Tag: Amazon

Recommended Book for Photographing D.C.

On By Mark DoddIn General Blog Post, Reviews, Tips, Washington DCLeave a comment

Book Recommendation Snap D.C. by Angela B. Pan

I would recommend reading it through as it is a quick and easy read. Once you have read it in its entirety I’m sure you will start planning your D.C. photography trips and use this book as a reference guide for your trip and future trips to D.C.

Angela goes over the locations she recommends in the National Mall area, but also includes some lessor know locations near the National Mall that are great photo opportunities. Even has a few that are just outside of the D.C. area.

She includes transportation information, the best time to shoot at the location, some of her photography from that location, and imparts some local knowledge of the area.

If you are planning a photography trip to Washington D.C. and want to know the best times to go to a location, how to get there, and how to get a different photo that everyone else in D.C. then this book is for you.

 

Currently sold only through Amazon. You can get your Kindle or Paperback

 

Get your copy of SnapDC

 

Image of the Day

Here is an image that I took of the Cherry Trees using one of the tip locations she mentions in the book.

 

 

#SnapDC #amazon #affiliate #book #washingtonDC

 

light tent

Review of the LimoStudio 16″ x 16″ Table Top Photo Photography Studio Lighting Light Tent Kit in a Box

On By Mark DoddIn ReviewsLeave a comment

The LimoStudio 16″ x 16″ Table Top Photo Photography Studio Lighting Light Tent Kit in a Box,  Model AGG349

 

I was looking for a way to photography items that I am posting on eBay and didn’t want to spend a lot of money to get a professional lightbox. This item fits the budget coming in at around $40.

 

The kit comes with everything you need for photographing smaller items.

 

This is what comes with this light tent:

  • Contents: 1 x Mini Stand Tripod / 1 x White Photo-shooting Tent, 16-inch Cubic with Color Backdrops / 2 x Table Top LED Light / 1 x Cellphone Clip Holder
  • Red, black, blue, white backdrop fabrics included
  • LED light stand specifications: 5500 Kelvin / 600 Lumen / 120° Beaming Angle / Maximum Height, 9.5-inch
  • Table Top Mini Camera Stand: Height adjustable with max 8-inch tall / 1/4-inch standard screw tip
  • Cellphone clip holder is compatible with any smartphones

 

The kit folds down flat

It as two pockets the outside in which you can store the lights and the tripod with the clip. The extra backdrops to not fit in the pockets, but you can put them under the straps or just carry them separately.

 

Light Tent Folded

 

Here is the light tent all set up on my table and ready to start.

It is easy to unfold and put together. The top is attached to the side with a velcro strip. Not really shown in this picture, but the side may not lay exactly flat against the surface you place this on but does not hinder taking pictures in any way.

Light Tent Setup

 

The two lights have built-in tripod legs that will folder up into the light base for storage. Each light has its own on/off switch and is easily movable to get the angle that you need

One note not on the description on Amazon, but indicated in the manual that came with the product is that you should not use the lights for more than an hour at a time.

The phone tripod and clip are very basic but work for most phones. You will likely have to tighten the adjustment screw a few times as it not the best at staying tight especially if you angle your phone. You don’t have to use the tripod setup as the scene will be bright enough for you to handhold your phone or camera to take the picture.

 

Here is a sample image

I took this with my iPod and is the item shown above in the light tent. This is straight out of the iPod before any adjustments that need to be made. But for the most part, no adjustments other than cropping and maybe a little shadow boosting.

Light Tent Sample image

 

Stock view of the panels included.

They are what I call fake felt panels that have velcro attached to one end so you can attach them to the back of the Light Tent. Due to the material, the one drawback of these panels is that they like to collect dust. So try to use this product in a dust free environment. If they do get dusty, your standard lint roller will clean the backdrops just fine.

Light tent stock view of panels

 

In summary:

For the price, I couldn’t ask for anything more. The lights are bright and you have a selection of the three colors as backgrounds that look good for most objects.

 

You can get this item from Amazon
 


#amazon #affiliate #lighttent #Review

My New Camera Arrived – FujiFilm X-T2

On By Mark DoddIn General Blog PostLeave a comment

My FujiFilm X-T2 arrived today from Amazon Warehouse.

 

Fujifilm X-T2

Check current new pricing: Amazon|Adoroma

 

My trusty Nikon 80 is starting to show its age. It has served me well and will continue to do so as my backup camera. But I have been looking for a new camera for some time now. I checking out upgrading to another cropped sensor Nikon and even the Full Frame Nikons. Then I started seeing more and more folks including my photography friends using mirrorless cameras so I started to check those out as well.  I finally narrowed down my choices to a Nikon D7200 as the full frame Nikons are just out of my budget right now. And even though I really wanted a full Frame Sony mirrorless camera, again it was out of the budget. So I decided to get the FujiFilm X-T1, but then they announced the X-T2 model but it was just on the edge of my budget range for a new camera.

I’m always looking for the best deals to get the best bang for my buck, so when I started looking for my final choice of a Fujifilm X-T2 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 18-55mm F2.8-4.0 R LM OIS Lens as my camera replacement I wasn’t finding anything below full retail. This was expected since the camera was just released a little over a month ago. I resigned myself to sit and wait awhile to see if the price came down

In my hunt for the best price on the recent printer purchase, I stumbled upon an Amazon price-watching site called camelcamelcamel.com. I did my amazon search for the X-T2 with lens and didn’t see anything at the time that was discounted, so I added a price watch on camelcamelcamel.com.  Initially, it was just giving me the same pricing that I found myself, but then one day it showed me on for $230 less so I clicked on the link immediately. I was sent to the Amazon Warehouse listing that showed this was for a “used” classification sale of the camera. I had never heard of Amazon Warehouse so I started checking out the terms etc and when I was about to buy the camera, the listing was gone all in less that 15 mins. I was upset with myself for procrastinating, but I did my due diligence and checked out the service and terms so I was ready if it ever came up again.

Well a few days later another listing popped up and I jump right on it.  That order is the camera that arrived today. It was listed as Used: no cosmetic issues with the camera and  tested and confirmed working but only a damaged box. After opening the Amazon box and finding the X-T2 box inside I took everything out and inspected everything.  The only thing I could find wrong was the LCD screen was a little smudged, which was easily cleaned with a lint free cloth. The box hardly had a mark on it other than fresh tape.

It is obvious to me this was an Amazon returned product and they sold it via Amazon Warehouse at a discount. Don’t know why anyone would want to return such a great camera. I’m not complaining one bit as I feel I’ve gotten a new camera for several hundred dollars less than the current going price and it looks brand new. Now I’ve got some money to go out and get an additional lens, of which I wouldn’t have been able to do if I purchased it brand new.

So if you don’t mind purchasing a returned unit, I would recommend setting up a price watch with camelcamelcamel.com or your favorite price watcher so you can get notified of the reduced prices from folks like Amazon Warehouse. And make sure your service notifies you as from my experience, the Fujifilm XT-2’s do not last long.

One last note: if the price is way lower than the regular price, definitely check it out first. I was notified of one listing for this product being $600, but after checking things out it was obviously a scam.

Now the only thing to do it take my new camera out for a spin this weekend to hopefully get some great fall colors pictures.

#AmazonWarehouse #Fujifilm #XT2 #Amazon #NewCamera