Oh boy. We're shopping today.
Thanksgiving—yesterday—is my favorite holiday of the year, not only because of my personal connection to it (as Steve R. mentioned in the comments yesterday) but because it seems like such a simple and useful holiday. You gather with friends or loved ones and have a feast, and hopefully spend at least a few minutes meditating on what you have to be thankful for. Clean. Modest. Continent. You're not required to haul a tree indoors or infect your mind with ditties that will get stuck in your head and drive you crazy. You don't have to suspend disbelief over a confusing welter of nonsensical beliefs and belief-constructs, like what in the world a giant bunny has to do with eggs. Thanksgiving is sensible. It doesn't make demands.
Well, except on the person who's doing the cooking.
The one problem with Thanksgiving is that the concept of a "feast" no longer has much meaning—we feast all the time now, eating whatever we want whenever we want. It's not like we subsist on a paltry gruel for most of the year and cut loose on Thanksgiving. Or maybe I'm just speaking for myself.
Similarly with Black Friday. A special shopping day. Yeah, like we need a special day for that: we shop constantly anyway. It's like serving a feast to people who overeat regularly.
Shut up already and post the links, Johnston
Too much preamble? Sorry. I do go on. (And don't always get with the program.)
Anyway, here are a few great Black Friday deals for photographers:
Canon's superlative S100 shirt-pocket camera for a paltry $229
Best current deal anywhere on the Canon EOS 5D Mark III (with 24–105mm lens)
Nikon D7000 Basic Kit and Deluxe Kit ($500 off or more)
B&H Photo's Six Best Black Friday Photography Bargains
One-Day Only Deals on Memory Cards (this one makes me cranky—I just bought memory cards for Ye Dragoon, for like twice what these cost. Those high-speed Lexar Professional 800X cards are supposed to be particularly good)
Apple 15" MacBook Pro Notebook Computer (and other computers and accessories)
Hope this helps, and happy shopping! But remember what Tom Jefferson said.
Mike
Original contents copyright 2012 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.
(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:
Suggested links from Kevin Purcell:
Sigma 19mm ƒ/2.8 at B&H Photo / at Amazon
Sigma 30mm ƒ/2.8 at B&H Photo, only $149
Olympus VF-2
Olympus VF-3
(Note that TOP doesn't get credited for things you put in your cart and buy later. B&H reopens at sundown Saturday.)
James Sinks: "Personally, the only B&H Black Friday deal that had me reaching for my credit card were the 7200 RPM 4TB drives for $80 off (meaning only about $60–80 more than a top of the line consumer HD should be at this point in its life cycle). I've been holding off on HD purchases since the Thailand floods, and things have been getting tight, so it was a wise purchase."
Jack: "Timely article as I had just received an email from Amazon's Deal of the Day offering a Canon S100 for peanuts. I almost ordered it, but recalled that I should respond through your Amazon link so you could collect $9. Alas, your site told me I shouldn't buy something just because it is cheap. So I didn't. I saved $245, but your advice cost you. Sorry Mike, I will buy you a drink when we meet."
Mike replies: And I don't drink! A fine mess we've gotten ourselves into this time, Stanl...er, Jack. [g]
MJFerron: "I work retail (company is Fortune 500) and I am a lowly Dept. manager for said company. Today was our biggest day of the year. Not arguing about traditional statistics of who makes what and when by the way, just sayin' I was in at 4:00 a.m. and we killed it today. $70,000+ for my dept alone. Only wish I sold cameras instead of refrigerators. :-) I'd have an even better time!"
It is a famous American day but is there any equivalent in other cultures?
Posted by: Dennis Ng | Friday, 23 November 2012 at 09:52 AM
"Clean. Modest. Continent."
Continent??
Content maybe. But I try to be continent every day of the year.
Perhaps you meant modest or restrained. But that hardly seems appropriate on a day devoted to gluttony, hedonism and excess.
Posted by: Will Whitaker | Friday, 23 November 2012 at 10:39 AM
Why the hostility, Will?
Continent: exercising continence. Continence: 1. Self-restraint; moderation. Source: American Heritage English Dictionary.
And what in the world is hedonistic about a good dinner? We had turkey and a choice of two more side dishes than usual, and a choice of three desserts instead of one. By whose standards is that hedonism? There was certainly no "devotion" to "gluttony" at our table.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Johnston | Friday, 23 November 2012 at 10:48 AM
Mike wrote, "Too much preamble?". Perhaps a pre-ramble now and again. A good thing, too because there's good stuff there as well as in what follows.
Posted by: David Stubbs | Friday, 23 November 2012 at 12:19 PM
Our esteemed Editor wrote;
"...because it seems like such a simple and useful holiday. You gather with friends or loved ones and have a feast, and hopefully spend at least a few minutes meditating on what you have to be thankful for. "
And that is the best description I have ever read of what the holiday should be. Although some forget and or get distracted by other things, that thought and sentiment is the every and the all of our 4th Thursday in November.
Thanks for saying it so well.
Posted by: Jim in Denver | Friday, 23 November 2012 at 12:22 PM
"It is a famous American day but is there any equivalent in other cultures?"
In the UK Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) used to be the start of the post-Christmas sales with similar large discounts on a day after a large meal involving a turkey. Large numbers of shoppers would turn out early to grab the bargains.
But I that that was when I was a lad in the 1960s and 1970s. I suspect that idea has long since passed since t'Internet took off and department stores moved out of the town centers.
Shopping tip for m43 and Sony E-mount camera users:
The well reviewed Sigma f/2.8 19mm and 30mm lenses have dropped in price to $150 with free shipping at B&H and Amazon. This is the same lens that Sigma is using on the DP1M and DP2M.
On m43 the 19mm is "38mm eq".
On Sony 19mm is "28mm eq" and 30mm is "50mm eq".
[Mike could add some links ...]
Posted by: Kevin Purcell | Friday, 23 November 2012 at 01:40 PM
Thanksgiving is my favorite US holiday: a day free of gifts and superstitious mumbo-jumbo, just a gathering of friends to eat, drink, and share our thoughts.
- James
Posted by: James Gaston | Friday, 23 November 2012 at 03:13 PM
"It is a famous American day but is there any equivalent in other cultures?"
Yes, Dennis. In Canada we have the second Monday in October, also called "Jour de l'Action de grâce" or Thanksgiving Day. :) Turkey, stuffing, the whole deal... just no big sales the following day.
Posted by: MarkB | Friday, 23 November 2012 at 03:38 PM
Another one for m43 Olympus users in need of a eye-level viewfinder.
The VF-2 and VF-3 EVFs have dropped by $50 bringing the VF3 down to $99 (a good match for a cheap E-PL1) at B&H and Amazon.
Annoying as I finally decided to get a VF-3 a month or so back because they'll never come down in price. Oh, well :-)
Posted by: Kevin Purcell | Friday, 23 November 2012 at 03:48 PM
Hostility?? No hostility. I was bemused by your use of the word continent which I normally associate with containment as in the definition given by thefreedictionary.com:
"1. (Medicine) able to control urination and defecation."
So its use surprised caught me off guard. But now I realize it has a more general definition.
As for hedonism and gluttony, I was of course not referring to your table (which I've never seen). I was referring to the commercial aspect of the holiday which will only become more overbearing as the season progresses.
But hostile I am not.
Posted by: Will Whitaker | Friday, 23 November 2012 at 09:29 PM
Chinese New Year in Chinese cultures probably pretty close too.
Also, LX7 for US$300. This is a very new and excellent camera. Can't believe it's on discount *already*!
Posted by: YS | Saturday, 24 November 2012 at 02:49 AM
@ Mike: "like what in the world a giant bunny has to do with eggs"
That's because it's a hare, not a rabbit. I hope that's cleared things up for you, Mike.... : ]
Posted by: Roger Bradbury | Saturday, 24 November 2012 at 04:37 AM
Sigma 30mm ƒ/2.8 at B&H Photo, only $149
http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2012/04/nex-7-lens-imatest-resolution-comparison
Maybe if it weighed a lot more and cost $1149 they'd sell more of them.
Posted by: Stephen Best | Saturday, 24 November 2012 at 07:44 AM