Camera Deals

Consumer Reports announces their December Electronics ratings

Consumer Reports has announced the release of their December Consumer Electronics special edition, which among other things includes ratings for consumer electronics products and retailers. The detailed reports are available for subscribers or buyers of the print editions.

As part of the above announcement, CR offers six common-sense tips for consumer-electronics shoppers as Black Friday is just around the corner. A value-added press release! Who knew press releases could be useful :)

Please keep in mind that their camera reviews and testing are targeting the average consumer, they are not intended to be replacements for dpreview et al. They explain their testing in this short video.

Opinion: Are refurbished camera gear good buys?

Photofocus tries to answer the question that keeps coming up in forums and in the blogs, is refurbished safe to buy and under what circumstances? Read on to find out what they think and what they experienced.

A used Leica M6 is the ultimate depreciation stopper?

One of the banes of high tech, and digital cameras is, that just like cars, the moment you press "order" you start losing "value" in your new purchase. Granted, you are not buying a camera for the same reasons you are buying a stock or a financial investment, however, nobody likes to see what they bought drop in value day by day.

So, the Online Photographer has a suggestion for those who do not want to lose any value from their gear: Used Leicas!

That's right, they may cost a lot (even used) to get into, but when you resell, you can recoup your initial payment, and if you are business-savvy (or lucky), even make a profit. Of course you still have to pay for film and film development because the digital Leicas are still too expensive to buy used, and an unknown in terms of long-term resale value...

Tips on high-demand camera-shopping at Amazon

If you are not a grizzled Amazon shopper, you may want to check this new post at Serious Compacts, where you can get some nice tidbits when buying or pre-ordering a high-demand camera at Amazon. As you know, during the initial rush, things can get a little crazy, so knowing what to do (or what not to do) can help get the camera faster to you.

Sony Alpha users: Saving money with M42 lenses

AlphaTracks has posted a nice write-up for Sonoltans on how to save money by using older M42 lenses on your Sony and Minolta DSLRs. There are trade-offs to doing this, and AlphaTracks does a pretty good job of going through them. However, please note that this is not for everybody, certainly not for the AutoFocus-only crowd.

Mother's Day gift idea: pink Sony S980, bag and memory card for $150

Here is one Mother's Day Gift Idea, assuming the mother in question actually likes pink cameras. Because not all Mothers out there like pink gifts. So be sure to find out if that is the case.

Amazon itself, not a 3rd party seller, is offering a pink Sony S980 set for $150 with free shipping and handling. The pink set includes:
+ standard Sony S980 (pink color)
+ camera case with matching design
+ 2gb memory stick pro duo
+ free shipping and handling

If Mother prefers black compacts with more features and megapixels, then you may want to consider the black Sony W300 which currently goes for $210 (price ends late on Tuesday).

Mother's Day gift idea: thrifty camera kit for $110

If you are looking for affordable tech gifts for Mother's Day, one possibility to look at is this Fuji J10 bundle which includes not only the standard camera kit, but also a 1gb SD card, and the Tre Z-series case which has three different straps, which can be handy for the color-matching Moms out there. The bundle also makes it more "gifty", as opposed to just a regular camera.

Ideas: Affordable pancake-alternative to Four Thirds

DigiCamReview.com has posted an idea for an alternative and affordable small lens, to use with Four Thirds DSLRs. An alternative to what? The 25mm Olympus pancake lens!

Timing the market?

The Imaging Insider features a story that asks the question, is this a good time to buy? Buy digital cameras of course, not stocks!!!

Which Camera to buy - a series at Fotobiz

There is a new multi-part series at Foto-biz discussing camera buying in the unique Foto-biz-blog style. So far, part #1 ("I wanna be a part-time professional") and part #2 ("important technologies") have been posted. Stay tuned to foto-biz for more updates in the series.

Looking for a special Valentine's day gift?

Well, it may be too late to find the right thing, but you can always thrill an internet-shopping-savvy Valentine by getting them a ...gift card, so they can buy what they want and thank you for it. Granted, it's not as romantic as roses, chocolate, wine, or romantic boat rides, but it's a lot more practical and tangible! The easiest way out of an indecision is an Amazon Gift Certificate, emailed real fast and customizable for gift-giving purposes.

And to get to the spirit of Valentine's day, Amazon is offering a free DRM-free mp3 download of a timeless Marvin Gaye song:

Prices too good to be true? That's the definition of a RED FLAG!

If you happen to find one of the hottest or hardest to find digital cameras at a price that is significantly lower than the bellwether stores (Amazon, B&H Photo, Adorama, etc) from a place you never heard of before, then that's a big RED FLAG!

For more on this, be sure to check the nice write-up at PhotoWalk Pro.