Where do you personally buy your cameras from?

[Ediacol]

I was just looking at that one because it's about $30 cheaper for the starter camera that I am looking for (nikon 3100) plus it comes with some little other things I might have to buy like tripod, case, lcd screen protector.. little stuff that I may need?

I bought a kit - the whole shebang - tripod, memory card, case, cleaner, and a whole bunch of other crap. Tripod is worthless. I don't use a screen protecter, case was too small, memory card was 32gb (way too big) and I don't use anything else that came with it except the wireless remote. Better off not buying a kit with all the little extras - not worth it.

Yeah I was just looking at it because it came free with the camera.

 

[480sparky]

Yeah I was just looking at it because it came free with the camera.

It ain't free. It's just not listed separately on the invoice. Trust me.... you pay for it.

 

[Ediacol]

I'm not following you, the site offers the camera for $30 less and that price includes all of the extra stuff or do they bill you additional $$ without telling you...? Because in my opinion $30 is $30, if you get some extras why not take them right?

 

[480sparky]

I'm not following you, the site offers the camera for $30 less and that price includes all of the extra stuff or do they bill you additional $$ without telling you...? Because in my opinion $30 is $30, if you get some extras why not take them right?

They're making money somewhere. They're not going to sell a camera & all the extra goodies that cost them $370 for $400 and give you $30 worth of 'stuff'. They're using "Manufacturers' Suggested Retail" prices, which are nothing but inflated, imaginary numbers.

They're cutting a deal with a supplier for a deep discount on the camera. Say, their wholesale cost is $325. Then they add "$30 worth" of extras. $30 according to who? The seller? Yeah, they pay $5 for it, and claim it's worth $30. So you pay $400 retail for a kit that costs them $330 wholesale.

It's all a numbers game.

 

[Ediacol]

But if the set that I'm looking at is $579 there and $596 somewhere else... I'm still saving myself money.. by going with the $579 with the extras.

 

[MLeeK]

A few idiots on craigslist
If I am going in to NYC I go to B&H. It's like disneyland for photographers. If I am ordering Adorama. Why? I have no reason!

 

[LightSpeed]

If I were you I'd seriously consider the Pentax K5.
They come up for sale used on the Pentax forum from time to time with less than 8k shutter actuations.
Hold the Nikon d3100 in your hand then pick up the Pentax k5 and hold it.........you will then see and feel the superior build quality of Pentax.

 

[blackrose89]

But if the set that I'm looking at is $579 there and $596 somewhere else... I'm still saving myself money.. by going with the $579 with the extras.

It's like why pay more to get less just for the sake of getting less.

 

[Jeremy Z]

Mostly amazon and ebay for me.

To save money, get a previous generation SLR body. Unless you're shooting fast sports action and need the really high shutter and focusing speed, you don't need anything but a basic body. Start with a kit lens, a 28-80 equivalent. Then, put your money into quality lenses as you need them.

I don't keep up with the models of the other manufacturers much, but a previous generation Canon EOS Rebel can be a good buy. It seems they replace them every year or two, and the old ones are just as good for 95% of the people out there. Just buy from a seller with a great feedback rating. Remember that a 95% rating with 10,000 sales can mean 5,000 people were really unhappy. Look for private sellers who are at least amateur photographers, and who are upgrading to the latest thing. Then, buy their 1-2 year old, pristine condition, for hundreds less than it was when new.

I highly recommend the previous generation Pentax K100d and K10d. They're cheap now, but still good cameras, and they can take the old manual focus lenses just fine! Those lenses are super quality and very cheap on ebay. You just have to manually focus them.

 

[Tony S]

B&H Photo and Roberts Imaging. Roberts Imaging has really taken good care of me, while B&H is good they are like talking to robots.

 

[blackrose89]

If I were you I'd seriously consider the Pentax K5.
They come up for sale used on the Pentax forum from time to time with less than 8k shutter actuations.
Hold the Nikon d3100 in your hand then pick up the Pentax k5 and hold it.........you will then see and feel the superior build quality of Pentax.

The whole "which camera should I buy" seems difficult. I mean everyone has a personal preference. How much do pentax cameras run?

 

[adversus]

B&H for random stuff. There's a local chain here called "Shutterbug" (not affiliated with the Magazine) that will match any online price, so if they carry it in store, I go there.

 

[davesnothere11]

I went with a factory refurbished D5100 on eBay from Cameta camera. Not too much more in price then a new D3100.

 

[Fox_Racing_Guy]

When I lived in San Diego I purchased many good lens from pawn shops. You could carry your own body in and try the lens out right in the store. L.A. & Vegas were always good places to find deals.

 

[Lbecker]

BHPHOTO, Adorama, Mid West Photo Exchange, Calumet.