I got into deals content because I was spending more time researching prices than actually shooting. At some point I figured I might as well write it down and help other people skip the rabbit hole. So when a sale drops that actually covers multiple gear categories at once, lenses, lighting, and education, I pay attention. Most “huge sale” announcements are thin. This one from Tony and Chelsea Northrup has some real substance underneath the headline, and I want to break down exactly what’s on the table so you can decide what fits your kit without wading through the full video yourself.
Watch the full tutorial on YouTube
In this Tony and Chelsea Northrup tutorial, they cover a wide spread: discounted Rokinon manual lenses, a five-in-one reflector set, Sony camera deals, and their own photography education library at 30% off with signed copies available. That last part is the piece most deal sites will skip past, and honestly it might be the most valuable offer depending on where you are in your photography journey. Let me walk through each piece in order.
Step 1: Start With the Education Discount if You’re Still Learning
Chelsea holding the new Lightroom Mobile book
Tony and Chelsea sell their photography books directly through their own site, northrup.photo, which means buying there actually supports the people who made the content rather than routing money through a retail middleman. During this sale, every book is 30% off using a coupon code, and the copies are signed. That’s not a gimmick, it’s a meaningful price difference on books that already include hours of companion video content you won’t find on their YouTube channel.
The flagship title, “Stunning Digital Photography,” comes bundled with 20 hours of video. Their Photoshop book adds another 10 hours. If you’ve been piecing together free tutorials for months and still feel shaky on the fundamentals, a structured book with video support will close the gaps faster than another YouTube binge. The bundle pricing saves more than buying individual titles, and they include a buying guide that gets updated regularly as new gear comes out.
Step 2: Check the Rokinon Lens Sale for Your Mount
Tony showing Rokinon 35mm f/1.2 lens on camera
Rokinon’s entire lens lineup is discounted, and Tony’s personal pick is the 35mm f/1.2. That’s a wide-angle focal length with a very fast aperture, which gives you shallow depth of field and strong low-light capability without the price tag of an autofocus equivalent. The 35mm f/1.2 is sitting at 46% off, which is the kind of number that makes me double-check the listing to make sure it’s not a listing error.
These are fully manual lenses, no autofocus, no electronic aperture control in most versions. You set focus and aperture by hand using physical rings on the barrel. That sounds like a limitation, but for deliberate shooting, portraits, landscapes, still life, astrophotography, it’s genuinely freeing. Rokinon makes mounts for Sony, Nikon, Canon, Fuji, Olympus, and Micro Four Thirds systems, so whatever you’re shooting with, there’s likely a compatible version. Check the sdp.io links Tony mentions in the video for the current pricing on the specific mount you need.
Step 3: Look at the Five-in-One Reflector Set Before You Pass It Over
Five-in-one reflector set opened and displayed on table
This is the item in the sale that looks boring but isn’t. A five-in-one reflector is a collapsible disc that comes with a removable cover giving you five different light-modifying surfaces: a translucent diffuser, white, silver, gold, and black. Each does something distinct. The diffuser softens harsh direct sunlight by scattering it. White gives a neutral, soft fill. Silver bounces harder, more powerful light back at your subject. Gold adds warmth, which is flattering on skin tones. Black absorbs light and is used to deepen shadows when you want more contrast or drama.
Tony tells a story in the video about his daughter’s high school graduation shoot. Their Flashpoint studio strobe battery died after ten minutes outdoors at midday, which is about the worst light you can have for portraits. He pulled the reflector from his trunk, handed it to one of the kids, and was back shooting usable portraits within three minutes. That’s the real argument for owning one of these. It weighs almost nothing, costs very little, and has bailed out working photographers in situations where expensive gear failed. If you don’t own one yet, this sale is a good moment to fix that.
Step 4: Evaluate the Sony Camera Discounts Based on Your System
Tony mentioning massive Sony camera discounts on screen
Tony flags that there are significant discounts specifically on Sony cameras, with some deals starting as low as $27 for accessories in the broader sale context. If you’re already in the Sony ecosystem, this is worth checking the linked pages for your specific body or accessory. If you’re not a Sony shooter, the Rokinon and reflector deals apply regardless of system, so don’t let the Sony focus make you feel like the sale isn’t for you.
Step 5: Use the Coupon Code and Buy Direct When You Can
Chelsea showing northrup.photo website with coupon code applied
For the education products, the discount only applies through northrup.photo with their specific coupon code. The code gives you 30% off any individual book or a bundle. Bundles stack the savings further and include multiple books plus the buying guide. If you’re on the fence between one book and a bundle, the buying guide alone is worth factoring in because it covers cameras, tripods, and flashes with regular updates, which means it stays relevant as gear cycles change.
For the lenses and the reflector set, Tony links out through sdp.io URLs, which are tracked affiliate links. Using those links costs you nothing extra and helps support their channel, which seems fair given the amount of free content they produce.
My Take: Manual Lenses Are Underrated for Budget Shooters
I have a spreadsheet with notes on nearly every budget lens I’ve tested, and the Rokinon 35mm f/1.2 is one I keep coming back to in the “punches above its weight” column. Manual focus is the thing that scares people off, but if you’re shooting anything that isn’t fast-moving action, you adapt to it quickly. The aperture ring gives you tactile control that electronic lenses don’t. And at 46% off, the price-to-image-quality ratio here is hard to beat.
The reflector set is the other one I’d push harder than the video does. Tony frames it as a backup option, something you reach for when gear fails. I’d argue it should be your primary light-shaping tool when you’re outdoors and working without flash. Learning to position a reflector well will teach you more about light direction and quality than most studio workshops, and it costs less than a fast food dinner.
If I had to pick one thing to take away from this sale, it’s this: the tools that make you a better photographer are often the cheapest ones in your bag. A $27 reflector that you actually understand how to use will improve your portraits more than a $2,000 lens you’re still guessing with.
Watch the full tutorial on YouTube to see Tony and Chelsea walk through each deal with their typical straight-talk breakdown, and check northrup.photo with the coupon code for the book discounts before the sale ends.
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I keep coming back to this article. It's that useful.
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