When to buy a Canon 30D?

Mihai

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I'm pretty sure I want to buy a Canon 30D. However, I'm not sure if the price will drop in the near future (say 2 weeks to 2 months) due to the introduction of the Nikon D80 or not. If it doesn't (or it does by very little, say $50), I would not wait. However, if Canon wants to crush the D80 and goes $250 under the current price (to about $1000 for body only), I'd rather wait.

From your experience, should I wait or not?
Thanks,
Mihai
 
Canon can be hard to read, rumors fly around like crazy but Canon keeps a tight lid on things.

The 30D is pretty much their newest EOS camera so I doubt the price will drop any time soon. One thing to watch for is the yearly rebate program. Almost every year (or twice a year) they have a program where if you buy a camera and one, two or three of their lenses...you get money back. Could be up to a few hundred off...but it may be months before their next rebate comes about.

Also, don't buy from the cheapest price you can find on the Internet. There are plenty of very shady dealers who advertise low prices but then screw you around. This is/was happening to a new member here, just last week. If you do order it from a web site, use the links at the top of the page for B&H or Adorama....you will get a fair price, good service and you will be helping this forum.
 
That's a good point about the D30 being the newest. They're more likely to drop the price on the D20 rather than the D30.

For dealers I was thinking Amazon or Adorama (I think that Adorama is actually selling through Amazon). I also heard scary stories from other places so I'll stay away.

How do I know if and when Canon are offering their rebates?

Mihai
 
How do I know if and when Canon are offering their rebates?

That's a good question :scratch: maybe Google it...or call/e-mail a camera store (or Canon itself) and ask them.
 
If it helps, I waited for it for 10 years...

M.
 
id say just buy the 20D, as it offers all the same functional features as a 30D, withought the added cost for useless features
 
While the 20D is certainly a great camera, I wouldn't say that the 30D has "useless features".

Spot metering is a great feature that I would use a lot. The buffer is bigger, the screen is bigger etc.
 
I also understand that it has better autofocus performance, something I badly need, as perhaps half of all my pictures will be of my kids while playing. Hence, very fast and acurate auto-focus is a priority for me. That's also why I'll only get the USM lenses.

Maybe it's overkill, and I'm unnecessarily obsessed with speed, but I've been marked by using a Canon G3 in the past 4 years or so: it's so slow that more than three quarters of my shots were wasted because I missed the moment. That is, even when I knew that a good pic will come and I'll start the camera on time, then go half way to compute exposure and lock the focus, it would still be some 300-500ms lag that was all it takes to spoil a picture. In the same vein, the larger buffer that allows me to take more pics in quick succession is also welcome. Who knows, maybe even the screen...

So, I'm going after fast this time around even it if may be an overkill. I never want to miss another shot because of the camera. If it's because of me, I can bang my head hard and fix it :).

But thanks for the suggestion - it also crossed my mind a couple of times; I went at the store and held a 20D and liked the feel.

Mihai
 
It might be worth waiting until after Photokina on September 26. There are rumors Canon is expected to release some new high-end equipment, and although it is unlikely that they will do anything to the 30D / 350D side of things, it could still possibly cause a price shift in their lineup.
 
snownow said:
Skip it and buy a Nikon :)
- nice... but I don't like nikon...:lol:

if you think that you will earn more money if you buy the Canon 30D take it now... or just wait a little to see how things go...
 

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