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Almost too good to be true

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courtesy from Olympus

courtesy from Olympus

2016 is going to be an odd year for digital camera sales , especially mirrorless. Every manufacturer is being afftected by the aftermath of the earthquake in Japan. As a result, lots of rumored or announced  new products have been delayed (think Nikon DL line for instance). It is safe to assume that Photokina next month will see more products being launched without  a specific release date.
That being said, this may help to get products at bargain price as manufacturers & retailers need to move some stock off their shelves.
For micro 4/3 users, Amazon US currently has  a deal which is hard to miss. The very competent OMD-EM10, originally priced at $699 is currently available at the amazing low price of $399. This includes the body and the 14-42 kit zoom  but I would argue that, even if you do not need this kit zoom, this is really a GREAT bargain

this deal is available for both the black version and the silver version. This could constitute a great back-up body for users who already have another OMD model. Grab one while you can !

 

Five tips to take great pictures of street events

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This month I got to cover two unusual street events in Europe.On the first Saturday of April, there are over 50 cities who participate in the “international pillow fight day”. I covered this event for the first time last year in Berlin. This year I decided to go to Amsterdam instead which turned out to be on a much  larger scale. A few days ago, I was in Paris to cover the “color run” which takes place in different cities (lots of them in the USA). On both occasions, I was reminded how important it is to be prepared to avoid some mistakes and make the best of it. I thought it might be useful to share my recommendations  for those of you who might be interested to attend and photograph this type of events : [Read more…]

No more Vapor in the sky !

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Dear fellow traveler
Just an update to inform smoking travelers (I am not one of them) : This has been rumored for quite some time  but it is now Official : It is now forbidden to check-in  electronic cigarettes or any other vapor device in your check-in luggage. There has been some incidents proving that such vapor devices can  be hazardous in the  check-in luggage compartment.
You can still bring an e-cigarette as a carry-on although you cannot, of course, vape on the plane.
Since we are on the subject on forbidden items to check-in when traveling by plane, I would like to take this opportunity to remind fellow photographers that batteries also can only be carried-on and not checked-in, not that it would be a good idea anyway to leave extra batteries in your checked luggage. Technically there are in some countries some limits on how many  batteries you can carry with you but in all my worldwide travels I have never had an instance when this was checked

The best travel duffel bags

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The main goal of this blog is to help its readers to travel smart and to travel light. In my opinion, which pieces of luggage you use speaks volume about how smart of a traveler you are. Simply put, each traveler should have at least one collapsable duffel in its luggage collection.
Most travelers own a cabin-sized regular trolley on wheels. This might be a very good choice for those traveling on a formal business trip when the luggage path is going to be mostly smooth like airports terminals and hotels corridors. If, however, you are traveling on  less predictable paths, wheeled luggage are not necessarily your best choice (far from it). When your trip involves going up and down steps (think  subway in Paris) walking on cobbled streets or making your way through a crowded market, you are likely to be better off with something you can carry alternatively on your side by the handles, on or over your shoulder or on your back. In all of these instances, a collapsible duffle bag should be part of your traveling arsenal because it adds three advantages  : small size and weight when empty, various carrying options, and versatility of fitting in lots of tight spaces while providing ample storage. [Read more…]

$50 well spent

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TDTblog0343

 

Readers of this blog know how much I like Ricoh compact cameras. I have both GR and GRII cameras which I have reviewed on this blog (part II of my GRII review is coming soon). When Ricoh introduced the GRII it was supposed to launch at $799, then it was changed to $699 (alas non in Europe when the price stayed at €799). Now the camera price dropped again . Amazon.com has it at only $559 (here). At the same time the first GR is available for 50$ less (here).While both are great cameras this makes it a no brainer for someone who is thinking of getting the GR model [Read more…]