A reputable place to buy a camera.

Alicia · Oct 15, 2007

OK, I thought I was confused about which camera to buy. Now I seem to be confused about where to buy it! I'm in the market I think for a Dx40 or XTi. I've looked on the internet, and at Costco. The prices online are EVERYWHERE and the package options are endless. It seems I could get the camera for $1000 or $200.....

So first:

1) Who is a reputable seller? Should I just go to Costco (Package w/ two lenses for 900-1000) or is there an online price that is better?

2) What accessories should I make sure I have so I don't get my camera and then find out the next day I need to spend a bunch more money?

Thanks!!

newrmdmike · Oct 15, 2007

reputable sellers.

bhphoto.com <--- all new equipment i buy from here, usually

keh.com <---- all used equipment i buy here, very great place to buy from, and amazing condition, and accurate condition ratings.

adorama.com <--- if i can't buy from bh, or there is an amazing rebate i will buy here, although they don't ship it out as fast as bh, and don't show if items are in stock, so you might buy, and end up waiting a month for it to come in, i've had bad experiences with them, but after doing a poll here most people didn't have problems with them.

newrmdmike · Oct 15, 2007

prices don't get much better than bh or adorama.

as far as used keh.com is the best price and quality i've found.

plastii · Oct 15, 2007

Not long time ago I bought a lens from beachcamera.com . I was happy with the purchase and the price vas very good.

usayit · Oct 15, 2007

I've also purchased from beachcamera. Reputable reseller BUT that is about the extent. Their knowledge about photography equipment is somewhat limited.

As already posted, BH, Adorama, and KEH.

Big Mike · Oct 15, 2007

Another vote for B&H or Adorama.

There are links to both, at the top right of the page.

Alicia · Oct 15, 2007

Like for example something like this on ebay seems to include a lot of stuff...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-D40X-Digi...ryZ43456QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I need an external flash right?

Big Mike · Oct 15, 2007

That is a lot of stuff....but most of it is just junk. Two of the cheapest lenses and a bunch of stuff that you don't really need.

You can get the camera, with a lens for much less. Then all you need is a card and you are good to go. I would even recommend getting the camera with the better 'kit' lens. (the 18-135 rather than the 18-55)

Alicia · Oct 15, 2007

OK, what about this deal?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/494403-REG/Nikon__D40x_Digital_Camera_Kit.html

And tell me about lenses....is it better to have two :18-55 and 55-200 or better to have one: 18-135?

I ask because the Costco in store deal has the two lenses all for around the same price.

Thanks!

Big Mike · Oct 15, 2007

That looks like a pretty good package. If Costco has it, that might be good because you won't have to pay for shipping etc.

As for lenses, that's a loaded question. It is usually better to have two lenses than one...provided that the two lenses do their job very well. In this case, the 18-55 and 55-200 are cheap lenses that were designed to be affordable, not necessarily designed to do a great job. From what I hear, the 18-135 is a much better lens. If you really want a good lens, check out the Nikkor 17-55 F2.8...of course, it's more expensive than the camera.

The point is that lenses run the gamut from cheap to really, really expensive and the quality of the lenses does as well. Usually, the easy way to tell how good a lens is....is to just look at the price.

I'm not saying that you can't take great photos with the cheaper lenses, but they do have their limitations. If you can afford something better than the cheapest ones, it would be a worthy investment. If your budget is tight, then the cheap lens will still be OK...and you can always upgrade down the road, if you want.