagship full frame camera along with the new 100-400 Master lens are now available for pre-order, as Sony has gone into an smartphone-esque two-phase announcement. They are pre-orderable as follows:

+ Sony a9 for $4500 at B&H Photo and Amazon itself and Adorama

+ Sony VG-C3EM Vertical Grip for Alpha a9 for $350 at Adorama and Amazon itself and B&H Photo

+ Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5–5.6 GM OSS for $2500 at Amazon itself and Adorama and B&H Photo

There’s also a few more pro-caliber accessories coming along with the a9, the Sony HVL-F45RM Compact, Radio-Controlled Gn 45 Camera Flash with 1″ Display for $400, and the Sony NPAMQZ1K Multi Battery Adaptor Kit also for $400.

The release estimate for the a9 and accessories is May 25-26 in 2017. The 100-400 lens has a late July release estimate. As usual, there is a YMMV to the estimate, especially since these are flagship/pro gear that are not made in mass-market fashion.

The a9 announcement gave the Mirrorless cameras the lead, they are leading DSLRs 6-5 in 2017. It’s starting to look like a hockey game score 🙂

Pre-order Panasonic ZS70 (30x) for $450

Superzoom with RAW action now, Panasonic’s new ZS70 (not to be confused with the good old FZ70 superzoom), with a 1/2.3″ MOS 20mp sensor and 30x optical zoom, and RAW is on now available for pre-order, in two color schemes, for $450 at Adorama and Amazon itself and B&H Photo. As usual, the early adopters pay the “having it first” tax, but time will eventually erode the price.

Speaking of superzooms and eroding prices, the Panasonic FZ70 is on sale for $250 by Amazon itself (limit three per customer).

The new ZS70 has been added to the New Cameras of 2017 Tracker. Only serious P&S cameras are added there. RAW is a litmus test ~ among others 🙂

Pre-order Sennheiser MKE2 Elements Microphone for GoPro HERO4

For GoPRO HERO4 action camera users, there is a new Sennheiser MKE2 Elements Microphone available for pre-order for $200 at B&H Photo. You won’t wait long for this, the shipping estimate is next week.

Pre-orders on Friday: Sony a9 for $4500

Canon and Nikon are no longer the only ones with used-car-priced full frame flagship cameras. Sony is joining the fray with the new Sony a9 full frame E-mount flagship, with a flagship price of $4500. Pre-orders will begin on Friday 4/21/17, so considerate of Sony to let people enjoy the holidays the days before and after. Preorders will begin at 10am ET on Friday at B&H Photo.

For more on the camera, B&H has a 1-hour video of the announcement, along with a live blog.

Also coming along with the PRO camera is a new Master series lens, the FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS E-Mount with a price of $2500, and pre-orders opening on Friday.

This new camera now gives mirrorless cameras the lead in 2017, they are “winning” over DSLRs in a penalty shoot-out at 6-5. You can see them all at the New Cameras of 2017 page.

Canon 35mm f2.8 IS STM EF-S Gets A Price – And Available For Pre-Order Now!

The new Canon 35mm f2.8 IS STM EF-S (yes, the one with the built-in macro lite/light) now has a price! You can now pre-order it for $350 at Amazon by Amazon itself and B&H Photo and Adorama. The release estimate at the moment is June 10 (2017), which is not that far off, when you consider that Game Of Thrones Season 7 will arrive a month AFTER this lens is released 🙂

The built-in light also raises an interesting question, could we be heading into a “smartphonization” of lenses? It would certainly help manufacturers with more sales as lenses would have to be upgraded much faster than previous decades 🙂

Pre-order new Nikon D7500 for $1250

Nikon has a new APS-C dSLR in the popular D7XX series, the new D7500 is now available for pre-order for $1250 as body only or $1750 with the 18-140mm DX VR lens at Amazon by Amazon itself. No shipping estimate yet.

This was added to the Cameras of 2017 Tracking page where the DSLRs have now scored an equalizer goal, making it DSLRs vs Mirrorless 5-5.

Pre-order new 32-inch LG 32UD99-W 4K UHD IPS for $999

LG is busy this time of the year, in addition to rolling out their LG6 flagship phone with a big installment promotion deal at Sprint, they are now offering their new flagship computer monitor for pre-order for $999. The 32-inch LG 32UD99-W has 4K UHD (3840 x 2160), IPS, HDR-10 For PC, DCI-P3 95% Color Standard, FreeSync support, and various connectors. It has a “1 to 4 weeks” shipping estimate at Amazon by Amazon itself.

No pre-orders yet: Canon 35mm f2.8 IS STM EF-S

Stabilized macro time now, Canon revealed the new 35mm f2.8 IS STM EF-S (APS-C) lens but pre-orders for it are not available. Nevertheless the lens has a product page up and running at B&H Photo with some details and an option to get notified by email when it’s available for pre-order/purchase.

PS: this too has been added to the 2017 Tracking page of major/interesting new cameras and lenses (NOTE: these trackers are no longer comprehensive of every single P&S camera and clone lens).

Pre-order new Canon SX730 HS superzoom (40x) for $399

Superzooms are alive and kicking, partly because neither smartphones nor DSLRs/iLCs can offer the crazy zoom ratios of smaller-sensor fixed lens cameras. Which brings us to a new 40x optical zoom model revealed by Canon, the Powershot SX730 HS with a 20mp 1/2.3″ sensor, available for pre-order at B&H Photo for $399 with free expedited shipping in silver or in black, but not in Las Vegas Raiders silver-and-black 🙂

Pre-order Zeiss Batis 135mm f2.8 (E) for $1999

Another new 135mm ens, this time it is a pre-order, you can pre-order the Zeiss Batis 135mm f2.8 for the Sony E-mount for $1999 at B&H Photo. The price may be $1999 but you don’t get a boxed set of “Space 1999” 🙂

Ships tomorrow: Unlocked Sony Xperia XZs for $699

The new Sony Xperia XZs Android smartphone with its 19mp stacked Exmor RS Motion Eye sensor and 960fps slow motion capture is scheduled to start shipping tomorrow (April 5). It is available for outright purchase, no contract, no preconditions, no installment plans, unlocked with USA warranty for $699 in three color options by Amazon itself. It takes microSD cards (up to 256GB), has 4GB RAM, 64GB on-board, 5.2″ 1080p screen, Snapdragon 820, IP68 waterproofness, dual nano SIM, Android 7.1, etc.

Speaking of unlocked smartphones, Amazon has launched a new featured Unlocked Smartphone sale featuring various models including ASUS Zenphone Zoom, Sony XA, and more.

Pre-order new FotoPro Tripods (14 options, $60 to $299)

If you are a boldly-going tripod early adopter, a new line of FotoPro brand tripods are available for pre-order at Adorama. Fourteen different options are available, with prices ranging from $60 to $299. Actually, 13 tripods and one quick-extend monopod with legs.

Pre-order Sigma 100-400mm f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary for $799 [C/N/Si]

If you want to be among the first wave to get the new Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens, it is now availble for pre-ordering for $799 with free expedited shipping at B&H Photo in the Canon, Nikon and Shiguma DSLR systems.

$150 Gift Card and Gear VR Controller with Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ pre-orders

Sam’s Club is offering two freebies when you pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S8 or S8+. You have to follow the steps and the deadlines and requirements of each promotion. Freebie #1 is “Gear VR with Controller” to be sent to you later on by mail. You have to submit your information after purchase at the Samsung promotions website, and then they will mail you the Gear VR. Freebie #2 is a $150 Sam’s Club gift card. To redeem this, you must pick-up and activate your phone at a Sam’s Club store between April 21-30 in 2017. Activations are free April 21-23. Check their website for more details.

Pre-order new Fuji Instax Mini 9 instant camera for $69

Instant cameras continue to survive and advance, partly as a counter-culture to the abundance of digital photography, and Fuji is taking advantage of this by continuing to develop their Instax line of products. Their new Instax Mini 9 instant camera is now available for pre-order for $69 with free shipping, in five pastel-y color-schemes at Amazon by Amazon itself.

Heads Up: Panasonic GH5 Live Discussion Panel (and $100 gift card with Filmmaker kit)

To celebrate the upcoming release of the new Panasonic GH5, B&H Photo is planning a GH5 Live Stream Discussion Panel on Wednesday 3/29/17 1pm Eastern time. The timing is good, because it’s two hours after the Samsung Unpacked live-streaming event that will reveal the Galaxy S8 flagships.

As part of the festivities of the GH5 event, B&H Photo is bundling a $100 B&H Photo gift card with pre-orders of the GH5 Film Maker’s Kit for $2870. This kit goes for $870 more than the standard GH5 kit and includes four Panasonic accessories (official Battery Grip, DMW-XLR1 XLR Microphone Adapter, AC adapter, DC coupler), along with the $100 gift card.

New Canon Two-Lens Bundle coming

Camera manufacturers have “(re)discovered” bundling! Canon has a brand new lens bundle, one prime, one zoom, and they are offered together, the 50mm f1.4 and the 17-40mm f4L, available for pre-order at B&H Photo for $1200. This however is NOT a good price as it stands, because the lenses can be purchased individually $330 (50mm f1.4) and $750 (17-40mm f4L). I suspect the bundle price will be adjusted when it gets closer to release, because $1200 is the list price of each lens before the seasonal “instant savings” promotions.

Pre-order new Dell UltraSharp 32 8K Monitor for $5K

And now a pre-order everyone has been waiting for 🙂 Dell Home is accepting pre-orders for the pixel-peepers wildest dream, the Dell UltraSharp 32 8K Monitor, model UP3218K. The pre-order price is $5000 with an April 17 shipping estimate.

This has 7680 x 4320 resolution, 100% AdobeRGB, 100% sRGB, 100% Rec. 709, 98% DCI-P3, a variety of ports and features and things of that nature. That means you can pixel-peep a 32-megapixel image on the screen at 1:1 🙂

Pre-order new iPads ($319 to $549) with $10 discount and 5% rewards

Now that we mentioned an Android device, the Fairness Doctrine dictates that we must needs also mention an iOS device. Which is handy, because B&H Photo is not only accepting new iPad pre-orders, they are also offering a $10 off discount and more importantly 5% promotional rewards on the purchase price. The promotional rewards can be used on future B&H purchases. With a price range of $319 to $549, the promotional rewards range from $16~ to $27~.

There are two storage options, 32GB for $319, and 128GB for $419. The 4G LTE versions cost $130 more than their Wifi-only storage counterparts as usual. Sadly this has no easily distinguishable name, it’s just “the new iPad”. Of photo interest, the 9.7-inch screen has a 2048 x 1536 resolution (4:3~).

Cameraphones: Up to three freebies with pre-order of LG G6 on Verizon

The new LG G6 flagship is doing a lot better review-wise than its modular predecessor, the LG G5. If you have read the G6 reviews, checked the camera samples and comparisons, and you don’t want to wait to see what Samsung has to …unpack with their …explosive presentation of the Galaxy S8 next week, there are various LG G6 pre-order promotions at Verizon Wireless.

If you are a brand new customer to Verizon, and willing to trade-in a qualifying phone (they have a list), and port your old number over, and sign-up for eligible plans and promotions, you can get all three freebies. If not, you can get one or two of the freebies. Each freebie has its own preconditions, requirements, and deadlines. The three freebies are: 1) free 43″ LG HDTV offered through Verizon Rebates, 2) free Google Home offered through LG’s launch promotions, 3) $200 Trade-In bill credit distributed over 24 months. Be sure to read through the terms/conditions of each promotion and ask their CSRs questions if you are not certain or familiar with their promo-speak. More details on their promotions page.

Pre-order Sigma 135mm f1.8 DG HSM IF ART Lens for $1399 (C/N/Si)

The new Sigma 135mm f1.8 DG HSM IF ART Lens is now available for pre-order for $1399 with free expedited shipping (when it releases) at Adorama in Canon (will ship first in early April 2017) and in Nikon and in Sigma SLR systems.

(ENDED) Pre-order discount: DJI Mavic Pro for $958

This ended, it’s back to $1000… It’s a pre-order discount! The DJI Mavic Pro is estimated to be released March 20, 2017, but as of the time of writing, you can pre-order it for $958~ instead of $1000 at Amazon by Amazon itself. It looks like it might be an automated price-match of a 3rd-party seller offering. The Deluxe bundles also “rhymes” with this price, it is $1258~.