Canon Rebel XT pricing - does this seem right? Too good to be true?

[geetey]

American electronics appliances furniture is a chain of stores in the St Louis area. I saw this in this weekend's ad and am wondering HOW they can price the Canon Rebel XT this low with 2 lenses.

The package is....
Canon Digital 8.1 MEGA-Pixel Digital SLR
with 28-80 mm & 75-300 mm Zoom Lenses
and Photo Printer
Canon XT

$988 (after instant savings and mail in rebates) http://http://www.americantv.com/current_ad.php?page=this_weeks_ad&ad_page=2.26pg8a-9a##

Any thoughts? I know it doesn't specify if the lenses are Canon brand, but was thinking this was a good price for the XT and 2 lenses. I definitely don't want to get into any grey market cameras.

 

[Greg K.]

...is the Nikon D50 package (with lenses and printer) for $788!

I note that the ad specifies that those prices are after mail in rebates, so you'll be coughing up more money up front. Still, it looks mighty impressive to me.

Does that chain have a good rep??

 

[Kelly Grannell]

1. Never heard of that retailer (e-tailer) before
2. starting the lens collection at 28mm is somewhat useless. You'll need 18mm as the starting point. 28mm is not wide enough for too many shots.

 

[mhutchinson]

Most of the reputable online camera site get about $800-$825 for the XT with the kit lens and about $725 without a lens (two of my favorites are www.bhphotovideo.com and www.buydig.com ). If the lenses they mention are Quantaray, Vivitar, or another generic company, the lens kits are not worth the money. If the lenses are Tamron or Sigma then it might be a good deal, hard to see from the picture.

Printer that claim to be photo are fairly inexpensive these days, if it is not one that meets your needs I would not even factor it in.

I would say to try and find out the brand of the lens being offered, you might still be better to get the Canon version with the Canon kit lens and look into getting a Canon 75-300mm or add a Tamron 70-300mm zoom with it ..... or holding out and getting a better lens later after you have a feel for what you want to do with the camera.

 

[Kelly Grannell]

mhutchison, may I suggest Canon 75-300 IS instead of the regular version?

 

[Ava83]

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

These guys are AMAZING! I would never hesitate to get anything from there.

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

mhutchison, may I suggest Canon 75-300 IS instead of the regular version?

i use this lens for our XT. the quilty is A+++++ great camera. we got it at circuit city. it was on sale for $899. well worth it. i forget what we paid for the lens. sorry for that.

 

[Greg K.]

Quality service, excellent prices. And: no tax, free shipping. The price you see is the price you pay.

http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=CNDRXTB

 

[PocahontasLookALike]

I got that same deal for about $1100 when I bought my xT. I have to admit that I dislike my Canon 75-300mm that it came with, I wished I could have put that money towards a better lens.

 

[carolina_yankee]

The price doesn't surprise me, and they may be Canon lenses. Costco had a similar price last fall, for 2 lenses. Canon rebates have a way of multiplying when you get several items together. You might want to verify that the Canon warranty is included.

However, I'd recommend getting the XT with the 18-55 kit lens. You'll appreciate the wider angle with a digital. I added on the 70-300 IS after extensively researching several lenses, and I haven't been disappointed (just poorer)!

 

[ndelaware]

i use this lens for our XT. the quilty is A+++++ great camera. we got it at circuit city. it was on sale for $899. well worth it. i forget what we paid for the lens. sorry for that.

The 70-300IS goes for $500 -$600.

 

[geetey]

I really appreciate everyone's input. We have been in St Louis a little under 2 years but everyone here raves about the great prices at American. Personally I haven't shopped there.

I checked buydig.com and they are running specials are the 2 lenses included in this package. They are $99 and $129 respectively, and are Tamron lenses. http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=TM2880EOS
http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=TM75300LDEOS

I am hesitant to buy from a box store and prefer actually to order online. I have purchased from B & H Photo before.

Can you tell I am still having a hard time deciding on the camera I want? The new S3-IS really intrigues me but our vacation is in May so I can't wait for it!

I take that back. I *know* which camera I want. I am just having a hard time justifying spending the $$$ based on just a hobby.

 

[mhutchinson]

mhutchison, may I suggest Canon 75-300 IS instead of the regular version?

I had thought that there was a budget with this purchase.. .. but if geetey can really stretch it, then yes they should get IS when possible. I would not get the older 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens though, after 200mm it goes soft. For about $10 more I would get the newer model (which seems slightly faster) 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM . Just remember that this will tack about $560 on to the purchase, but thens is outstanding for clarity...getting real close to the L line.

Mike