where to buy DSLR camera?

[renae3]

Hi everyone. I am thinking about purchasing a canon rebel DSLR camera for our upcoming disney trip. Any suggestions on where to buy it at a good price? Thanks so much!

 

[ChrisinNJ]

Are you a Costco member? Their prices are usually pretty good.

Not sure about prices on the Rebel, but I just bought a Panasonic Lumix from B&H & the price was actually better than Costco. (I am doing the opposite from you, after many trips lugging the DSLR, I wanted a small p&s to lighten my load for my next Disney trip )

If you are not in NY, then B&H will save you sales tax & they offer free shipping on some items. You definately want to buy from a reputable dealer. Some places offer prices "too good to be true" and people get screwed all the time because they are not reputable dealers. Another safe vendor is Adorama Camera.

Good luck & Happy shopping!!

 

[sweetyface77]

I just bought my first DSLR (it's a Nikon, not a Canon) from Best Buy because they were running a few fantastic specials/combo deals.

My suggestion would be to try Best Buy, Ritz Camera (if you have one in your area) and there are even good deals to be had at Target and Wal-Mart.

 

[Disneys#1fan]

I got my Canon Rebel at Sam's Club back before Thanksgiving. Not sure if they still have the deal but it was the best I could find back then...even beat Black Friday sales.

 

[mster425]

I order from them personally and through my business and they are the cheapest 9 times out of ten. Also good customer service. They close early Friday for Shabbat though and don't ship Saturday so take that into account if you need it by a certain date.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

I searched around forever before I bought mine and Amazon was definitely the best prices since they search around for the best prices and generally have free shipping. Mine actually came from B&H through Amazon.

 

[tinkerbelletreasure]

I second Amazon! I bought a new canon for our trip and I researched for weeks and they had the best price. I bought right after Christmas and they had a special where all Cannon's were $50 off plus I was able to get an excessory bundle for an extra $15.

 

[Kies99]

Beach Camera is pretty good as well.


www.beachcamera.com

 

[bonoriffic]

I just ordered the new Canon Rebel T2i. Amazon or B&H are probably your best options. A few places may be slightly cheaper here or there. Be aware that some places are really low because they are selling gray market, or will try to hard sell you accessories to honor their original price. If you aren't interested in the latest model, Costco does have a nice package with a few extras not normally included. Places like Best Buy, Ritz, Target, are the worst places to get it without some sort of % off coupon. Even then, you are probably just saving what will be added right back in tax.

Another option is Craig's List. I upgraded my old Digital Rebel and sold it online for a fraction of the cost of what I paid for the original. You can find amazing deals on eBay also for older models, especially right after a new model is announced such as the case with the Rebel T2i.

 

[princessbride6205]

Another vote for B&H Photo. Consistently the best price on any photo or video gear.
If you have a local camera store, they may be willing to come close to the online price. In MN we have a local chain called National Camera - a few times we could negotiate our price low enough to buy thru them rather than online. They also carry refurbished models or discontinued ones at a discount.

 

[Golf4food]

Beachcamera.com or B&H, possibly Amazon. Avoid BB or Ritz or most other places like them because even their "sales" are often higher than the other places I listed because their regular prices are so much higher. Only buy from them if they legitimately have a better deal going (meaing make sure to compare the online places first).

We have a photography board here on the DIS and you can find lots of great information there, FYI.

Not all DSLRs are created equal, not all are right for everyone. You should read up on many, handle as many as you can in the store (are they too big, too heavy? For instance, a Pentax might weigh half of a Cannon and be smaller in your hands, but if you have big hands you don't want a tiny camera, etc.)

 

[czycropper]

B&H...B&H....B&H and did I mention B&H They have wonderful customer service and their prices are the lowest. My DH bought his DSLR Rebel from them in 2006 and is currently upgrading and has been on the phone with them several times to discuss his choice and they have been wonderful. We live in NJ and they even said to order it online so we don't have to pay the NYC sales tax (even though my DH to go to their store in the City.

I live about 20 minutes from the Beach Camera brick & mortar store and I stopped in there one day and I will NEVER, ever buy from them --- they were nasty and not helpful when I was looking for a lens for my DH's camera. So I called B&H, they recommended several lenses, I bought it one of them online and it was in my hands to wrap in 48 hours.

I've also bought all my Olympus & point-and-shoot cameras from them.

We placed an order from them last night for extra cards for all our cameras as well as lens covers and underwater camera for our upcoming trip to the Galapagos and I just got an e-mail that everything has shipped

 

[deerhart]

when comparing prices, make sure your comparing apples to apples and not apples to oranges. Some places will list DSLR cameras WITH a lens and some WITHOUT a lenses. Or they will list with different lenses options. This is very important because some of the lenses cost as much if not more then the camera.

 

[mkel34]

Not sure if you have Canon set in concrete but Nikon has an instant $150 rebate going on right now, there are some D3000 and D5000 kits that are really a good value. BH is one of the vendors w/ prices reflecting the discount.

 

[Dizfan4life]

I'm another B & H fan! We ordered our Digital Canon Rebel from there and had absolutely no problems!

 

[tekoa]

Another fan of B&H. I bought my canon dslr from them. Quick service and a great price. I have also purchased from Adorama, I would give them the also.

 

[ElizK]

Join us on the Photography board! Lots of good info over there. I buoght my dSLR from Adorama.com. They ran a really good deal on the camera/lenses that I wanted. Before that I was looking at Amazon.