Canon 60D Price Fluxuation?

[MLV Photography]

I've been prowling the market for the best camera for what I do, and I only shoot Canons. I wouldn't say that I'm amatuer, but I'm definitely not professional. I need a great camera for wedding photography, but not quite Mark caliber. I think I've found that the ideal camera for me is the 60D. However, while in the process of saving up for this camera ($888 when I first started saving) the body has gone up in price substantially. I now cannot find it any cheaper that absolute retail value. Why? I'm even finding this body, new, ABOVE retail value. Is there something I'm missing?? Does anyone know where I can find this body, new, for less?

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[Jan Matis]

ahem .. did you miss "the Quake" followed by huge f*ing tsunami followed by that radioactive meltdown of Fukushima that basically swiped half of Japan ?

It was kind of a big event ...

(Just so you know. Canon is a Japan company and makes quiet a lot of equipment there. That reminds me if you wait for 60d to get cheaper, you might get a "glowing" version, on the upside, low light performance will be amazing )

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

You have to be careful when searching the web for prices, especially on popular items like DSLR cameras. There are plenty of shady companies that advertise the lowest prices because they know people like you are searching for it. In most of those cases, they are a total pain to deal with, and if you ever do get the gear you order from them, it will take forever and cost you more than you thought.
I'd suggest sticking to a major retailer. Try B&H Photo or Adorama for photo gear. If someone is selling it lower than them, it would be a red flag for me. You might also try chain stores like Best Buy etc. They may not have the best price, but they usually price match or have sales.

but not quite Mark caliber

FYI, Canon uses 'Mark' as a way of denoting the next version of a previous model. For example, there was the 5D...and the newer model was the 5D Mark II. The 1D series is up to the Mark IV (four) and the 1Ds is only on the mark III (I think).
So while those are all great cameras, the word 'Mark' does not denote their caliber...just the version.

[subscuck]

FYI, Canon uses 'Mark' as a way of denoting the next version of a previous model. For example, there was the 5D...and the newer model was the 5D Mark II. The 1D series is up to the Mark IV (four) and the 1Ds is only on the mark III (I think).
So while those are all great cameras, the word 'Mark' does not denote their caliber...just the version.

However, Canon doesn't use the "Mark" designation on prosumer or consumer bodies. They discontinue those models and release a "new" model with a new name/number. Soooo...

OP, If you find a camera that's significantly cheaper than the majority of retailers, by a couple of hundred or so, it's the bait in a bait and switch scam. Always. The reality with camera gear is no one sells for less. Some sell for more, but most sell at the same price. Amazon, B&H and Adorama are always within a few bucks of each other. Any of those three are the barometer of best price. And not getting screwed.

[scottfishel]

I could be wrong about this, but I think it's actually coming back to where it started (or close to). The price dropped a while back and them came back up a few months ago. I think Canon offers rebates from time to time; you might want to give it a few more months to see if something happens. That being said, I bought one a few weeks ago at the full price. Even where it's currently sitting you're getting a pretty decent camera for the price.... and I'm not patient enough to wait for prices to change.

[KmH]

The 5D's are prosumer cameras, like Nikon's prosumer FF is the D700.

[MLV Photography]

The price had begun to fluctuate since well before the quake. Thank you for your deep, insightful help, though.

[shortpants]

Refurb!

[dandaluzphotography]

I just bought my 60d last Friday and paid 999.00 at Adorama. B&H also charges the same price.

Danny

[Derrel]

Ben Dovers has a few in stock at $1199...