My Review

Originally submitted at Adorama

Excellent Little Camera

By Steve's Fine Finish from Artesia, NM on 2/28/2013

5out of 5

Pros: Waterproof, High Quality, Dropproof

Excellent camera for blogging and e-mail use. Needing a camera i could just throw in the car as needed and always ready to illustrate something I'm blogging. High quality pics and very easy to use as well. Also, being in the VIP program, I get an extra year warranty on this refurbished model. What's not to love?

(legalese)

New & Exciting from Nikon! D7100

 

Available for pre order now:

 

Nikon D7100 DX-format Digital SLR Body, Black - Pre Order $1,196.95

 

Nikon D7100 DX-format Digital SLR Camera with 18-105mm VR Lens $1,596.95

 

The ad copy, detailing the features: 

Meet the new flagship of Nikon's outstanding DX-format HD-SLR line-up: the D7100. Incorporating recent advancements in HD-SLR technology, the D7100 brings a thrilling new level of image quality, speed, connectivity and creative capabilities a specially designed 24.1-megapixel DX-format image sensor, superior low-light performance, ultra-precise autofocus and metering, advanced video recording features, built-in HDR, mobile connectivity and much, much more. Pair it with any of Nikon's superb NIKKOR DX- and FX-format lenses, versatile Speedlights and accessories, and the D7100 will be the centerpiece of your creativity for years to come.

The D7100 marks an exciting advancement in image quality for high-resolution DX-format cameras. Nikon specially designed its 24.1-megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor without using an optical low pass filter (OLPF), resulting in the purest, sharpest images using D7100 DX-format CMOS sensor. Your photos and videos will come alive with brilliant detail and vibrance. Combine that with fantastic ISO performance at both ends of the spectrum down to ISO 100 and up to ISO 6400 the processing speed and intelligence of EXPEED 3 and the extra lens reach of a 1.5x crop factor, and the D7100 is the ultimate tool for those seeking a lightweight DX-format HD-SLR.

When the action speeds up, fire a blazing fast 6 frames per second continuously for up to 100 shots. Building on the acclaimed autofocus system from the D300s, the D7100 uses 51 focus points, including 15 cross-type sensors for detecting both vertical and horizontal contrast variations, to achieve fast, precise focus. The central cross-type sensor works all the way down to f/8, a huge advantage when using compatible teleconverters. At the same time, a highly accurate 2016-pixel RGB sensor evaluates every scene, taking into account brightness, contrast, subject distance and color, for spot-on auto operations like Face-Priority and full-time autofocus during video capture.

The D7100 makes it easy to share your great photos immediately, wherever you are. Connect the optional WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter and instantly transfer shots to a compatible smartphone or tablet, then upload them to the web, send by email or text share them however you like. With Nikon's free Wireless Mobile Utility installed on your smartphone or tablet (available for both Android and iOS), you can also remotely control the D7100. Use your phone or tablet as a Live View monitor to take shots without having the camera in your hands, a huge advantage for everything from self portraits to digiscoping with a Nikon fieldscope.

With full-time autofocus and manual exposure control during video recording, a built-in stereo mic and an external stereo mic jack, headphone and HDMI jacks, the D7100 achieves exceptional cinematic reproduction and quality. Record in several high-definition formats: 1080p at 60i/50i/30/25/24 fps or 720p at up to 60p for ultra-smooth slow-motion sequences. Dual SD card slots give you additional recording time, and an all new 60i function enables smooth playback on HDTVs or external monitors. And, of course, every shot looks great through a NIKKOR lens. Create beautiful background blur with the AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G, or use the AF-S DX NIKKOR 10-24mm for an ultra-wide-angle view that's perfect for establishing shots and working in tight interiors.

Built-in HDR (High Dynamic Range) combines shots taken simultaneously at different exposures into one beautifully rich, high-contrast image. Picture Control gives you instant access to the color characteristics of your images, and spot White Balance control for Live View shooting makes setting the white balance as easy as pointing to the area in the frame that should be white. You can even apply artistic Image Effects to both stills and videos in real-time.

Durable magnesium alloy with moisture and dust resistance protects the camera's internal parts from the elements. A new 3.2-inch ultra-high-resolution 1,229K-dot LCD monitor provides crisp image playback, menu adjustments and Live View shooting, and a new viewfinder with a low-power consumption OLED display element for bright, high contrast data readout and provides approx. 100% frame coverage.

 

 

My Review

Originally submitted at Adorama

An Awesome Program for Warranties

By Steve's Fine Finish from Artesia, New Mexico on 2/19/2013

 

5out of 5

Pros: value, Security, Protection, Easy

Best Uses: Refurbs, Warranty

This was really a no brainer. With my VIP acct, I can extend the warrnty of anything I buy this year with just this one extra warranty purchase. Even refurbished items. So, not only do I get a great value on the refurb, but I also have the longest refurb warranty around (that I know of).

(legalese)

Pinterest

Check out all the photo interest boards on Pinterest.

Lots of neat ideas, tutorials, and art. It's not just a housewife crafts board.

Samsung NX1000 outfit for an amazing price

Look at THIS deal!

Samsung NX1000 and two lenses for $399.00 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The camera is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with an APS-C sized 20.3MP sensor, 20-50 lens, 50-200 lens, flash, battery, charger and cords. Price includes free shipping. 

Remember, if you are an Adorama VIP member, you get an extra year of warranty.

Deal only valid thru February 16th, 2013

Do your research. Make sure a mirrorless camera will fit your style and expectations.

 

A refurb Nikon P&S deal we got

 

For the online business (our blogs, webpages, social media, etc...) I bought a replacement camera for the one we've been using for a couple of years. You may recall that we got our current little P&S Olympus at Staples for no out of pocket, using rewards and rebates from purchases we were making anyways. That was a good deal.

Our new deal comes from Adorama. We decided on the Nikon CoolPix S30 (refurbished). One of the nicest parts of this deal is the warranty extension I got as a VIP customer (see last post). Instead of the regular 90 day refurb warranty, I have a full year and 90 days. 

The camera is nice, too. It's a 10.1MP sensor, which is way more than enough for a point and shoot. I generally set my P&S to 6 to 8MP, just to have more storage capacity on the card. For online use, we don't even need that much.

The camera is waterproof to 3 meters and shockproof from a 1 meter fall. That's a really nice feature, since dropping a small camera can often mean no more pics at all.

Shop around their site, lots of good deals.

Adorama VIP Accounts

Sign up as a customer at Adorama (free, no obligation)

Look for the VIP link

Sign up as a VIP.

This is being offered for free for a very limited time (I have no idea when free offer ends), and will be $149 regular price. VIP customers get extended warranty options at huge discounts, get first (sometimes only) notice of specials and sales, have access to free e-books about photography, 20GB Cloud storage, and other perks... Check out their site to see all the perks.

A couple of examples of perks:

For a one time purchase of $7.95, any new camera I buy at Adorama during a one year time will have a one year extension of the warranty. If I buy 3 cameras during the year from the $7.95 purchase, all three cameras will have the extended warranty added. That can add up to some amazing savings very quickly!

Another offer that came to my account was a video software program for only 1 cent with the purchase of certain video cameras. Now, sure, the video cameras involved are somewhat pricy, but the program doesn't come with any of them, is listed at $499, and retails for over $250 in the real world, so that's a good deal, too!

Enjoy!

March 2013 Shutterbug magazine

Shutterbug magazine's March 2013 issue is a good issue to look at if you have questions about portraits and portrait lighting.

If you don't already subscribe, you might consider it. It's one of the most useful general interest photography magazines out there. It covers subjects from classic cameras and basic techniques to digital processes and useful business practices. 

Even tho I already know a lot about lighting, the articles in the March 2013 issue were both interesting and informative.

Pick one up.