Beginner looking to take advantage of possible Cyber Monday deals

matthewjer18 · Nov 29, 2013

I don't intend to take professional photographs, but I am taking a trip to Japan in March and I'd love to be able to take pictures that can truly capture the beauty of the land for my relatives and friends to appreciate. My budget is in the $500 range, and I've been interested in the Nikon D5100 (some of the deals on it seem to have expired), though I'm open to recommendations. Bundle deals including an additional lens/bag are especially good, if any exist.

robbins.photo · Nov 29, 2013

matthewjer18 said:
I don't intend to take professional photographs, but I am taking a trip to Japan in March and I'd love to be able to take pictures that can truly capture the beauty of the land for my relatives and friends to appreciate. My budget is in the $500 range, and I've been interested in the Nikon D5100 (some of the deals on it seem to have expired), though I'm open to recommendations. Bundle deals including an additional lens/bag are especially good, if any exist.

D5100 is a great all around camera IMHO - almost impossible to beat in it's price range. Matter of fact that's what I use myself. You can click on the link to My Flickr Photostream in my signature if you'd like to see some sample images taken with a D5100.

goodguy · Nov 29, 2013

Nikon D5100 or Nikon D3200 are both fantastic cameras for very reasonable price.
The D3200 is more modern but the D5100 is located higher then the D3200 and has more features, either way both cameras ar excellent and will give you the results you want but I do encorage you to learn how to use them outside the AUTO mode.
If you really want any DSLR to shine you really should use your own creativity and use the camera outside the AUTO mode, there are lots of good and free clips on youtube that will teach you the basics of ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed.

I would also recommend you to get the camera with the 18-105mm VR kit lens or the 18-140mm VR kit lens
The 18-55mm kit lens is ok but not as versatile as the other two.

matthewjer18 · Nov 29, 2013

Do either of you guys have an idea if the 5100 is going to be part of any online Cyber Monday deals? I spotted a terrific deal online that included a good lens, but it appears to be gone already (probably because it's Friday afternoon, long past the initial rush).

Robbins, those look great! If you don't mind, could you post your set-up?

Derrel · Nov 29, 2013

GO TO Ken Rockwell's site. He has links to the big retailers' Black Friday deals....right now, today, there are LOADS of D5100 bundles from Adorama.

matthewjer18 · Nov 29, 2013

$439.00 on Adorama, significantly less than any other listing I've seen: Refurbished Nikon D5100 16.2 MP Digital SLR w/18-55mm DX VR -Refurbished by Nikon- #25478 B 25478 B

I've never bought from Adorama before. Do their refurbished products look clearly used, or are they mostly in good condition?

Basic lens, but anything more is likely to take me out of my budget. I'll probably upgrade in the future as I test the camera out.

matthewjer18 · Nov 29, 2013

I also found this deal on Amazon: Amazon.com: Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera and DIGIC 4 Imaging Bundle with EF-S 18-55mm Lens, 55-250mm Lens, DSLR Case, and 32GB Memory Card: Camera & Photo

Does this model compare favorably to the D5100? Its bundle includes a 55-250mm lens, case and memory card. It's $550 for everything, but the accessories seem decent (especially the lens; its listing price on Amazon is $299).

SCraig · Nov 29, 2013

Adorama is a highly-respected company and has been around for years. I've bought from them (as well as B&H) many times and never regretted it. That particular camera was refurbished by Nikon and should be in very good condition. Perhaps some skin rash but nothing that would affect the operation, perhaps nothing at all wrong with them. Call them and ask, they are pretty good to work with.

matthewjer18 · Nov 29, 2013

Thanks for the reassurance. I think I'm either going to purchase the 5100 through Adorama or take the Canon bundle on Amazon. I've looked over both cameras, and they seem like they'd fit my needs for the upcoming trip. I'm not sure if the accessories in Amazon's bundle make the Canon a better choice, though...of course, Nikon and Canon are distinct brands, neither of which I've used too much of in the past. If you guys had to choose, which deal would you grab?

robbins.photo · Nov 29, 2013

matthewjer18 said:
Do either of you guys have an idea if the 5100 is going to be part of any online Cyber Monday deals? I spotted a terrific deal online that included a good lens, but it appears to be gone already (probably because it's Friday afternoon, long past the initial rush).

Robbins, those look great! If you don't mind, could you post your set-up?

Nothing flashy or terribly expensive. I use a Nikon D5100, pretty much all of the images are taken with a 70-300 mm F/4.5 - 5.6 Nikkor Lens.

robbins.photo · Nov 29, 2013

matthewjer18 said:
Thanks for the reassurance. I think I'm either going to purchase the 5100 through Adorama or take the Canon bundle on Amazon. I've looked over both cameras, and they seem like they'd fit my needs for the upcoming trip. I'm not sure if the accessories in Amazon's bundle make the Canon a better choice, though...of course, Nikon and Canon are distinct brands, neither of which I've used too much of in the past. If you guys had to choose, which deal would you grab?

Well I'm a Nikon guy so I'd go with the Nikon myself, it's my experience that the Nikon will give you better still image quality and they almost always have much better color depth than a Canon in the same price range, at least for the entry / mid level offerings.