Nikon Instant Rebates - 35mm f/1.8 for $176!

 Nikon has announced INSTANT REBATES - HUGE savings on lenses, DSLRS and DSLR/Lens Bundles including the new D5500! Rebates end Feb 28, 2015. These rebates come once a year.Savings on DSLRs/Lens Bundles - Shop B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon

Nikon DSLR Savings

Nikon D810 is now $300 off: B&H Photo | Adorama | AmazonNikon D5500 kits are now $200 off: B&H Photo | Adorama | AmazonNikon D5300 kits are now $100 off: B&H Photo | Adorama | AmazonNikon D3300 kits are now $150 off: B&H Photo | Adorama | AmazonComplete line of Nikon DSLR Savings at Adorama

Nikon LENS Savings

Two of my favorite DX lenses:Nikon 35mm f/1.8G DX ($176) B&H Photo  | Adorama | AmazonNikon 40mm f/2.8G DX Macro ($246) B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon (My review of the Nikon 40mm)

Additional Nikon Lens Savings:

Nikon 28mm f/1.8G: $100 off B&H Photo | Adorama | AmazonNikon 35mm f/1.8G: $100 off B&H Photo | Adorama | AmazonNikon 50mm f/1.4G: $85 off B&H Photo | Adorama | AmazonNikon 85mm f/1.8G: $50 off B&H Photo | Adorama | AmazonNikon 85mm f/1.4G: $200 off B&H Photo | Adorama | AmazonNikon 105mm f/2.8G VR Micro: $185 off B&H Photo | Adorama | AmazonNikon 14-24mm f/2.8G: $200 off B&H Photo | Adorama | AmazonNikon 16-35mm f/4G VR: $260 off B&H Photo | Adorama | AmazonNikon 24-70mm f/2.8G: $200 off B&H Photo | Adorama | AmazonNikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G VR: $400 off B&H Photo | Adorama | AmazonNikon 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G DX: $100 off B&H Photo | Adorama | AmazonNikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G DX VRII: $100 off B&H Photo | Adorama | AmazonNikon 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G DX VRII: $100 off B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon

Cheap Photoshop Alternative - Affinity Beta

Affinity has announced a photoshop alternative that costs just $50 and is currently in beta and FREE.

Photoshop and Lightroom present a powerful combination that provides most photographers with everything they need for post processing. However, with Adobe's switch to a subscription based model for Photoshop, some photographers have been looking for alternatives. Personally I think 9.99/mo Lightroom/Photoshop is an excellent deal but I do appreciate that for some the idea of renting software doesn't sit well. There are alternatives - Photoshop Elements, Pixelmator (mac only), GIMP and now Affinity. Affinity is currently in beta and 100% free! Affinity seems to be a strong Photoshop alternative with very friendly RAW editing built-in (similar to Lightroom). I know Photoshop is very capable of working with RAW files but dislike the floating window and I miss my Lightroom panels. Affinity is much more similar to Lightroom in the panel and RAW editing respect.  The program is a serious Beta - meaning it is still missing some functionality and could be a bit buggier than you expect.  Once out of Beta the program will sell for $50 on the Mac Store. No word on a Windows version.  The signup for the Beta program takes just a second and automatically sends you a link to download the program. Sign up here.Affinity's Announcement VideoAffinity Photo Beta Has Landed from MacAffinity on Vimeo. 

Some of the features of Affinity Photo Beta

The New Document dialog feels fresh and smart.  Types of new documents include web, as shown, print, print(press-ready), photo and devices(resolutions optimized for popular mobile screen resolutions) You have several different workspace options, Affinity calls these PersonasThe Develop Persona provides you with Lightroom-like panels for working with RAW images.  At this time you can ONLY work with RAW files in the Develop Persona.RAW File loaded into the Develop PersonaA closer look at all the panels available in the Develop PersonaFeature rich and capable, very similar to the develop module in Lightroom My Thoughts on the Affinity Beta - I Like:

• $50 for a program that feels feature packed and all updates for two years will be free
• Immediately the user interface felt comfortable and at the same time less annoying than Photoshop
• All the tools I use in Photoshop are here and seem to work well- clone stamp, healing brush etc.

I Dislikes:

• No integration with Lightroom. It is very easy for me to take a photo from Lightroom to Photoshop and back. I can also do this with the Nik system from Google but there doesn't seem to be an easy way to get an edited image from Lightroom into this program without exporting from LR?

The signup for the Beta program takes just a second and automatically sends you a link to download the program. Sign up here.

Quick Shot - Photography News

Photo Deals and News - April 10, 2014

A reminder! Enter to win $50 Giftcard from Lumoid.comNikon has announced an updated 18-300 DX lens.  This is almost a 17x zoom. In general I am not a fan of do it all lenses. I recognize that they are extremely convenient but in my opinion and testing you end up making quality sacrifices to get that convenience.  That said - if you plan to just share photos online and you are not going professional anytime soon - the Nikon versions of these do it all lenses are the best of the do it all lenses and the new one promises to be a little lighter and a little sharper.  AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3G ED VR | $896.95 from B&H, Available April 24.Tamron has announced their own super duper do it all lens, the 16-300.  These lenses come just in time for summer holiday travel.  Pricing has not been announced yet- I expect it will be a little cheaper than the Nikon version- UPDATE: $629.00 Canon, Nikon and Sony versions available. PrLensBaby - makers of gimmicky creative DSLR attachements has announced a 5.8mm fisheye for Canon and Nikon. At first glance I'd suggest you are better off with the Bower/Rokinon 8mm fisheye.  No image circle with the 8mm and you save $50.

Sony has announced the a7s - I have written a short post detailing the differences. Christina and I also chat about the 4k capabilities in our latest podcast(up tomorrow). Still waiting to hear from Sony on pricing of the a7s. I will have more to say about the a7 when mine arrives Friday from Lumoid.Nikon has camera/lens rebates this month (ends Apr 26th)- The new D3300 is included in this rebate. Truthfully there are no amazing savings here but all the normal body/lens combos are at least $50 off - D3300, D5300, D7100 are all on the list.B&H will be CLOSED Monday April 14 through Tuesday April 22. -Get your orders in ASAP!Mysteries of the Unseen WorldFilmmaker Louie Schwartzberg bends the boundaries of time and space with high-speed cameras, time lapses and microscopes.  Some neat imagery in this video.