Post-Christmas Sale on Nikon Lenses & Bodies

Post-Christmas Sale on Nikon Nikkor Lenses & DSLR Bodies

Get what you really wanted for Christmas!  The following Nikon gear is ON SALE while supplies last:

LENSES

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR Zoom Lens (USA Warranty)

• Regular Price: $399.99    Sale Price: $329.99     SAVE $70!

Product Details

• Compact 5.5x zoom lens for DX-format D-SLR cameras, with a 35mm equivalent focal length of 82.5-450mm. 
• An excellent choice for travel, landscapes, portraits, and distant subjects. 
• Focuses to 4.6' at every focal length.
• The VR II image stabilization allows you to handhold the your camera at up to 4 shutter speeds slower than would otherwise be possible, assuring dramatically sharper still images and stable video capture. 
• Other features include:  Exclusive Nikon Silent Wave Motor (SWM) for quiet accurate autofocusing, and a rounded 9-blade diaphragm that offers stunning out-of-focus highlights (bokeh). The lens elements have been treated with Nikon's Super Integrated Coating - an optical lens coating process that maximizes light transmission while enhancing clarity and contrast.

Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S ED VR II Zoom Lens (USA)

• Regular Price: $849.99    Sale Price: $779.99     SAVE $70!

Product Details

• Remarkable one-lens solution that delivers 11x zoom versatility, for a picture angle equivalent of a 27-300mm lens in 35mm format. 
• Nikon VR II (Vibration Reduction) image stabilization Vibration Reduction, engineered specifically for each VR Nikkor lens, enables handheld shooting at up to 4 shutter speeds slower than would otherwise be possible.
• Two Extra-low Dispersion (ED) elements offer superior sharpness and color correction by effectively minimizing chromatic aberration, even at wide aperture settings. Three aspherical lens elements Virtually eliminates coma and other aberrations, even at wide apertures. 
• Zoom lock switch Secures lens barrel at its minimum length.
• Other features:  Exclusive Nikon Silent Wave Motor (SWM) for fast, accurate and quiet autofocus; rounded 7-blade diaphragm that renders more natural appearance of out-of-focus image elements; focus to minimum of 20 inches extends versatility.
• Flower-shaped lens hood Included.

DSLR CAMERAS:

 

Nikon D3100 Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm NIKKOR VR Lens

• Regular Price: $599.99    Sale Price: $479.95      

  SAVE $120!

Product Details

• High-resolution 14-megapixel CMOS DX sensor.
• High-quality 3x NIKKOR 18-55mm VR image stabilization zoom lens and intuitive onboard assistance including the learn-as-you grow Guide Mode. 
• Full HD 1080p movies with sound and full-time autofocus. 
• Easily capture the action other cameras miss with a fast start up time, split-second shutter release, 3 frames per second shooting and 11-point autofocus. 
• Capture pictures and make movies in near darkness with an ISO range of 100 to 3200 (expandable to 12800-Hi2). 
• EXPEED 2, Nikon's new image processing engine, assures breathtakingly rich image quality, managing color, contrast, exposure and noise. 
• One-touch Live View and movie recording lets you see the action on the 3-inch monitor and the Scene Recognition System automatically chooses the ideal settings.

Nikon D7000 16.2MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) USA

 

• Regular Price: $1199.99    Sale Price: $895.99     
  

  SAVE $305 !!!

Product Details

• High-resolution16-megapixel DX-format CMOS image sensor and a powerful EXPEED 2 image processing engine. 
• Wide ISO range of 100 to 6400 (expandable to 25,600) and its incredibly low levels of noise.
• 39-point AF and Scene Recognition System using a 2,016-pixel RGB matrix metering sensor. 
• 6 frames-per-second shooting.
• Approx. 100% frame coverage viewfinder.
• Full HD 1080p capture with full-time autofocus and manual exposure. 
• Magnesium alloy covering the top and rear chassis of a compact body, whose sealing has been severely tested against moisture and dust.

 

Holiday Party? Shoot in Black & White!

Holiday Party? Shoot in Black & White!

(And Olympus E-PM2 & OM-D E-M5 Sample Images)

If you're going to a holiday party at a restaurant, bar or in someone's home, you're likely to encounter seriously low light conditions.  Most people end up blasting everybody and everything with a flash, which not only ruins the ambiance, but often leads to less than flattering pictures.  Don't feel like adding strobe effects to the party?  Don't want overly orange or red photos (the result of the color temperature of indoor lights and longer exposures)? Consider going without the flash and shooting in Black and White.

Black and white shooting is great for still life shots.  Olympus PEN E-PM2 with Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 lens, 1/400 sec. at f/1.4, ISO 6400.  Shot in monochrome on camera, some post-processing.

If you were to just raise the camera's ISO to the now-available extremes of 6400 and above, you'll end up with lots of "noise" in your photos.  But by shooting in Black and White, the "noise" is less noticeable, and you'll end up with some classic looking photos.

The trade-off of shooting without the flash is obviously much less sharp photos, but if you play around with various options and settings, you might be pleasantly surprised with the results.

Read on for some tips.

Set to Monochrome . . . or (better yet) Post-Process in Black and White

Option 1:  Set your camera to monochrome.  This is typically fairly easy, a selection under the menu functions of almost all digital cameras.  The various ways of setting this is too broad to list here; if you cannot figure it out, I suggest Googling "setting (camera model) to monochrome." 

Shot in monochrome on camera, some post-processing.  Olympus PEN E-PM2 with Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 lens, 1/60 sec. at f/1.4, ISO 6400. 

By setting the camera to monochrome, you also get the added benefit of using up dramatically less information on your memory cards.  So set your camera to the highest JPEG and RAW settings and fire away.

Option 2:  You can also change color photos to Black and White shots after the fact in iPhoto, Photoshop or other post processing software programs.  The benefit here is that you'll have many more options to choose from when switching to Black and White.

Olympus PEN E-PM2 with Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 lens, 1/160 sec. at f/1.4, ISO 3200.  Shot in color on camera, post-processed to black and white.

For example, you can apply various filters in Photoshop (e.g., go to Image > Adjustments > Black and White, and you can use presets such as blue, green or red filters that produce dramatically different results).  Again, the options available are too numerous to list here, but it is very easy to process images taken in color and changing them to Black and White.

Boost the ISO

Next, bump up the ISO on your camera to a point you might not otherwise go near, such as ISO 6400.  This will allow you to shoot faster shots in low light conditions.

A fun shot in extremely low light conditions.  Shot in monochrome and no post processing.  Olympus PEN E-PM2 with Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 lens, 1/15 sec. at f/1.4, ISO 6400. 

Of course shooting at maximum ISO's will also add a great deal of "noise" to your pictures, which, in color, show up as fine, pixelated colored spots.  Noise is definitely NOT the same thing as grain, which, in film days, added a certain character to photos.  But for the purposes of holiday party photos, make the "noise" act a bit like "grain" by shooting in black and white.  Purists will decry this of course, but most people will love the artistic feel of the black and white shots.

Shoot Wide Open

Set your camera to Aperture Priority (Av mode on Canons and A mode on Nikons and others).  This allows you to select the lowest possible aperture setting, such as f/2.8 or f/3.5 (or, if you're lucky, f/1.4!), which in turn lets the most amount of light into the camera.  The camera will set the speed for you automatically.  Note that any speed less than, say, 1/30 of a second will require a very steady hand on your part, but it is possible to shoot even slower (with other caveats to follow below).

Another good shot given the extremely low light conditions, shot wide open at f/1.4.  Of course the image is a little soft, but it has a great look to it.  Shot in monochrome and no post processing.  Olympus PEN E-PM2 with Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 lens, 1/60 sec. at f/1.4, ISO 6400. 

Setting the widest available aperture also reduces depth of field in your photos, so you get that blurry effect in the background, but also leads to somewhat "soft" focusing.  Black and White photos make such soft focusing much more tolerable, and give photos an artistic touch.

Pick Non-Moving Subjects

Since you're likely to be shooting at relatively slow speeds, you must target non-moving subjects.  People dancing and the like will show up as a blur.  Instead, look around at table settings or people holding drinks and zoom in on their hands, which are likely to move a lot less than their faces!

When you're not using a flash, you can sneak in photos without alerting your subjects.  When shooting at lower speeds, focus on non-moving subjects.  Shot in monochrome and no post processing.  Olympus PEN E-PM2 with Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 lens, 1/50 sec. at f/1.4, ISO 6400. 

If you do get the chance to take some portraits, have your subjects be as still as possible.  Even in these conditions, you may get some relatively sharp and beautiful images . . .

Olympus OM-D E-M5 with Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 lens, 1/15 sec. at f/1.4, ISO 3200.

NYC Christmas Shopping & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 Sample Images

NYC Christmas Shopping & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 Sample Images

We've had a number of people call in or email saying that they wish they could see NYC at Christmas, that decorations at home--and window dressings in particular--must pale in comparison to smaller towns.  While no doubt the case, the competition to see smaller town decorations cannot be anywhere near as fierce as making your way around Rockefeller Center and Saks Fifth Avenue at rush hour.

Although taking pictures in the evening does not necessarily show off the best results a camera can produce, I figured that wandering out with Panasonic's flagship super-zoom, the Lumix DMC-FZ200, along 5th Avenue would at least test its capabilites in low light.  The sample images below confirm to a large degree that the FZ200 delivers very good image quality, better than its peers in the super-zoom category.  It is not surprising, therefore, that DPReview.com gave the Lumix FZ200 its Gold Award rating.

Rockefeller Center & the Tree:  

This perspective doesn't do the Rockefeller Christmas tree justice, but does show how capable the FZ200 is at capturing wide angle shots.  With a 35mm equivalent zoom of 25mm to 600mm, the Lumix FZ200 covers a lot of ground.

Saks Fifth Avenue:

This shot, cropped by approximately 50%, shows one of the benefits of having a fast f/2.8 lens that is constant throughout the zoom range, something that one won't find in competing mega-zooms--and indeed the reason for the price premium on the FZ200.  Although a fair amount of noise is noticeable in the cropped image here, shot at ISO 1600, the Leica lens allows for shooting several stops faster than would be possible with other mega-zooms.

Super-Zoom

This shot was taken across 5th Avenue, with a 35mm equivalent zoom of 500mm, highlighting the capability of the FZ200's zoom. 1/60 sec. at f/4.5, ISO 800.

Reflections

As noted above, the fast, constant aperture f/2.8 lens on the FZ200 allows for shooting at lower ISO's than would otherwise be possible with the slower lenses typically found on bridge cameras.  This was taken at 1/20 sec. at f/2.8 at ISO 800.

Olympus 17mm f/1.8 M.ZUIKO Sample Images

Olympus 17mm f/1.8 M.ZUIKO Sample Images - Taken with Olympus OM-D EM-5

The following sample images were taken with a production version of the not-yet-released Olympus 17mm f/1.8 M.ZUIKO lens.  I only had it in my hands for a few minutes on Monday and mounted it on an Olympus OM-D EM-5.

What a fantastic lens!  Technically it's great:  autofocus is very quick, the 34mm (35mm equivalent) range is great for street shooting (and, in my opinion, is even fine for certain portrait shots), and it is super-solidly built. The all-metal build focuses smoothly, and the Snapshot Focus mechanism allows users to take spontaneous images by setting the focusing point based on a specific distance.

Most importantly, the resulting images are very sharp even wide open, with little apparent aberration.  The large aperture allows for excellent Depth of Field blur, and the bokeh is quite beautiful.

Olympus gave us an ETA of December 15, and we are taking pre-orders now!

Below are several sample images. Please note that due to the limited time I had with the lens, I rushed through many of these shots, shooting most of them wide open at f/1.8, moving too quickly in some cases to lower the ISO. Grain at 800 ISO is therefore user error, my apologies. That said, I'm really impressed and looking forward to getting one!

Fantastic detail and gorgeous colors.  Olympus 17mm f1.8 M.ZUIKO on the Olympus OM-D EM-5, 1/100 sec. at f/1.8, ISO 800.

Despite the 34mm focal distance (35mm equivalent), great for street portraits in my opinion, particularly with the shallow depth of field and great bokeh.  Olympus 17mm f1.8 M.ZUIKO on the Olympus OM-D EM-5, 1/100 sec. at f/2.0, ISO 2000, EV +1/3.

The benefit of using it on the OM-D EM-5:  relatively sharp handheld shots at 1/10 of a second!  Olympus 17mm f1.8 M.ZUIKO on the Olympus OM-D EM-5, 1/10 sec. at f/4.5, ISO 400, cropped 50%.

Shot wide open at f/1.8 with two men walking towards me, so not expecting them to be tack sharp, or even in focus--but they almost are thanks to the quick focusing of the lens and the OM-D EM-5. I liked the glow coming off the hot dog stand. Cropped approximately 30%.  1/160 sec. at f/1.8, ISO 800.

Of course this lens is absolutely perfect for street shooting.  Olympus 17mm f1.8 M.ZUIKO on the Olympus OM-D EM-5, 1/100 sec. at f/1.8, ISO 2000.

Olympus PEN Instant Rebates Available Now

Olympus PEN Instant Rebates

Available Now through December 24 . . . While Supplies Last!

If you've been dreaming of getting the OM-D, 
now's the time to buy!

Olympus OM-D EM-5

• 100% field-of-view electronic viewfinder 
• 16 megapixel live-MOS sensor & TruePic VI image processor & world class M.ZUIKO lenses for amazing image quality
•  The world's fastest autofocus system & 9 FPS high-speed sequential shooting
• 5-axis image stabilization built into the body
• Tilting 3-inch OLED touchscreen
• Dust- and Splash-proof construction

OM-D EM-5 Body Only:  

Regular Price:  $999.99.  Rebate:  $50  Price After Instant Rebate:  $949.00

OM-D EM-5 Body with 14-42mm lens:
 

Regular Price:  $1099.99.  Rebate:  $50  Price After Instant Rebate:  $1049.00

OM-D EM-5 Body with 12-50mm lens:

Regular Price:  $1299.99.  Rebate:  $100  Price After Instant Rebate:  $1199.00
 

Olympus E-PL5

•  The same 16 megapixel live-MOS sensor & TruePic VI image processor as found in the top-of-the-line OM-D EM-5
• World class M.ZUIKO lenses for amazing image quality
• Articulating one-touch shutter controlling 3" LED screen   
• 8 frames per second sequential shooting
• In-body image stabilization as with the OM-D EM-5

Olympus E-PL5 Body Only:

 
Regular Price:  $699.99.  Rebate:  $100  Price After Instant Rebate:  $599.00

Olympus E-PL5 Body & 14-42mm Lens

Regular Price:  $799.99.  Rebate:  $100  Price After Instant Rebate:  $699.00