Canon S95 price drop

Since Canon’s announcement of the newer PowerShot S100 compact camera on Sept.15, 2011, the Canon PowerShot S95 has dropped to $319. on Amazon. I’d check this deal out if you’re in the market for a super compact camera at a sweet price point. I do own the S95. The image quality is great for a compact P&S camera.

The S100 is a little wider at 24mm vs. 28mm (s95) but I won’t mince about the extra angle of view possible. However, it is also longer on the tele end, has new sensor technology that is supposed to be better in low light (with reduced noise) and it’s 12.1MP  The S100 is supposed to release in November 2011. DPReview did do a preview of it in case you’re drooling. For most intents and purposes this is a new camera unlike the S95 that morphed out of the S90.

That said, if can live without the latest and greatest and save some $ there’s good deals out there on the S95 right now. You’ll save close to $80—$100.

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Win a Copy of Photoshop CS5 Extended

CreativePro.com is running a giveaway to win a copy of Photoshop CS5 Extended plus a book 3D in Photoshop to show you exactly how to use the 3D features of PSCS5 Extended. Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended retails for $999 US. Nice prizes. Entry is free.

You do need to be a member of CreativePro.com but it’s easy to sign up and doesn’t cost anything. I like CreativePro.com because they cover Photography, Design, Fonts in content along with a lot of other areas such as Business, Hardware, Print and Web. Terri Stone’s (Editor in Chief) management of articles is always thought provoking.

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Canon Rebates 2010

Yes, I am also on Canon’s email list (The PowerShot S95 is my pocket camera) so it’s only fair to post that they also have rebates going on this time of year.

Canon Rebates

Looks like they have more lenses that are standalone purchases on rebate. These aren’t instant rebates like Nikon—download the pdf and note that some dates vary for eligibility.

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Nikon Rebates are On

‘Tis the season. Nikon Instant Rebates are on. Here’s a view of them at B&H.

Nikon Rebates 2010

I do see bodies and a lot of kit bundles, but the only lenses are Tammy’s (Tamron) if purchased standalone. Make sure you note the dates on specific purchases. Some are only until 11/27 and others are 12/31.

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Sale on Taking Stock book

Nothing like timing. Peachpit Press is offering the Taking Stock: Make money in microstock creating photos that sell as an eBook for $9.99. It’s their eBook Deal of the Week so a limited time for the sale. It’s normally $23.99.

The real deal is here.

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Nikon Instant Rebates

This type of news always makes me go hmmmmmmm despite periodic Nikon Instant Rebates that go into effect. There is a tendency of Nikon to offer rebates on merchandise before the release of a new model. There hasn’t been much in the Pro lineup releases for a while. Rumors are squashing a D700 replacement. The D700 will be two years old this summer.

Here are some instant rebates available from Calumet on Nikon products.

Bundled Rebates are available from B&H. $400. off a combo kit D700 and a Nikkor 70-200mm f/w.8 G AF-S ED VRII (until May 1)

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Online live—Digital Photography course

I think CreativeTechs has done a wonderful job by offering free live broadcast classes. I did take the 6 month Photoshop mega course with Jason Hoppe.

CreativeTechs is not sitting still. For those of you who want to learn more about digital photography, there is a new course starting tomorrow. This is an updated edition of a class that has run before.

Fundamentals of Digital Photography with John Greengo SIGN up here.

It’s free. The real deal. If you’re afraid that you’ll be missing the free online sessions, you always have the chance to buy the entire set for a nominal fee.

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OnOne Software DSLR Remote PRO-for free

I mentioned OnOne Software’s DSLR remote on this blog last June. They originally released only the Canon version and followed up with the Nikon version months later. Mike Wong tweeted a series of codes that were redeemable for a FREE DSLR Remote PRO application available through the iTunes store.

This was the real deal because I used a code and got my app from iTunes. There is also a Lite version out. You might want to make it a point to follow Mike on Twitter. They are also planning to add iPad support!

therealmikewong

Thank you, Mike and OnOne Software. I look forward to using DSLR Camera Remote.

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See the Light—free studio lighting course

I’ve been a fan of CreativeTechs since their first free webinar on Photoshop (Feb.’09) and I have posted information about their free classes on my blog. They have expanded their courses by a lot. Not just about the software but more. It is nice to see this taking off. Kudos to Craig Swanson and Jason Hoppe. Craig listens to his audience to shape the class offerings. Suggest a class here!

There is an upcoming 5 week studio lighting course. Rosanne Olson is the instructor. There’s also a watercolor painting class Dec. 18. The expanded courses even include one for building iPhone applications (currently in session as of this writing—class 3 is Dec.15) and a Photoshop scrapbooking course. If you’re shooting stock, you should sit in on their RetouchLIVE Thursdays. Live demonstrations of how to tweak your images. Jason Hoppe, who is Adobe Certified, conducts this one. He’s an entertaining presenter and Photoshop guru. Images are emailed to Jason for consideration to use in the class so this is real world, hands on usage. Pragmatic! If you think you know it all, I think you will be in store for some nice surprises.

Sign up so you will be notified by email when the class begins. Certain classes draw a large audience so you may want to sign up early. It is the real deal that the classes are free and they are live. If you’re a busy person and think that you may miss a class, you can purchase a single class or get the entire course in download form for nominal prices.

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Coupon codes—istockphoto.com

Just because something appears on the Web doesn’t mean that it’s free. I was recently the recipient of an e-newsletter that contained an istockphoto.com image with the watermark splashed across the center of it. It may have been an honest mistake, but please proof your piece before sending it out to hundreds or thousands of recipients. A watermark on an image means that it’s not available for fair use under copyright stipulations. You must legitimately purchase a license to use the image. Most Web usage lower res sizes are a bargain for a buck or two. Contributors work very hard (with the associated costs of time, equipment, training and insurance) to make the imagery available at very low price points. It isn’t a hobby to show off their images.

Still Want Free?

Since its inception and up to this date, istockphoto.com has given away a Free Image of the Week to people who have signed up to become members. It appears on Sunday and available for 3 weeks running. istock chooses it from the pool of contributors at istock who volunteer to donate an image from their portfolio. It’s not just low resolution, you can download the largest available size (L,XL, XXL, XXXLarge) for your usage. XXXL size is 5616 X 3744 pixels @300 dpi. Almost 18.75 in. X 12.5 in for print work. The normal cost if you purchased the highest resolution would be 28 credits or roughly >$28.+ US dollars.

I admit, that’s how I got hooked on istock. I had downloaded their Free Image of the Week in 2002. When I saw that images were available for those price points at high resolution, I bought. Much later, I signed on as a contributor and yes, I have donated a Free Image of the Week in 2005.

If that’s not enough, there is a Free Vector of the Month, a Free Video of the Week and Month, and they even give away a Free Audio Track of the Month. I can’t post a live link — sign up, look around. 😉

If you have no clue as to what a watermark is, then you shouldn’t be using a computer to design. What sort of message did you convey to your audience? /rant.

Thank you to those of you who signed up using my referral badge. It’s no longer cyber Monday, but here’s a link to some coupon codes that may work for you if you are a buyer. Check the current rates of success with the discounts being applied. It varies.

istockphoto.com coupon codes

Enjoy.

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