Camera Deals

(ENDED) Bonus Reward Zone points at Best Buy (ends Sun night)

This promotion ended... Ending Sunday night (5/19/13) at Best Buy brick and mortar stores and at the Best Buy website, you can earn extra rewards points with your purchase. Standard reward members will earn 2X base points per dollar spent, while Premier Silver members will earn 3X base points per dollar spent. This means a $100 purchase will earn a standard rewards member 200 points which are the equivalent of $4 in rewards. Rewards can be redeemed when your balance is 250 points or more. You earn "Premier Silver" status when you spend $2,500 or more in a calendar year.

12% bonus points on digital cameras at Rakuten with coupon

Rakuten (the artist formerly known as Buy.com) is offering 12% bonus points back with the purchase of digital cameras when you enter coupon code DIGICAM during the checkout process. Please note these are 12% points you receive in your Buy.com rewards account. This is not a 12% discount on the current prices of the cameras! This is a Mother's Day themed promotion, so one could guess that perhaps it will end by/before Mother's Day.

Please also note that Rakuten/Buy.com has an open marketplace with all kinds of sellers selling the same product. If you are not familiar with a seller, be sure to research them to your satisfaction. And if you are buying more expensive gear, be sure to make sure that you are dealing with an authorized dealer or you are comfortable with the trade-offs of not buying from an authorized dealer.

Get $10 promotional credit when you spend $30 or more at Radio Shack

Radio Shack has a new promotion, spend $30 or more at their website or at their brick and mortar stores, and receive a $10 promotional credit. Click on the small FAQ button in the orange/gold/brown box for all the details about this promotion. Digital cameras are eligible! The promotion expires 6/1/13. The $10 back is a promotional credit, not a gift card. You must spend your $10 promotional credit within 21 days of issuance and it can only be spent on a purchase of $10 or more. The aforementioned FAQ explains all scenarios.

6% Rewards on Canon, Nikon and Sony DSLR/iLC gear

For a limited time (expires May-1-2013), Adorama is offering 6% promotional rewards when you purchase one of the following eligible items:

+ Canon DSLRs (choice of 12 items)
+ Canon Lenses (choice of 37 items)
+ Nikon DSLRs and CX cameras (choice of 24 items)
+ Sony DSLRs and NEXxXies and RX100 (choice of 17 items).

Please note these are promotional rewards, they are not a 6% discount on the current prices!

You can find details on the Promotional Rewards on the individual product pages of eligible items. We are cut-and-pasting them as an example, but be sure to check the information at the Adorama page as the blog-post text here is not updated automatically if something changes in the promotion...

To Receive Your Percentage Back in Rewards:
+ Add a qualifying product to your Shopping Cart
+ Click the Proceed to Checkout button and place your order.
+ You will receive Rewards equal to the indicated percentage of the purchase price, excluding taxes. We will also send you an e-mail confirmation.
+ 40 days after shipment, your Rewards will automatically convert into a promotional code that can be used on a future purchase of any item sold by Adorama.com.
+ Once issued, the promotional code will be valid for six months.

Terms and Conditions
+ Rewards are promotional in nature and result in the issuance of a promotional code to be used on a future purchase at Adorama.com
+ The promotion is valid for a limited time only. Adorama reserves the right to modify or cancel it at any time.
+ Rewards or promotional codes cannot be converted directly or indirectly to cash.
+ If you return the qualifying camera or lens, we will subtract the value of your promotional code from your account.
+ Shipping and handling charges apply to all products, including items purchased with your Rewards.
+ Unless the promotion indicates otherwise, it may not be combined with other offers.
+ Promotional codes issued under this program will be valid for six months from date of issuance.
+ Offer valid in the United States only.
+ Void where prohibited.
+ Offer is nontransferable and may not be resold.

6% rewards on select Full Frame DSLRs (Nikon D800*, D600, D4, Canon 1D X, Sony A99)

Amazon has launched another 6% rewards promotion on select Full Frame DSLRs. The cameras are eligible for the 2% standard rewards plus these new bonus 4% rewards, making the total 6%. Eligible DSLRs kits are the Nikon D4, D800, D800E, D600, Canon 1D X and Sony A99. Considering the price of these DSLRs, 6% back in Amazon Promotional Rewards is not small change! For example, 6% of $3000 = $180!

Be sure to read all the terms and conditions of this promotion if you are not familiar with how they work! The promotional Amazon page explains these in an easy to read format. The 4% additional promotion that brings the total to 6% expires April-13-2013. Rewards will be sent to you 35 days after your order ships. After the order ships, not after the order is placed.

March 17-23: FAR 8.5x11 photo paper, 100% rewards on Duracells, 50% Canon photo paper

The weekly ad for the March 17-23 in 2013 at Staples Brick and Mortar stores has been published at the Staples website and there are a number of photography interest specials going live during the March 17-23, 2013 week as follows:

+ Free After Easy Rebate on a 50pk of 8.5x11 Staples brand supreme photo paper (you pay $15 + tax per 50pk, submit rebate online, receive amount of $15 after a few weeks as gift card or postcard check by mail; choice of rewards is made when you submit the rebate online; if you don't change the selection, you will receive the default which is a gift card). Limit TWO for the week.

+ 100% back in Staples Rewards on select 16pks of Duracell AA or AAA batteries. You pay $14 plus tax in-store while showing the cashier your Staples Rewards card. You must show your Staples rewards card at purchase time. You cannot fix this later. You will receive $14 in Staples rewards by the end of the next month. Note this is not a rebate promotion but a rewards promotion. Staples Rebates vs Rewards are two different and separate programs. Be sure to understand the distinction if not familiar with these. You cannot use Rewards to pay for Rewards purchases. Limit TWO for the week.

+ 50% off on select Canon photo papers (excludes clearance). This is a price-you-see-is-the-price-you-pay promotion. No coupons, no rebates, no rewards

+ as always, sales tax in not refunded in rebates and rewards promotions

+ promotions may vary by state/region/zipcode. We obviously can't check every state/city/zipcode. To be sure, check by looking up your local Staples stores or wait for the weekly ad to arrive in the Sunday papers or the B&M stores on Sunday

25% back in Rewards at Staples B&M (ends 1/24/13)

If you check the latest emails from Staples or check the Coupon Wallet in your Staples Rewards account, there is a new brick and mortar coupon. The coupon gets you 25% back in Rewards for purchases made at Staples brick and mortar stores by the close of business on Thursday 1/24/13. Digital cameras and printers are not in the list of excluded products! Excluded are Epson inks. I don't know if this is combinable with the 30% off coupon on clearance and discontinued cameras we mentioned earlier. Even though you are getting rewards back, you need to use this coupon, and Staples typically allows only one coupon per item. You may want to experiment or ask the store employees if you want to attempt a double stack.

Please note this is 25% back in Staples Rewards. This is not cashback and not an instant discount. Be sure to read up on the Staples Rewards program if you are not familiar with it.

2% Rewards continue at Amazon (DSLRs, Mirrorless, Lenses)

The 2% Rewards promotion at Amazon continue with select DSLRs and mirrorless cameras and lenses. Links to eligible products can be found at the aforelinked page. Only items sold and shipped by Amazon itself are eligible. Items sold by 3rd-party/marketplace sellers are not eligible. The page does not mention an expiration date, so this is good until it is no longer good. When it ends, you will no longer see this offer mentioned under the "Special Offers" section on individual product pages.

Please note this is 2% in promotional rewards, not cashback! They will be emailed to you 35 days after your order is shipped. Once delivered, you have six months to spend them. See promotion page for details.

Jan 6-12: 100% Rewards on Energizer Max AA Alkalines

For the shopping week of January 6-12 in 2013, Office Depot will be having another crazy 100% Rewards promotion that includes 24pks of Energizer Max single-use Alkaline AA batteries. Based on the front page ad of the Weekly Ad for the Jan 6-12/2013 ad posted at the Office Depot website, only AA batteries are participating (no AAA this time). This is the usual crazy Office Depot rewards: limit 2 per item per member PER DAY during the week of Jan 6-12/2013. So if you want to completely max out, you can get 14 24pks of batteries, pay $266 + tax in-store, and around May 2013, you will receive $266 back in rewards.

Please note: you don't get cashback. You get rewards, which are similar to store credit and you must spend them within 3 months of issuance. So when deciding how many batteries to buy, it is a good idea to also plan how you will spend your rewards before you buy the batteries. Office Depot has P&S cameras (very few iLCs), iPods, laptops, tablets (no iPads), printers, office supplies, etc.

6% Rewards on Canon and Nikon Full Frame DSLRs and Sony A99 and Pentax 645D

Rewards time! Amazon has gone full frame crazy with this new promotion. You earn an additional 4% in rewards (2% + 4% = 6% TOTAL) when you purchase one of these Full Frame and Medium Format DSLR kits:

+ Nikon D600, D800, D800E, D3X, D4
+ Canon 1D X, 5DMk3, 5DMk2 w/24-105, 6D
+ Sony Alpha A99
+ Pentax 645D
+ all eligible DSLRs
+ promotion ends 1/1/13 or earlier

Take the Pentax 645D for example, it goes for $8800. 6% of $8800 = $528 in promotional rewards!!!

The rewards will be activated 35 days after your order ships. Once you receive them, you have six months to spend them at Amazon. This is not cashback!

Batteries: 100% after rewards continue this week at all three office chains

If you frequently shop at office supply chains and you want to stock up on single-use alkaline AA and AAA batteries, the 100% after Rewards promotions on Duracells at Staples and Office Max and Energizers at Office Depot continue for this shopping week as well. This covers the period of brick and mortar store opening on Sunday December 16 until close of business of Saturday December 22, 2012. Each one of the three stores has its own rules and terms on their Rewards programs, so be sure to read up on them if you are not sure how they work. All are Rewards, not cash! They are similar to store credit but you have to spend them within three months after they are issued.

Energizer 100% Rewards continue December 9 to 15, 2012

If you are hoarding AA/AAA single-use batteries to prepare for the upcoming Zombie Apocalypse, Office Depot will be continuing their 100% back in Rewards on Energizer AA and AAA single-use batteries, Sunday December 9 until the close of business on Saturday December 15, 2012. The same rules, 2 per SKU per day per member, for a maximum of (2+2) times 7 = 28 sets of batteries and $340+ in rewards. Sales tax not refunded. The promotion is also good for this week. Check the Batteries category for more on the 100% battery specials. Please note each one of the rewards programs of the three office supply chains offering these specials are DIFFERENT! Make sure you understand their pros and cons before jumping in! This is NOT cashback! All apologies for repeating all these warnings, I am trying to make sure the speed-readers don't ignore these!

100% back on Energizer AA and AAA (limit two of each per day for the week)

This brick and mortar shopping week (Dec 2-8, 2012), you can stock up on single-use AA/AAA alkalines after 100% rewards. We already mentioned the Duracell specials at Staples and Office Max but there are also specials at Office Depot. They are offering a crazy promotion: 100% on Energizer Max single-use AA and AAA batteries, 16-packs, limit two per sku per member per day. Yes, Office Depot offers two of each, not two total. And you can do two of each per day for the whole week. It is on the front page of their new weekly ad... Long post, more after the jump...

Dec 2-8 at Office Max B&M: 100% back on Duracell AA/AAA single-use

If you like to stock up on Duracell AA/AAA single-use batteries, you are in luck! In addition to Staples, Office Max brick and mortar stores too will offer these batteries for 100% back in Rewards. The limit is two for the brick and mortar week of Sunday December 2 until the close of business Saturday 8, 2012. Only the designated products are eligible, not everything Duracell. Office Max offers 20pks while Stales offers 16pks. The limit is two for the week (two AA or two AAA or one each). If you end up getting carried away by the deals and get more than you need, you can always donate them at a local toy-drive, school, charity, non-profit, etc.

Dec 2-8 at Staples B&M: 50pk double-sided 8.5x11 and Duracells

For the shopping week of Sunday December 2 until the close of business on Saturday December 8, 2012, at Staples brick and mortar stores, they have these two potentially interesting promotions:

+ 50pk 8.5"x11" Staples brand double sided matte photo paper: Pay $15 + tax in-store, submit the Easy Rebate online, receive $14 back after a few weeks. Limit 4 for the week. If you max out, you get 200 sheets of the paper for $60 + tax. You will receive back $56. Choices include at least one of: postcard check, PayPal, Visa gift card, Staples gift card

+ 100% back in Staples Rewards on 16pks of Duracell AA or AAA single-use alkaline batteries. Only the marked products are eligible. Limit two total for the week (two AA or two AAA or one of each). This promotion continues at "limit 2 per week" until Dec-29-2012

+ one is a Rebate promotion, the other is a Rewards promotion. These are two different programs with different rules and strategies on how to make the most of them. Be sure to read up on them if you are not familiar. Do not assume!

Staples B&M: Duracell battery 100% Rewards will continue until Dec-29-2012

Signs at Staples brick and mortar stores state that the 100% Rewards promotion on Duracell AA/AAA single-use alkaline batteries will continue on a weekly basis until the close of business Saturday December 29, 2012. This is the usual promotion, limit two per week (two AA or two AAA or one of each; not two of each). The week is defined as the start of business on Sunday until the close of business on Saturday at Staples brick and mortar stores.

AVOID: paying for Amazon purchases directly with Citi Thank You points

Executive Summary: Buy the $25/$50/$100 Amazon electronic gift cards through the Citibank Thank You program. Do not use the Amazon Shop with Points link for Citi Thank You because your buying power is only 80% there... Details after the break...

Stock up on Duracell AA alkalines with 100% Rewards back (Saturday and next week)

This week is not dead yet. You have Saturday November 24, 2012 to take advantage of Duracell AA/AAA single-use alkaline battery free-after-100%-rewards promotions at Staples and Office Max brick and mortar stores. At each store, the limit is two for the shopping week (Sunday open until Saturday close). Your two can be two AA or two AAA or one of each. Two total for the shopping week per store. A total of 4 for this week (two at Staples, two at Office Max)

B&H Photo and Adorama match the Amazon 2% Rewards promotion

Rewards price wars! As we mentioned the last couple of weeks, Amazon is running a promotion that gets you 2% rewards on DSLR, Mirrorless and Lens purchases of select gear that goes for $99 or more and is sold and shipped by Amazon itself only. (NOT eligible: third-party sellers, marketplace sellers, used, refurbished)

Fast-forward to now, and both B&H Photo and Adorama have launched competitive 2% Reward promotions as well! Eligible items mention this promotion on the individual product pages. Here is one example from each retailer: Nikon D600 at Adorama and Canon 5D Mark III at B&H Photo. The fonts used are really small, so slow down, take a deep breath, and look carefully. Or use your browser's search feature to search for "reward" or "2%".

Both the B&H and Adorama rewards will be activated forty (40) days after your order ships. Once activated, the promotional rewards must be used within six months.

UPDATE: We have a more detailed post on these that includes annotated screenshot crops at the main blog.

Still good: 2% Amazon promotional credit on select Camera & Lens purchases

Amazon continues to offer a 2% promotional credit, emailed to you thirty-five days after your order is shipped. This applies only to dSLR cameras and compact system cameras and camera lenses priced $99 or more, and are sold and shipped by Amazon itself (not 3rd-party sellers). You can see the terms and conditions along with links to eligible items at the Amazon 2% Promotional Credit page.

To verify that an item is eligible for this promotion, look under the "Special Offers" section of the individual product page. It will say something like this: "Get 2% Back in Rewards: Purchase any compact system or DSLR...