Photographer's Corner - equipment

[RonBoyd]

I am not an Apple user but I'm guessing that Adobe Photoshop Lightroom has set a pretty high hurdle. This is not going to be an easy sell for Apple.

[explanade]

Photos is a basic product. Not really for DSLRs, though it supports Apple's RAW processor.

I think it's more for photo libraries captured with iPhones and shared on iCloud.

It would make more sense if it supported alternate media types like the time-lapse and slow-mo videos that iPhones now can capture.

[photoguy]

I have no plans to switch my main library over from lightroom although I might use it for my personal snaps of friends/family. I was just wondering if there was anything people found interesting about Photos.

[Rustic23]

Yep it sure could be....and by George it is😄 so far great pics. Really like the wifi to ipad.


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[RonBoyd]

An argument for software updates:

Quote:

In honor of the 25th anniversary of Adobe Photoshop, CreativeLive asked 8 Photoshop experts to try their hand at Photoshop 1.0. Big thanks to Dave Cross, Jared Platt, Ben Willmore, Chris Orwig, Julieanne Kost, Aaron Nace, Tim Grey, Matt Kloskowski, and Jason Hoppe!

Your Favorite Photoshop Experts Open Photoshop 1.0

[Walt34]

Yup, that is a good argument for software updates!

[RonBoyd]

Handy Website Lets You Check Amazon Prices Around The World For Better Deals On Photo Gear

Quote:

Okay, you technically can search for the price of any Amazon product, not just photo gear. So, should you feel compelled to see if you can find better price on toilet paper by having it shipped to you from a foreign country, I suppose you are free to do so, but we’re just going to stick to the fun stuff for now, you know, like cameras and lenses. I noticed a post on Facebook recently by a UK based photographer who was able to save £75 on a Sony A6000. Had he purchased the camera from Amazon.co.uk it would have cost him £449. After he did a little investigating, he discovered he could purchase the same camera for £374 by ordering it from Amazon.de and taking advantage of Amazon’s free shipping. Depending on what product you’re looking at and where you are located in the world, you could find savings well into the hundred’s of dollars using the same method of researching all of the different Amazon sites. This is where the Amazon Global Product Price Check comes in. All you have to do is cruise around the Amazon site you would normally use in your location, once you have found what you’re looking for, copy the ASIN number and paste it into the Global Price Check tool.

[explanade]

Would you import photo gear?

There are sellers of gray market goods. You can save hundreds but is it worth not being able to repair through the official distributor?

[Walt34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by explanade There are sellers of gray market goods. You can save hundreds but is it worth not being able to repair through the official distributor?

That was my first thought too. Maybe for cheaper stuff but then the savings aren't worth the hassle of not being able to do a simple return.

For something the price of a new DSLR or high-end lens, no way.

[RonBoyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by explanade Would you import photo gear? There are sellers of gray market goods. You can save hundreds but is it worth not being able to repair through the official distributor?

My suggestion would be to do your due diligence -- for instance, check the Return policy of the particular Amazon entity prior to committing. This for, for example, is the Amazon.com policy:

Quote:

Amazon.com Return Policy Items shipped from Amazon.com, including Warehouse Deals, can be returned within 30 days of receipt of shipment in most cases. Some products have different policies or requirements associated with them. Seller Return Policy When you order from a seller that fulfills and ships its own inventory (also called a third party seller), your return will be sent back to the seller instead of Amazon.com. While most sellers offer a returns policy equivalent to Amazon.com's, some seller returns policies may vary. After you select your order in the Online Returns CenterOnline Returns Center (https://www.amazon.com/returns), you can view the seller's return policy. Third party sellers must either provide a return address within the United States or pay for return shipping to an international address. If a seller does not provide a return address in the United States or free return shipping to an international address, you may file an A-to-z Guarantee claim to seek help with your return. If the order is valued at $100 or more, insure the shipment for the value of the merchandise and ship your return with a signature shipping service. Items valued at over $75 must be returned to the seller with a trackable shipping service. For items below $75, we suggest USPS delivery confirmation service. If a package doesn't arrive and you don't use a trackable method to return or if you refuse the shipment as a method of return, we may not be able to cover you under the A-to-Z Guarantee.

Amazon has always been very good to me in this area. I will, however, admit that I have very limited experience with out-of-country purchases (albeit a few).

[explanade]

Well these sellers of gray market good would be offering store warranty. So the question is how long the store will be in business.

The one example I see is Abe's of Maine, which I remember from long time ago, before the web, when they advertised in the back of photography magazines, like 47th Street Photo used to.

The savings do make it tempting but these days, you see new cameras having to be repaired for this or that issue.

[RonBoyd]

Explanade, I fully support your position. I was just saying that that you shouldn't let a few bad guys ruin your day. In other words, I kinda trust Amazon to police the market... they have too much to lose. But I agree; bottom line is we, as individuals, bear the responsibility and risk involved in pursuing these savings. (I guess that describes every other transaction we may make, domestic or otherwise.)

[photoguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonBoyd Handy Website Lets You Check Amazon Prices Around The World For Better Deals On Photo Gear

Are there any other countries that are actually cheaper than the U.S.? I remember people on camera forums complaining that they could fly to New York to buy their camera/lenses and still save money.

Cameras and lenses break frequently enough that I wouldn't want the hassle, but I can see importing something like a filter.


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[ItDontMeanAThing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by photoguy Are there any other countries that are actually cheaper than the U.S.? I remember people on camera forums complaining that they could fly to New York to buy their camera/lenses and still save money.

A few months ago on a micro four thirds forum, members posted prices for the Oly OMD EM5 in their country. The major US online photo stores had the lowest prices. Some countries were so high that planning a trip around photo equipment purchases made sense. This was before Oly ended their worldwide warranty.

[photoguy]

I tried RonBoyd's link for a few cameras. I think the service must have some linking/scraping issues because the Canon 6D only show a price for the US. The Nikon D810 is $50 cheaper in Italy although this might be unusually low due to the Euro price.

One thing that would be cool is if they did a search ahead of time and listed all the photo gear with biggest price differentials.

[explanade]

I think Hong Kong would have no sales taxes.

If it's cheaper in Italy, that includes a 20% VAT so that would be real cheap.

Of course getting to these places adds a lot of cost.

[walkinwood]

I've seen a few new camera models that don't have the low-pass (anti-alias) filter. Have you used one? For an enthusiast/hobbyist, is there a big difference?

I've read the articles on them, but wanted to get some feedback from this community.

I'm thinking of upgrading my camera body (XSi / 450) to the Canon T6s and it has the low pass filter.

[Walt34]

I understand the new Nikon D7200 doesn't have the filter either. I haven't read any reviews on it yet since it'll be at least a year before I start thinking about buying one.

[ampeep]

Am totally lost when it comes to current photo equipment, although my wife has a Panasonic ZS6 Lumix.

I still have a Minolta SRT-101, with zoom lenses, flash units & filters. Seems as though some lenses could be usable by using adapters, but it seems like it's not worth the hassle. Getting ready to take these to Goodwill as part of a decluttering program.

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampeep Am totally lost when it comes to current photo equipment, although my wife has a Panasonic ZS6 Lumix. I still have a Minolta SRT-101, with zoom lenses, flash units & filters. Seems as though some lenses could be usable by using adapters, but it seems like it's not worth the hassle. Getting ready to take these to Goodwill as part of a decluttering program.

I am not sure of this, but Sony bought Minolta in order to get into the DSLR business. So, they might make adaptors that will allow you to use old Minolta lenses on new Sony bodies. Of course, there won't be much automation, but you never had that anyway.