Nikon DSLR gurus

[EricaR]

It was at Costco.com. I think they had something odd going on with their website - if you look at the page it showed the price at $750, but when you added it to your cart it was $650.

I just looked, and they don''t have the exact same setup as I got but they do have:

Costco D60 w/ 2 kit lenses - $699 (unfortunately, the 55-200 lens is NOT VR)

Costco D60 w/ 2 VR Lenses, $750 (I can''t see where to add this to my cart, so you may have to call them)

OHHH! B&H (VERY highly rated) has some GREAT deals right now!

B&H D60 w/ 2 non-VR lenses, $588

B&H D60 w 2 VR lenses, $641

That last kit from B&H looks like the best deal out there.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 12/2/2008 12:13:31 PM
Author: EricaR
It was at Costco.com. I think they had something odd going on with their website - if you look at the page it showed the price at $750, but when you added it to your cart it was $650.

I just looked, and they don''t have the exact same setup as I got but they do have:

Costco D60 w/ 2 kit lenses - $699 (unfortunately, the 55-200 lens is NOT VR)

Costco D60 w/ 2 VR Lenses, $750 (I can''t see where to add this to my cart, so you may have to call them)

OHHH! B&H (VERY highly rated) has some GREAT deals right now!

B&H D60 w/ 2 non-VR lenses, $588

B&H D60 w 2 VR lenses, $641

That last kit from B&H looks like the best deal out there.

Yes, B&H is very reputable. Tacori, I''d look into that last B&H deal. The VR lenses are worth it.

Thanks for posting the deals Erica, enjoy your new camera!!

 

[EricaR]

It didn''t make sense NOT to share them since I had spent so much time looking around. I found quite a few things advertised as "deals" that were in no way, shape or form a deal and many other great deals that went unadvertised or unnoticed.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Erica, thanks! I ordered mine last night *happy dance*


So what kind of camera bags do you all have and what else do I need to get started? Do I need an extra battery? What kind of external flash do you all have? So excited! Hope I can figure it out!

Anyone have a lense baby? Is that what they are called? I am so over my head. Haha.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 12/5/2008 7:25:03 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Erica, thanks! I ordered mine last night *happy dance*


So what kind of camera bags do you all have and what else do I need to get started? Do I need an extra battery? What kind of external flash do you all have? So excited! Hope I can figure it out!

Anyone have a lense baby? Is that what they are called? I am so over my head. Haha.

Woo hoo Tacori! Now, just don''t look back because as you know, the camera will only get cheaper and better stuff will come out.

I have a crumpler 4 million dollar house. I love it. Fits perfectly my camera with the big lens attached, plus the speedlight SB-400. It''s more of a "laid back" camera bag (it''s an Aussie company I think). Not much room for much else, but I wanted something small that fits into another bigger bag. If you want a bigger camera bag, a 5 million dollar house might fit the bill. I got mine from Adorama. I will warn you though that it has a HUGE velcro closure on it. Doesn''t bother me (because I''m not shooting wildlife or anything) but may bother others.

I checked out some other quality camera bags and they just too "serious" and camera baggy for me. Lowepro is nice and I also looked at a Tamarack (I think that is what they were called). I saw Tamarack online and it looked good but hated it in person. My crumpler bag is red and I love it.

Extra battery would be nice. I already missed some shots because my battery died. I use the SB400 speedlight, which I like a lot. It only swivels to bounce off the ceiling in landscape mode though. That doesn''t bother me too much, as I find that I will use the flash if I carry it with me - and the 400 is so light I find I don''t mind carrying it with me or adding it to the camera. The SB-600 would be a nice step up if you wanted something a bit more serious. I might get that later, as I definitely think there is purpose for both.

Make sure if you do buy the speedlight, you buy the one that is USA warranty and not gray market. The price difference is nominal (I think 5 bucks) and it''s nicer to have the warranty.

 

[TravelingGal]

btw Tacori, I think your camera should be fine, but make sure it has the USA warranty card when it comes. Also, did you see that the link Erica posted is no longer at the special price? Hopefully you got yours at the 640 because it''s 949-100 instant rebate which is 849. But go figure...when you add it to your card, it says it''s 649....screwy!!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Oh, did I buy the wrong one? I bought the it that now says "discontinued." I think it was $641. Thanks for info on the camera bag. I''ll have to look into it. Did you get an extended warranty or are you talking about Nikon''s?

 

[EricaR]

Did you get the one with the VR lenses? If so, and if you paid $641, then you got the kick-butt deal!

For the camera bag, mine came with a standard nikon bag. I also got an insert for my hiking pack that has velcro loops to hold the lenses and a padded sleeve thing that slides over the camera for protection. I don''t know how much I''ll end up using that, but since I got the camera primarily for hiking you never know - it could end up being the greatest thing ever.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 12/6/2008 8:26:36 AM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Oh, did I buy the wrong one? I bought the it that now says ''discontinued.'' I think it was $641. Thanks for info on the camera bag. I''ll have to look into it. Did you get an extended warranty or are you talking about Nikon''s?

I''m talking about Nikon''s warranty.

B&H sometimes sells gray market items. There''s nothing wrong with these items, but they were just brought in from other distributors other than the authorized US channel ones. You can save money on gray market, but Nikon US will not warranty them and will not do any repairs even if you want to PAY them.

B&H is pretty clear if it is a gray market item - but I forgot to check if that camera you bought is. The way to tell is if it has the Nikon USA warranty. If it is a gray market, B&H will probably give you their own warranty for a year, which will probably be fine too. You would just have to have them or a third party service your camera for the life of the camera.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Erica, yes it was the link you posted with both VR lenses so thank you!

TGal, I guess there is nothing I can do now right? It is the camera that Erica posted. The deal is now "discontinued." B&H is not taking orders until 5 tonight. Kinda strange.

 

[EricaR]

They aren't taking order until 5 because of sabbath. The company is run by orthodox jews, so they don't allow "work" between sundown Friday and sundown Saturday.

p.s. Before I posted that link I checked and it didn't say anything about it being a grey market version.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 12/6/2008 3:27:36 PM
Author: EricaR
They aren't taking order until 5 because of sabbath. The company is run by orthodox jews, so they don't allow 'work' between sundown Friday and sundown Saturday.


p.s. Before I posted that link I checked and it didn't say anything about it being a grey market version.

Gotcha! The kit I bought says it is discontinued so looks like I got it just in time. Thanks again! So the UV filters does that effect the photo, protect the lense or both? I read online German glass ones are the way to go.

 

[TravelingGal]

Erica is right about the jewish holiday part. Makes us really bust our butt in our company to get things done because B&H (and a lot of the NYC camera retailers) are closed down so much during November.

Don''t know much about UV lenses...let us know what you find out Tacori!

 

[Skippy123]

Hubby wants the D90 Nikon, any good deals for this camera out there? TIA

 

[EricaR]

Unfortunately I haven''t seen too many deals lately. I''ll keep my eyes open over the next few days and will let you know what I find.

 

[pocahontas]

Date: 12/19/2008 7:47:53 PM
Author: Skippy123
Hubby wants the D90 Nikon, any good deals for this camera out there? TIA

Skippers, not the greatest deal at only $65 off, but Best Buy has it on sale for $1234.99 from $1299.99 I''ll keep my eyes open for something better for you.

 

[Stephanie]

Date: 12/19/2008 7:47:53 PM
Author: Skippy123
Hubby wants the D90 Nikon, any good deals for this camera out there? TIA

I''m waiting on a deal for that too!!

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 12/6/2008 3:34:55 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring



Gotcha! The kit I bought says it is discontinued so looks like I got it just in time. Thanks again! So the UV filters does that effect the photo, protect the lense or both? I read online German glass ones are the way to go.

Just protects the lens on digital cameras.
Hoya pro1 digital is the best bang for the buck in a quality filter.
A good place to get them is here:

http://hvstar.net/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=37
Shipping takes a while but they have a rock solid reputation and usually the best non-scam prices.

B+W is a little higher quality but more expensive.
99.99999999999999999999999% of people will never notice the difference.

 

[strmrdr]

Good place for camera batteries.
http://sterlingtek.com/

Not the cheapest generics but likely the cheapest good generics.

 

[EricaR]

Date: 12/19/2008 7:47:53 PM
Author: Skippy123
Hubby wants the D90 Nikon, any good deals for this camera out there? TIA

Skip - does he currently have any lenses or would he need a "kit" that includes them?

 

[EricaR]

Ok, I found a few so-so deals.

The body only runs about $835 from various sellers. I''m going to assume that you need a bit more than that, though.

Adorama Two Lens Kit Adorama has a D90 with two lenses - 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR and 70-300mm f/4.5 - 5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR for about $1,500. This is $300 cheaper than I''ve seen it anywhere else and on top of that Nikon is offering a $100 mail in rebate.

42nd Street Photo One Lens Kit 42nd Street Photo has a D90 with the 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens for $1089. Amazon has it for $1095 so just a teeny tiny bit higher.

The 70-300mm lens runs about $450 retail, so if you want it you''d save a tiny bit more money buying the kit from Adorama.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 12/20/2008 11:42:22 AM
Author: EricaR

Date: 12/19/2008 7:47:53 PM
Author: Skippy123
Hubby wants the D90 Nikon, any good deals for this camera out there? TIA

Skip - does he currently have any lenses or would he need a 'kit' that includes them?

He does need a kit; I actually found an awesome deal through amazon and the kit is $1400. I think that is the best deal out there?! What are your thoughts on the D90?

Pocahontas, Stephanie and Erica, thanks a million!

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 12/20/2008 2:51:42 PM
Author: Skippy123

Date: 12/20/2008 11:42:22 AM

Author: EricaR

Date: 12/19/2008 7:47:53 PM

Author: Skippy123

Hubby wants the D90 Nikon, any good deals for this camera out there? TIA

Skip - does he currently have any lenses or would he need a ''kit'' that includes them?

He does need a kit; I actually found an awesome deal through amazon and the kit is $1400. I think that is the best deal out there?! What are your thoughts on the D90?


Pocahontas, Stephanie and Erica, thanks a million!

I think taking price into account the d90 is the best camera Nikon makes.
Overall it is the 4th best but you pay a bunch more for smaller increases as you go up the chain.
At the same time there are larger jumps coming up the chain to the d90.

 

[EricaR]

Post the link Skippy, or send it to me on FB. You want to make sure that the seller is an authorized Nikon dealer or else Nikon might not stand behind it.

It really is a good camera. I had a brief flirtation with the thought of getting it but decided to be more practical.

 

[Skippy123]

Thank you for your thoughts Karl and Erica!!! They are very much appreciated!