Every journey feels bigger when the camera is light and the mind is clear.(my favourite quote this week)
Hello Hello 👋
Quick Catch-Up From Last Week
- From the JustDraft Archive about SBI, COIN, and STAR Feedback Methods
- Read our LensLetter Archive about Lightroom new release to enhance colour sliders
Black Friday is here again. That magical time of year when every brand shouts “SALE” and suddenly everything is “40% off”… even though it was the same price last week.
So instead of sending you a giant list of random links, here’s something better:
13 items I personally tested across rough hikes, cold mornings, wet days, and long travel.
If it’s on this list, it earned its place.
More importantly, they’re actually discounted this week, not just marked “sale” with normal pricing.
Check out live updates on Black Friday 2025 update post. Also RGWords will have 30% store wide discount from 21-Nov 2025.
🚀 The Foundation: Bodies and Glass
Pick Your Camera System
Three options, all seeing 15-20% discounts:
⛵ Canon EOS R6 Mark II : Weather-sealed. Survived five days of Scottish rain. Full-frame sensor handles blue hour and low light.
⛵ Sony Alpha a7 Series : Lighter for long hikes. Better battery life than previous models. Eye autofocus tracks while you compose
⛵ Nikon Z Series : Z6 III just launched, so Z6 II prices dropping fast. Best ergonomics if switching from DSLR.
Simply put: All three deliver professional results. Pick based on lenses you already own or want access to. My favourite is Canon 15 years now.
⛵ 24-70mm f/2.8 Lens
Covers 90% of travel photography. Wide enough at 24mm for landscapes, tight enough at 70mm for portraits.
Three price points:
- Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8: £200 less, slightly shorter range
- Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 Art: Sharp as original brand glas
- Canon/Sony/Nikon OEM: Fastest autofocus
Buy Tamron if weight matters. Sigma for best value. OEM if you shoot action.
⛵ Adobe Lightroom + Photoshop (Worth Considering)
Annual Creative Cloud subscription typically 50% off. That’s £100instead of £199 for the year. Cloud storage syncs across laptop and phone. Catalog handles 100,000+ photos without slowing down, also give 2TB cloud storage).
⛵ Luminar Neo Alternative (Alternative to Adobe)
One-time payment instead of subscription. AI handles sky replacement and portrait retouching. Expect 60% off lifetime license, around £49 instead of £119.
The best camera upgrade is often just knowing your current gear better than anyone else.
🚀 The Small Gear That Actually Matters
⛵ Peak Design Leash Camera Strap
Quick-release anchor system. Clip on for shooting, off for packing. Adjusts length without buckles that catch on jacket zippers. Never discounted, but solves the “strap getting in the way” problem permanently.
⛵ SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB SD Cards
Buy three. Write speed clears camera buffer in 2 seconds instead of 8. One survived my washing machine. Get V60 rating minimum for 4K video.
⛵ Seagate Portable SSD 2TB
Road backup solution. Transfers 1,000 RAW files in under 10 minutes. Ruggedized casing survives drops from table height.
My backup approach:
- Primary: Working copy in SSD
- Copy 1: Archive in HDD
- Copy 2: Offsite on Adobe (Plan to use Blackblaze and NAS)
⛵ SmallRig 9-in-1 Multi-Too
Hex keys fit every camera cage and tripod mount. Saved a shoot when my Arca plate loosened mid-hike. Fits in jacket pocket. Lightweight insurance policy.
🚀 Bags That Work
⛵ Peak Design Camera Sling Bag (£169, watch for £135)
Access camera without removing bag. Magnetic latch opens one-handed. Holds mirrorless + 2 lenses + 13″ laptop. Rain cover included. Works as daily bag between shoots.
⛵ Peak Design Camera Bag 25L or 30L (£249-299)
Built for multi-day hiking with camera gear. top and side panel opens flat for quick access Side access grabs camera while wearing pack.
Get 30L for weekends, 40L for week-long trips.
Gear matters when it solves real problems, not when it sits unused because you chased a discount.
🚀 Support and Mobility
⛵ Joby GorillaPod (£45 for 3K model)
Wraps around branches and railings. Low-angle shots without lying in mud. Compact enough for jacket pocket. The 3K model holds mirrorless + standard zoom.
⛵ Manfrotto Tripod (varies by model, £99-299)
Carbon fiber if you hike. Aluminum if you drive to locations. Twist locks work faster than flip locks when wearing gloves. Center column inverts for macro work.
⛵ Peak Design Mobile Stand (£69)
MagSafe phone mount. Behind-the-scenes content while shooting stills. Folds to credit card size. Also works as wallet stand for video calls.
🚀 Cold Weather Protection
⛵ Photography Gloves (£25-45)
Touchscreen-compatible fingers let you change settings without freezing. Essential for sunrise shoots below 5°C. Look for fold-back fingertip covers for precision work.
⛵ 66°North Cap (£45)
Iceland-tested. Doesn’t blow off in wind. Wool blend regulates temperature. Water-resistant treatment sheds light rain. Worth every penny for cold-weather shooting.
🚀 When to Buy
Check between 20-Nov to 1-Dec.
Software subscriptions (Adobe, Luminar) wait until Cyber Monday for deeper cuts.
🚀 Your Next Step
Three questions before you buy:
- Does this replace broken gear or add new capability?
- Will I use it on my next three trips?
- Have I compared prices on three sites?
Budget £500-1500 for essentials: One camera body OR lens, SD cards, backup drive.
Full guide with all 45 products (travel tech, luggage, clothing): https://rgwords.com/black-friday-deal-travel-photography-edc/
The best deals sell out by Saturday afternoon. Check prices tonight, decide by Friday morning.
Bonus Tip: Before buying anything, check price history on CamelCamelCamel or Keepa for online retailers. These tools show if the “sale” price is actually lower than usual or just regular pricing marked down. Also, check manufacturer refurbished sections, often 30-40% off with full warranty, better savings than Black Friday new prices.
Black Friday deals mean nothing if you’re buying equipment you’ll never actually use in the field.
🟢 Until the next one, Keep chasing horizons, one frame at a time and let’s be mindful of our environment.
Cheers!!
🍾 Photo of the week
For Print of any photos please reply here with photo link/url.
🚀 Planning Trip, Check 🔻
A quick personal update first,
🚀 The Clarity Playbook is now live! 📘
It’s our debut book, a 91-page guide for busy professionals to think better, decide faster, and lead with clarity. Packed with 7 high-leverage frameworks used in global boardrooms, it’s built to help you act with focus today.
👉 Read more here or check online marketplace Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon India | Amazon Japan | Google Play Books | Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Rakuten Kobo | Everand (Scribd) | Smashwords | Thalia (Germany) | Vivlio (France) | Fable | Buy Directly
⛳ Other fun stuff
- ✔️ New prints are available in the shop, check it out.
- ✔️ Rahul’s Newsletter – Learning & Sharing Concepts Beyond Text Books. The JustDraft is a free newsletter to receive ideas shared with 2400+ people each week directly to your inbox. Join now to start practising change.
- ✔️ Buy Ready To Use Itineraries – Hand curated travel plans, maps, guides, photo editing presets and many more.
- ✔️ UK Weekender – Wondering where to go next weekend. Join Weekender and receive travel insights from the UK, epic photography spots every week in your inbox.
🚀 Here are the tools I found interesting in last few weeks and still exploring
- 🎋 Magnific is an AI-powered image upscaler and enhancer that allows users to increase the resolution and detail of any image. It can also add more details by increasing its “Creativity” slider.
- 🎋 Pixelcut’s AI Photo Shoot tool is a virtual photo studio that allows users to quickly and easily create professional-quality product photos with AI-generated backgrounds.
- 🎋 Descript makes editing video and audio as easy as editing text. Record, transcribe, edit, and publish in one tool.
📆 Product update/offer
In this section, I share any cool new product, feature released in past few weeks or newsletter subscriber only offers
🎁 Luminar Neo Cross-device Perpetual license (Luminar Neo + Luminar Mobile)
🎁 [Offer for you] Epidemic Sound introduced Sync to video – Cool feature if you want to quickly make video with great sound collection.
