Post your latest purchases.

[hark]

Cheetahstand had a recent sale so I took advantage of the prices. In the past, I purchased some of the Glow Beauty Dishes thru Adorama. While they are okay, the Cheetahstand softboxes are made of heavier material and use velcro instead of snaps for the inner diffuser. So I am slowly replacing my Glow ones (keeping them in case I need a second one in the same size).

Plus I've been in search of a diffused umbrella/brolly. The diffuser is sewn directly onto the umbrella so it's all one piece. For the price of the diffused umbrella, I'm really impressed. It seems sturdier than my Godox diffused umbrella. I also like that this diffused umbrella allows the light to be inserted through the diffusion material. My Godox diffused umbrella requires the entire strobe be inside the umbrella making it difficult to tilt too much.

42" Soup Bowl



43" Diffused Umbrella

 

[desmobob]

Count me in as another who jumped on the AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6 sale. Everything I've read and seen shows it to be a truly great value and maybe the most bang-for-the-buck yet for a Nikkor. The sale price had me nervous and jerky trying to resist.

I have an older push-pull AF 80-200 f/2.8 and an AF 300mm f/4 that do very nice work and give me plenty of magnification if I mount them on my D500, but the thought of a modern zoom with the fancy VR capability pushed me over the edge. Then, I received an unexpected tax-relief check from NY State (ironic) that covered almost half the cost, so, it's ramen noodles and mac and cheese for another month or two.

My initial tests with it impressed me very much. I purchased an inexpensive Magnus GH-M1 gimbal head to use with it (which has surpassed my expectations) and picked up an inexpensive JJC case for it that should arrive tomorrow.

 

[bluzman]

I was looking back at some images in my archives and realized that, for an entry level DSLR, the D3500 I once owned took some very nice shots. Now I don't need another camera but I thought I'd just see what the availability of a used D3500 was.

As a point of reference, I had purchased the D3500 with the AF-P 18-55mm VR kit lens directly from Nikon during a "refurb + 10% off" sale for less than $350 including sales tax. Today, in the words of MC Hammer, "U Can't Touch This". Since I was half way into the rabbit hole, I took a look at the D3400 to see what changed from that model to the current one. There were several adds/removes but the one that caught my eye was the customizable Fn button on the D3400 that was removed from D3500. Hmmm, would've been nice to have.

Bottom Line: Read several reviews, watched some YouTube analysis and pulled the trigger on the lightly used (2,742 shutter count) from MPB for $283. Got it Wednesday, set it up and took some shots to confirm its functionality...everything is OK. Now if the temperature here in N. Texas will just drop back into the normal summer range (<100), I'll get out and give it a workout.

 

[Dangerspouse]

Brand new, but half price at Amazon's "Warehouse" section because the plastic bag affixed to the cardboard card had a tear in it!

 

[hark]

Brand new, but half price at Amazon's "Warehouse" section because the plastic bag affixed to the cardboard card had a tear in it!

View attachment 378410

Nice find! Those cables are pricey.

 

[Clovishound]

I was looking back at some images in my archives and realized that, for an entry level DSLR, the D3500 I once owned took some very nice shots. Now I don't need another camera but I thought I'd just see what the availability of a used D3500 was.

As a point of reference, I had purchased the D3500 with the AF-P 18-55mm VR kit lens directly from Nikon during a "refurb + 10% off" sale for less than $350 including sales tax. Today, in the words of MC Hammer, "U Can't Touch This". Since I was half way into the rabbit hole, I took a look at the D3400 to see what changed from that model to the current one. There were several adds/removes but the one that caught my eye was the customizable Fn button on the D3400 that was removed from D3500. Hmmm, would've been nice to have.

Bottom Line: Read several reviews, watched some YouTube analysis and pulled the trigger on the lightly used (2,742 shutter count) from MPB for $283. Got it Wednesday, set it up and took some shots to confirm its functionality...everything is OK. Now if the temperature here in N. Texas will just drop back into the normal summer range (<100), I'll get out and give it a workout.

I purchased a D3400 kit for my daughter several years ago. I contained the camera, 18-55, 70-300, a Nikon camera bag, and I believe it even came with a memory card. All on sale for around $500.

At the time it was a smoking hot deal for an entry level kit. They ran that sale several times a year for a while.

 

[Woodyg3]

Too lazy to take a pic, but you know what it looks like anyway. I picked up a 300mm f/4 PF used for a great price. Very sharp, quick and accurate AF, and as has been said about this lens, so-so VR. I am really enjoying it so far.

 

[desmobob]

I started developing a slight anxiety about what I might be missing, so I took advantage of Nikon USA's last sale and bought a refurbished Z7 II/24-70mm f/4S kit. I love it so far but am surprised it didn't come with a manual. I downloaded all the available on-line manuals from Nikon but also wrote and asked them about sending me a hard copy for bed-time reading/studying.

 

[hark]

I started developing a slight anxiety about what I might be missing, so I took advantage of Nikon USA's last sale and bought a refurbished Z7 II/24-70mm f/4S kit. I love it so far but am surprised it didn't come with a manual. I downloaded all the available on-line manuals from Nikon but also wrote and asked them about sending me a hard copy for bed-time reading/studying.

I don't think refurbished cameras come with a manual.

 

[Bikerbrent]

You might also have some luck with a manual if you do a computer search for "Z7 II Manual".

 

[desmobob]

I don't think refurbished cameras come with a manual.

The response from Nikon USA was that they have gone paper-free as of 2019 and no printed manual was available.

You might also have some luck with a manual if you do a computer search for "Z7 II Manual".

Thanks, Brent. I had already downloaded the PDF of the manual (and a couple of other guides they offer) from the Nikon USA website while I was waiting for the camera to arrive. I'm one of those rare birds who really studies instruction manuals and I miss having a hard copy on my nightstand for bed-time reading!

 

[hark]

The response from Nikon USA was that they have gone paper-free as of 2019 and no printed manual was available....

Ahh ... that I didn't know. Thanks for the info as I haven't purchased a camera body in a few years.

 

[Fred Kingston]

The response from Nikon USA was that they have gone paper-free as of 2019 and no printed manual was available.



Thanks, Brent. I had already downloaded the PDF of the manual (and a couple of other guides they offer) from the Nikon USA website while I was waiting for the camera to arrive. I'm one of those rare birds who really studies instruction manuals and I miss having a hard copy on my nightstand for bed-time reading!

Just print the PDF... Voila!!!! Printed manual for your nightstand...

There's also this alternative... Some enterprising soul has created a business doing what Nikon no longer does...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/114535071693?hash=item1aaad27fcd:g6wAAOSwuktgeEYF

 

[desmobob]

Just print the PDF... Voila!!!! Printed manual for your nightstand...

I could probably print it out nicely with a ream of paper and $150 worth of printer cartridges... :hurt:

Maybe some photographer/author will come out with a guide to the camera so I can have a good old-fashioned hard copy of something to read. I hate laying in bed holding my MacBook to read from. Call me old school...

That eBay offering of a large printed manual series is nice and I'd buy it for sure if it was about a third the current price...

 

[Fred Kingston]

Search on that vendor's stuff... He offers several variations of the different manuals for less money...

 

[hark]

....Maybe some photographer/author will come out with a guide to the camera so I can have a good old-fashioned hard copy of something to read. I hate laying in bed holding my MacBook to read from. Call me old school...

The first two authors on this link tend to receive great reviews - David Busch and Darrell Young. Personally I've read one book by David Busch - for the D600. It was excellent although none of these types of books will include absolutely all the info that's in the manual. I do remember having to reference my owner's manual for more details on a few occassions. Maybe do a search here for both authors' names and see if posts/reviews make you lean more towards one author than the other if you want to try one of them.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Nikon+z7...x=nikon+z7ii+,stripbooks,109&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

 

[desmobob]

The first two authors on this link tend to receive great reviews - David Busch and Darrell Young. Personally I've read one book by David Busch - for the D600. It was excellent although none of these types of books will include absolutely all the info that's in the manual. I do remember having to reference my owner's manual for more details on a few occassions. Maybe do a search here for both authors' names and see if posts/reviews make you lean more towards one author than the other if you want to try one of them.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Nikon+z7...x=nikon+z7ii+,stripbooks,109&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

Thanks. I just ordered the book by Young. I'll let you know how it is...

 

[Clovishound]

Well, my Z5 purchased earlier this year came with two instruction manuals, one english, one spanish. Release date was in 2020. Not sure when it was actually manufactured.

 

[Woodyg3]

Cindy set you in the right direction, I think. These guides are normally easier to understand and more practical than what Nikon gives you.

 

[TwistedThrottle]

Peak Design 45L with Medium Camera Cube

Peak Design Small Camera Cube

Peak Design 6L Sling with accessories


Probably a little overkill, but I doubt that I'll be having issues traveling with my camera anymore. I've far outgrown the small camera case I got with my first DSLR 15 years ago that I still use today and the backpack I have that claims to be a "camera backpack" can finally be retired, (yay!). The 45L is big enough for the medium and small cubes fitted inside and the sling strapped to the outside if needed, or just the small or medium cube inside with all my other non camera related goods depending on the travel needs. If the sling feels too much like a purse it might get sent back, but I gotta try it out first. I have the PD Slide strap already, (I freakin love that strap!) so the PD Slide Lite may also be overkill, but hopeful I can find a use for it on another body or the Bigma 150-600. We'll see.

FWIW, I initially tried ordering from Adorama. I have a VIP membership there and wanted to use the points I've accumulated. My order summary didnt look right though so I called in. Come to find out, not all the stuff was in stock regardless of the fact that all the items were listed as in stock on the website. Further, they were going to charge for shipping AND my points weren't getting applied. The CS rep says he's sorry but to call him direct for any future orders. This isn't the first time I've felt deceived by Adorama. Decided to scrap the order entirely with Adorama and got it through B&H instead.

To use up my points at Adorama, I went back after B&H to order a SmallRig L bracket for my Z6 and Zeiss Weipss to have on hand while out-n-about.

Spoke to the same CS rep. Used up my points to bring the price down to almost free and got free shipping, (3 day is the best they could offer, it doesn't go out same day though so it should be here sometime mid next week). B&H should be here tomorrow, (ordered yesterday, offered free 2 day shipping and it went out yesterday too!). Our vacation starts at the end of next week, so everything should be here in time. Fingers crossed!