Camera Deals

Microcenter Black Friday specials: Oly E-PM1 w/14-42 for $350, Sony NEX-5R, P510, H90 kit, etc

Microcenter has released their Black Friday ads in their Ads section. They have a mega-flash version (Desktop) and a Mobile version (much easier on the eyes and the browser). We include links to the Mobile versions. Of camera and photography interest (we only post the competitive prices):

+ NOTE: the links below to the Microcenter ad pages are correct, however, ZMags (the service hosting the Microcenter ads) automatically switches links to odd-numbered pages to the nearest even-numbered page. Simply click to the left or right to see the correct ad page. We can't fix their ads :)

+ Olympus E-PM1 w/14-42mm for $350 in page #21 [Amazon current price is $400]

+ Sony NEX-5R with 18-55mm for $650 in page #21 - this matches the Best Buy ad which suggests which suggests that the prices will drop to $650 at most/all authorized Sony retailers by then [current Amazon price is $750 among authorized dealers]

+ Nikon J1 w/10-30mm is advertised for $400 but the current Amazon price is already $400... This sold-out: and you can get the kit refurbished for $275 at Adorama

+ the Canon and Nikon and Sony DSLR advertised prices are pretty much similar with other published ads

+ Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 and Premiere Elements 11 for $75 in page #19 ($5 more than the OfficeMax price but still the 2nd best advertised price for the bundle)

+ Sony Cybershot H90 black with card and case for $150 in page #20 [vs current Amazon price of $200]

+ Nikon Coolpix P510 for $300 in page #20 - matches the Best Buy ad which likely means that Nikon authorized dealers will drop to $300 by then [current Amazon price $350~]

+ Canon Elph 110HS for $130 [was $130 earlier online; will likely get price-matched by then]

+ Amazon prices above as are of the time of writing for comparison purposes. The Amazon prices in the blog-post will not be updated. They are intended to be a snapshot in time. Click through the links to the Amazon pages to see the latest prices

+ I must say, of all the retailers having Black Friday ads, Microcenter has the easiest to read, easiest to navigate, and easiest on the browser. Maybe being a computer store helps :). There is an issue with linking to odd-numbered pages in the ad. Always a silver lining :)

Costco Black Friday ad: Dolica ZX600B103, Panasonic ZS19, Sandisk

Costco's Black Friday ads have leaked as well. Their specials run Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Costco is perhaps sane, they are closed on Thursday (Thanksgiving Day). Costco is a membership club. Non-members pay a 5% premium on prices. You can become a member on the spot if you find a deal that saves you enough to justify the annual membership.

+ online only: Dolica ZX600B103 Proline 60-inch Carbon Fiber Tripod with Ball Head and Carry Bag for $80 [Amazon price: $130 via 3rd parties]

+ Panasonic ZS19 compact-zoom for $180 (the ZS19 sits between the ZS20/TZ30 and ZS18) [Amazon price: $250+ via 3rd parties; however, the ZS20/TZ30 has been as low as $220 in recent weeks]

+ $60 off Nikon Coolpix S6300 with 8GB free SD - they don't mention price, but multiple other retailers have similar promotions for $130

+ various discounts on Sandisk storage (SDHC including Extreme, microSD, USB sticks)

Sears Black Friday Ad: Canon T3i w/18-55, T3, SZ-12, GE zoom, A2300

The Sears brick and mortar party starts at 8pm on Thanksgiving night with more doorbusters at 4am on Friday according to the leaked 64-page ad. Electronics start on page #12 and again on page #28 and again on page #48.

+ Canon D-Rebel T3i w/18-55 for $600 (page #15) [Amazon price: $650]
+ Canon D-Rebel T3 w/18-55 for $450 [Amazon price: $500]
+ free 8GB card and bonus points
+ optionally add the 75-300 lens to either DSLR for +$50

+ Olympus SZ-12 compact-zoom for $130 [Amazon price: $130]

+ GE superzoom digital camera for $80 (I can't figure out the model name)

+ Canon A2300 black with 8GB card for $80 [Amazon price: $100]

+ Vivitar VN25 digital camera for $10 [they are cheaper than disposable film cameras now?]

HH Gregg Black Friday specials: D5100 w/18-55, T3 w/extras, L610

If you have HH Gregg stores in your area, they will open at 10pm local time on Thanksgiving night (Thursday). They include as a limited-quantity doorbuster the $50 Canon A810 black [Amazon price: $85+].

Of the rest of the photography-related items, these beat the Amazon prices (as of the time of writing):

+ Nikon D5100 w/18-55mm for $550 [Amazon price: $575+]

+ Canon D-Rebel T3 w/18-55 for $450 [Amazon price: $500]

+ Canon D-Rebel T3 w/18-55 and 75-300 and zoom holster and 8GB for $500 [Amazon price $560~ for T3 w/18-55 and 75-300 through Instant Rebates]

+ Nikon Coolpix L610 compact-zoom for $150 [Amazon price: $190~]

Office Max Black Friday ads: Photoshop Elements 11 for $45 (w/Premiere Elements for $70), $50 iTunes for $35

To see the Office Max Black Friday ads, go to the Office Max home page, click on the "Weekly Ad" and select the appropriate week (depending on when you are reading this blog post). The brick and mortar specials will go live at 6am local time on Friday and 9am local time on Saturday. The online specials will go live at 6am EST on Thursday. On Thursday, Friday and Cyber Monday, online orders get free shipping if your total is $20+.

Amazon prices are included as a baseline price-comparison. The Amazon prices shown below are as of the time of writing of this blog-post and they are not updated automatically. Check the specific Amazon pages for the latest.

Thursday and Friday
+ Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 for $45 [Amazon price: $50]

+ Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Elements 11 for $70 [Amazon price: $135]

+ Canon A2300 black with free 8GB Lexar card and Lowepro camera case for $80 [Amazon price: $100]

+ Canon A4000 for $100 [Amazon price: $100 for some body colors]

+ Nikon Coolpix L26 red for $100 [Amazon price: $85]

+ Nikon Coolpix S3300 for $100 [Amazon price: $90]

+ Nikon Coolpix S6300 red with free 8GB Lexar and Lowepro case for $130 [Amazon price: $130]

+ Canon SX160 IS for $150 [Amazon price: $150]

+ Nikon Coolpix L810 superzoom for $200 [Amazon price: $200]

+ Canon SX500 IS superzoom for $250 [Amazon price: $250]

+ $250 HP Desktop (Windows 8) and $250 Toshiba Windows 8 laptop (with $50+ purchase of other items) [NOTE: the processors are very basic!]

+ 50% off Case Logic cases (various)

+ $15 Office Max reward on $100 Visa or Mastercard Gift Card (activation fee applies on Visa/Mastercard gift cards; Limit 1)

Friday only
+ $15 off a $50 iTunes Gift Card, that's a 30% off discount (think camera and photography apps like the $10 Photoshop Touch and $5 iApple photo app, photography books and camera guides, etc, etc, etc)
+ bargain-hunting tip: with many regular iTunes specials, you can theoretically never have to pay full price for iTunes purchases (different stores run different iTunes gift card promotions on a regular basis, including drugstores like CVS and Rite Aid)

Radio Shack Black Friday specials: T3, L810, SX160, S6300, A2300

The Radio Shack Black Friday specials will go live online at 12:01am EST on Thursday and continue until Saturday night. At their brick and mortar stores, the specials will go live on Friday with doorbusters at 6am local time. Here is the leaked 3-page ad.

For comparison purposes, we include the current Amazon prices next to some items. Amazon prices do NOT include free memory cards or free camera cases. Note that the Amazon prices mentioned in this blog-post are as of the time of writing and they are not updated automatically on the blog (check the Amazon pages for the latest).

Of photography interest, Radio Shack will have:

+ Canon A2300 silver with memory card and Lowepro Tahoe 10 case for $80 [Amazon price: $100]

+ Nikon Coolpix S6300 red with memory card and case and $20 worth of coupons for $130 [Amazon price: $130~]

+ Canon SX160 IS superzoom with memory card and case and $20 worth of coupons for $150 [Amazon price: $150]

+ Nikon Coolpix L810 with memory card and case and $30 worth of coupons for $200 [Amazon price: $200]

+ Canon D-Rebel T3 w/18-55 & 75-300 & memory card and $90 worth of coupons for $500 [at Amazon: Canon T3 w/18-55 for $500, add 75-300 through Instant Rebates for +$60]

+ Vivitar Kids cameras including Hello Kitty for $23

+ I don't know how useful the coupons might be
+ $10 back for every $50 spent (I don't know if these are the coupons or something else)

One more related item, the front page of the ad said 32GB Sandisk USB drive for $10. The USB specials will also go live on the Radio Shack website between 11/22 and 11/24 (as mentioned above).

Target Black Friday ad: Nikon L310 for $100, D-Rebel T3 two-lens for $500

Target has now published a sneak peek of their Black Friday ad. The specials will be good November 22-24, 2012. Of photography interest:

+ Nikon Coolpix L310 superzoom for $100 (page #1)
+ 16GB iPad Retina with $60 gift card for $500 (page #3)
+ Canon D-Rebel T3/1100D with 18-55 & 75-300 & case & card for $500
+ Nook Simple Touch e-ink e-reader for $50
+ save an extra 5% if you pay with the Target RED store card

Best Buy Black Friday Ads: D7000 w/18-105 for $1000, NEX-5R w/18-55 $650, etc

Best Buy has published their own Black Friday ads online for the world to see. This is a 20-page e-flyer. Of photography interest, it includes:

+ Canon A2300 with card and case for $80 (page #2)
+ Nikon Coolpix S9050 for $130 (page #3)
+ hard disks and USB sticks (page #12)
+ Nikon D3000 w/18-55 & 55-200 with case, card, and DVDs for $450 (page #17)
+ Canon D-Rebel T3i w/18-55 for $600
+ Nikon D7000 with 18-105mm for $1000
+ various Sandisk specials
+ Sony NEX-5R with 18-55 and card and case for $650 (page #18)
+ Nikon Coolpix P510 for $300
+ Nikon L610 with card and case for $150
+ Canon SX260 HS with card and case for $200
+ Canon Elph 110 HS for $130
+ Fuji JX520 for $50
+ see them all at the Best Buy Black Friday preview

Best Buy is also offering extended holiday returns, now through January 24, 2013. Yes, 2013 is coming!

Black Friday at Staples: FAR photo paper, 100% Duracell batteries

The Black Friday 2012 ad for Staples brick and mortar stores has been published online. Of photographer interest, they will have a free after EasyRebate special on 50pk Staples-branded 8.5x11 photo paper, and a 100% back in Rewards on 16pk Duracell AA or AAA alkaline batteries. Check the ad for limits and details. Black Friday is Friday November 23, 2012.

Speaking of Duracell alkaline batteries, they will also be offered as a Reward special at Office Max.

(ENDED) Canon 5D Mark II for $2000 (w/24-105 for $2800) [Fri only]

This was a 1-day Black Friday special! Original post after the jump for the historians...

(ENDED) Black Friday at Amazon: Sony TX10 etc (Ended: Adobe 1-hr, Canon 12mp CMOS)

These daily specials have ended. For future specials, check the Black Friday Deals page. You can filter them by Category inside the lightning deals widget. Original post after the jump for the deals archeologists...

Dell Home Black Friday specials go live (computers)

The Dell Home Black Friday specials [requires Flash to view] have gone live! Camera-wise, from what I have seen, they have price-matched some of the previously mentioned brick and mortar (eg Canon SX150 for $150) but I haven't seen anything new that stands out... Computer-wise they have two e-doorbuster computers, a $300 laptop (i3-380M (first gen), 320GB, 3GB, 15.6", etc) and a $400 Inspiron One all-in-one with a 21" touchscreen... At the bottom row of the aforelinked page they have a 24-inch UltraSharp monitor going for $300.

Tigerdirect specials go live (cameras price-match B&M specials)

The Black Friday specials have gone live at Tigerdirect! The digital camera specials are towards the bottom third of the page, and they are price-matching some of the brick & mortar ad scans specials we already mentioned (Canon SX150 for $150, Nikon J1 w/10-30 white for $600, Panasonic FH25 for $100, etc). They also have a GE camera for $50 and a Flip for $60 towards the top third of the aforelinked long page.

Nikon and Canon glossy ads in newspapers with Black Friday ads (no new news)

Canon and Nikon have glossy (hard to miss in bright yellow and bright red) tri-fold advertisements in the bloated newspapers of today carrying the Black Friday ads. The ads don't mention anything that hasn't already been leaked or mentioned online. Of practical interest as a quick cheat sheet are the double lens instant rebates shown on the back of the Canon glossy ad.

(DEAD) Sigma 30mm f1.4 (Canon or Nikon) for $450

These specials have ended! 47th Street Photo at NewEgg, as part of their Wednesday Black Friday specials, are offering the Sigma 30mm f1.4 EX DC HSM lens for $450 in Nikon mount and Canon mount.

(ENDED) NewEgg Madness: Sony A55 w/18-55 for $700 [Sold-Out: GF2, T3i, FZ47]

These limited specials have ended. Previous updates after the jump for the historians...

Black Friday photography specials at brick and mortar in 2011

We have began a round-up of the most interesting of the camera/photography related Black Friday specials of 2011 at brick and mortar stores. You can find it at the main blog. To make updates faster and easier, we will only post it at one place.

For a summary of the current online specials, check the just launched BLACK FRIDAY SITUATION ROOM (that is a summary of what has already been posted here).

Waiting for Black Friday #1: Best of last year's specials

We are less than four weeks away from Black Friday, so it is time to start preparing! "Past performance does not guarantee future results" and "history repeats itself" are two contradicting cliches that can perhaps best describe Black Friday specials speculation. In this post, we take a look at the best Black Friday season specials of last year (2010) - the ones we spotted then and could now find in our chaotic 2010 archives. This exercise is a way to compare and speculate what we might get this year...

(DEAD) SoCal Brick & Mortar: Panasonic GF1 w/14-45 for $500 [ends Sun evening]

This Black Friday special has ended This deal is only for brick and mortar shoppers in Southern California! The Black Friday ad of Samy's Camera stores is featuring the Panasonic GF1 w/14-45mm for $500 and no sales tax plus a $25 gift card. The special ends on Sunday when their stores close. Please note we have no way of knowing what the stock status is. It is DIY from here... (Thanks to one of our anon readers for the email alert!) PS: If you are in SoCal, be sure to check/price-check their ad for other items of interest. I see Panasonic G2 w/14-42 for $520 and FZ100 for $370.

Fry's unleashes Black Friday ads

Fry's has unleashed their various regional Black Friday ads. See them all scanned in, organized and dissected at the FatWallet forums. Due to time constraints we cannot go through each regional ad so that adventure is DIY...