Anyone here dealt with USA-Camera-Outlet?

[floridascgirl]

I've been researching the Nikon D40 and Pricegrabber brought up a deal from USA-Camera-Outlet. I'm wondering if anyone here has any feedback on the company. Thanks!

 

[ukcatfan]

Never heard of them and they do not show up in Reseller Ratings. That is probably a bad sign. I personally only stick to the stores with a good reputation such as B&H, Adorama, Beach Camera, Buydig, Newegg, and Amazon (direct, not partners). I also sometimes buy from Buy.com, but mainly for memory.

Also, why are you looking for a D40 if I may ask? It is getting extremely outdated and better newer cameras can be found for less than $500.

 

[floridascgirl]

I'm looking to purchase a DSLR for the 1st time, but I'm as green as you can get. My friend has a Nikon D40 and she loves it. She let me mess around with it a bit and I felt that it was a camera that I could handle. I know that it's an older model, but it's in my price range. If you have any other camera recommendations for $500 or less, please let me know so that I can check them out as well.

Thanks for the list of store names...I will visit their websites. B & H was recommended to me, but they did not have a D40.

 

[ukcatfan]

Being admittedly green to this, you need to know that the D40 is something like 3-4 generations old now. It is basically a dinosaur. I would say that you should not pay more than $250 for one in really good condition. All will either be used or refurbished since it has not been sold new for a while.

For almost exactly $500 you can get the Pentax K-x. It is one of the best bang for the buck DSLRs around. It also happens to be the model I have If you are set on Nikon, you can get a D3000 for around that as well. It is a huge step over the D40. The D5000 is also getting close to that range, but the price is a little higher than $500. It would be a closer comparison spec wise to the K-x. There are also options from Canon, Olympus, Sony, etc. in the price range.

 

[Experiment_626]

If you are set on Nikon, you can get a D3000 for around that as well. It is a huge step over the D40. The D5000 is also getting close to that range, but the price is a little higher than $500.

It will be interesting to see what the release of the D3100 (and, if it happens in the next 10 days or so, the rumored D7000) will do to prices of the D5000 and D90. I keep reading that the D3000 isn't particularly well-regarded. It sounds like the D3100 may fare better.