Camera Deals

Olympus Water Ready Adjustable Strap for $3 (free S&H if total is $25+)

If you are planning to place an order of $25 or more at Amazon, you can get the Olympus Water Ready Adjustable Strap for just $3. Limit three per customer.

It is important to note that this is part of the new Amazon Add-On Program. Items in the Add-On Program are typically small accessories and trinkets, often priced under $5. The twist with the Add-On Program is that you can't buy them even if you are willing to pay for shipping out of your own pocket. You can only get them if the total of your qualifying order is $25 or more. Qualifying as in physical goods sold-and-shipped or fulfilled by Amazon itself (not marketplace/3rd-party sellers).

For Add-On program items, the $25+ restriction also applies to Prime members. Some may see it as a roundabout way of restricting Prime benefits without actually taking the PR hit of announcing it. Others may argue that for $79 per year, unlimited 2-day shipping for items over $5, plus a library of streaming videos plus one e-book rental per month is still a steal if you shop often and/or watch streaming videos and/or e-read a lot.

How did we manage to turn a post about a $3 accessory into a four paragraph post? Blog filibuster reform is in order!

Pre-order: Olympus E-P5 kits and VF4 viewfinder

Olympus just announced the new E-Pen E-P5 camera and it is available for pre-order for early adopters as follows:

+ E-P5 body only for $1000 in silver or black or white
+ E-P5 with 17mm f1.8 and VF4 for $1450 in silver or black
+ VF4 viewfinder for $280 at Adorama

Olympus has also announced the following three M43rds prime lenses in black body color: 75mm f1.8 ($900) and 45mm f1.8 ($400) and 17mm f1.8 ($500).

Instant Savings on P&S from Sony, Olympus, Panasonic (FZ200 for $480)

New rounds of Mother's Day themed Instant Savings of fixed lens Point and Shoot digital cameras are out for Sony (expires May 12) and Olympus (expires May 18) and Panasonic (expires May 11) headlined by the Panasonic FZ200 f2.8 superzoom with RAW now down to $480 with free shipping. For a refresher on the camera, check the list of completed Panasonic FZ200 reviews.

Olympus drops $50 on various lenses: 45/1.8, 75/1.8, etc

In addition to the previously mentioned camera discounts, Olympus has also dropped the prices of various M43rds lenses by $50 including:

+ 45mm f1.8 M.Zuiko for $350
+ 17mm f1.8 M.Zuiko for $450
+ 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 M.Zuiko for $550
+ price check other lenses of interest to see where they stand
+ the discounts are part of a new two week Instant Savings promotion in the run up to Mother's Day

Olympus E-M5 kits return to Black Friday pricing

The various Olympus E-M5 kits have returned to their "Black Friday Prices" of $950 for body only, $1050 for w/14-42 and $1100 for w/12-50. See all options at Amazon. This is thanks to an instant savings promotion that ends May-11-2013.

In parallel, Olympus has Instant Savings on select E-Pens and P&S digital cameras which also expire on May-11-2013. See all options at Amazon.

(ENDED) Olympus E-PL3 w/14-42mm & free Lowepro for $300 [limited time]

As of a 10:51pm ET recheck, this limited time offer expired... NewEgg has a limited time offer offering the black Olympus E-PL3 w/14-42mm with a free Lowepro LP34610-0EF case for $300 with free shipping. The free Lowepro will be added and adjusted automatically in your shopping cart. No coupon to enter. Please note this is a limited time offer... For a refresher on the camera, check the list of completed Olympus E-PL3 reviews.

B&M: mirrorless specials in new Fry's weekly ad( In-Store Only; some demo/open-box)

The new weekly ad is out for the wild west of electronics, Fry's Electronics, and they have a mirrorless camera sale. These are in-store only specials, meaning you have to either buy them or pick them up at a local brick and mortar Fry's store. The top right corner of the aforelinked ad page shows among others:

+ Olympus E-PM1 w/14-42mm for $200
+ Panasonic GF5 with the 14-42mm lens for $300 in your choice of black or white
+ Pentax Q for $264 (presumably with a lens)
+ Nikon V1 w/10-30 for $379 in black or white
+ some may be demo, some may be open-box
+ supplies vary from store to store
+ this is a very YMMV as we can't check each individual Fry's store
+ more specials at the cameras page in the ad

Olympus Lens Instant Savings ends 4/20/13

The Olympus Lens Instant Savings (a few Micro Four Thirds and Four Thirds lenses and converters) end on 4/20/13. Check the available models at Amazon.

Olympus 17mm f2.8 pancake (m43) drops to $200

Speaking of pancakes, the Olympus 17mm f2.8 pancake lens for micro four thirds is now down to $200 with free shipping in your choice of silver or black at B&H Photo.

Used black Olympus XZ-1 starting at $151

Amazon Warehouse Deals at Amazon is offering used black Olympus XZ-1 cameras starting at $151 for "Good" condition, with "Very Good" condition starting at $156. Look for Amazon Warehouse Deals as the seller. There is no warranty offered, however, you have 30 days to return the camera. Optionally you can buy after-market Square Trade warranties.

This camera was on clearance during the holidays for $200 or so, so it appears there is ample supply in the market. Even if you are not interested in it now or at this price, keep an eye out for it, because if there are too many available as used, the prices may be forced to go down!

As usual, when buying used cameras, be sure to trade off the risks and rewards. Don't buy used just because the price is lower. Be sure you are comfortable with the trade-offs matrix of used vs new vs refurbished.

Olympus FCON-T01 Fisheye Converter Lens for TG-1 iHS for $100

Adorama is offering the Olympus FCON-T01 Fisheye Converter Lens for TG-1 iHS for $100 with free shipping.

Olympus E-M5 kits at Black Friday prices again (ends 3/23/13)

The Olympus E-M5 kits are back to their Black Friday prices of $950 (body only), $1050 (w/14-42), $1200 (w/12-50) at Amazon and other authorized Olympus retailers. This instant savings promotion expires on 3/23/13 unless extended/canceled/changed... For a refresher on the camera, check the list of completed E-M5 reviews.

Olympus TG-320 blue waterproof for $109 w/free S&H

Down goes again the price of the blue Olympus TG-320 waterproof digital camera, you can get it, as of the time of writing, for $109 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon.

Olympus XZ-2 drops another $50, now $500

Olympus is putting a big price premium on the XZ-series cameras, and the current leader of the pack, the XZ-2 Stylus iHS has dropped another $50, you can now get it for $500 at various authorized Olympus dealers, including Adorama and J&R World and B&H Photo and Amazon.

Olympus PT-050 underwater housing for the XZ-1 for $120

The Olympus PT-050 underwater housing for the Olympus XZ-1 compact with RAW is now available for $120 with free shipping at B&H Photo. Thanks to one of our readers for the alert.

Olympus SP-620uz superzoom for $130

The Olympus SP-620uz superzoom is now available for $130 with free shipping by Data Vision at Amazon.

Pre-order: Olympus XZ-10 for $400

Olympus appears to have high esteem for their XZ-series compacts with RAW. They have priced their new XZ-10 with its 1/2.x" sensor at $400 and it is now available for pre-order at B&H Photo. This is a camera to keep in mind for future purchase. As you may recall recalling, during last year's holiday shopping season, there were some crazy prices on the Olympus XZ-1, going as low as $200.

(ENDED) Olympus Tough TG-320 blue waterproof for $100

As of a 2/27/13 recheck, the price went up... The blue Olympus Tough TG-320 waterproof digital camera is now available for $100 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon itself. Only the blue is discounted. The red goes for $130.

B&H Photo updates: E-Pen discounts & New Arrivals: Cybershots and D5200 w/18-105

We have a mini round-up of updates from B&H Photo as follows:

+ 2013 Cybershot models are now in-stock headlined by the H200 superzoom for $250 and the TF1 waterproof for $200

+ Olympus E-Pen discounts with the E-PM1 w/14-42 for $300, E-PL3 w/14-42 or 17mm for $400 in various body colors

+ in-stock for the first time at B&H, the Nikon D5200 w/18-105mm kit for $1100 and eligible for 2% promotional rewards. Apparently Nikon wants to boost their profits with this very kit - assuming anyone buys it at this price ;-)

Olympus E-PM1 w/14-42 and Extras drops to $300 (many colors) [updated]

One Micro Four Thirds camera discounted, the Olympus E-PM1 with the 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 II R M.Zuiko msc M43rds lens is now down to $300 at Adorama in your choice of black E-PM1 kit or pink E-PM1 kit or silver E-PM1 kit or white E-PM1 kit or purple E-PM1 kit... For a refresher on the camera, check the list of completed Olympus E-PM1 reviews.

UPDATE: the same price is available with the kits with these extras: camera case, 8GB SD, 3rd-party extra battery, and USB reader. The links above have been updated to the kits with the free extras... They are also eligible for the 2% promotional rewards.