GREAT deals for photographers and filmmakers.

I’m not a big shopper. Far from it. I only buy stuff I need, when I need it, but I use the “Black Friday”, “Cyber Monday” and similar crazy shopping events to get things that I was planning to buy at a much lower price.

• B&H has the full frame Canon EOS 6D AND a Canon PIXMA PRO-10 printer for $1249.99 with free shipping. This is the best 6D price I’ve seen. The camera by itself usually sells for $1,900.

• Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal Solid State Drive. SSD don’t have moving parts which means no hard drive spin ups, no noise, better data protection and much better performance for video editing and heavy lifting applications like Photoshop. The 500GB version goes for $189, and the 1TB version for $349.

• Dell is selling direct a high-resolution (1920×1080) 24” monitor model # E2414Hr for $99. I probably wouldn’t use this for any color-critical tasks, but seems perfect as a second monitor for Photoshop or Premiere Pro.

• Flash Drives are a very handy way to receive or deliver video to your editor. Here’s an excellent deal:
Lexar USB 3.0 128GB flash drive for only $26.95 at B&H. This one is compatible with Mac and PC systems and offers enhanced data read speeds of up to 100 MB/s and data write speeds of up to 55 MB/s.

• Walmart has the GoPro HERO 3 White Edition AND a $50 Gift Card for  $199.99 AND free shipping. The waterproof HERO3 offers the same high performance specs as the original HD HERO camera it replaces, yet it has built-in Wi-Fi, new UI and is lighter and smaller. This toy captures 1080p 30 fps and 720p 60 fps video plus 5MP photos at a rate of 3 photos per second.

 

• Rokinon 85mm t/1.5 Aspherical Lens for Canon with De-Clicked Aperture and Follow Focus Compatibility Fixed Lens. I have not used a Rokinon lens, but the always handy 85mm focal length and an incredibly fast aperture of F/1.5for only $235 are definitively worth a try. This lens is available on Amazon so if the quality isn’t good you can easily return it. This lens features a de-clicked aperture which is great to reduce noise and jerking motions while shooting video. The minimum focusing distance is 3.6-feet.

• If you ever work trade shows or have any involvement on photo or video shoots you need this. If you are a producer you need two. I actually have three, one per camera bag so I never run out of power. There are many brands and they all do and last pretty much the same. Today’s deal is $15, normally $25. This tiny thing adds 10 extra hours of talk time or 1 full charge to your iPhone or Android phones and tablets. 

• I don’t use Wacom Tablets but most of my students love them. Amazon has the older version of the Wacom Bamboo Create Pen and Touch Tablet for only $111. Not crazy cheap for older hardware BUT it comes with FREE downloadable software like Photoshop Elements, Corel Painter Essentials, AutoDesk Sketchbook Express and Nik Color Filters as well as free offers from Shutter fly, Café Press and Digitalscrapbookplace.com. So, if you are getting into retouching and want to get started with simple hardware and a lot of software, this is a great way to go. 

• Do you have ENOUGH Hard Drives? Yep. me neither. Cheap portable external hard drives are wonderful devices to store or transport projects temporarily. Amazon is offering the Western Digital Elements 1TB USB 3.0 Hard Drive for $49! An even BETTER option is the Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB USB 3.0 for $78! For a long-term backup strategy check this article.

I just purchased four of these, as they are perfect to deliver video projects to clients. Simply ship them the drive and let them keep it. Trust me, it always makes a great impression.

• Timbuk2 is selling the extremely durable Haight Laptop Backpack for $18!!! It normally goes for $89.

• I’ve been looking for an inexpensive Android Tablet to replace my broken Nexus 7 (I sat on it. Long story.) While Chromebooks are not for everyone, today’s deal seems very good. An Acer C720 Chromebook (11.6-Inch, 2GB) which happens to be one of the best options out there for only $149, the same or lower as an entry level 7″ tablet. I’m still debating between the Chromebook or a $149 Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 bundled with 50GB of free Dropbox storage AND $300 of content. Decisions, decisions….

• Finally, an affordable 4K monitor! The Samsung 28-Inch Ultra High Definition LED Monitor offer 3840 x 2160 (UHD) Resolution for only $479. I’m getting one right now.

 

• For an entry level system, the Canon EOS Rebel T5 with an EF-S 18-55mm IS II is not bad. Especially if you can get it for $399.

• We hardly ever see discounted Apple products. For the next 3 days B&H is offering the 11.6 MacBook Air for $799. That’s at least $100 less than anywhere else. This is a great solution for internet browsing, emails and working on a plane, but I wouldn’t recommend this one as a working machine.

I’ll update this post if I find more interesting deals. Please consider sharing what you find as well!