Welcome to the Camera Dome :)
They said (some of the experts in the forums) many years ago that it couldn’t be done, but f1.8 constant aperture zooms are raining left and right these days 🙂 Adding to the rain count is Shiguma [that’s the computer-translated name for Sigma] with their brand new 50-100mm f1.8 DC HSM ART lens (75-150mm eq), available for price-order for the constant wallet-open price of $1100 as follows:
+ Canon mount: Adorama and B&H Photo
Another manufacturer refurbished Nikon DSLR kit among the eBay Deals. Also offered by BuyDig’s eBay store (authorized dealer) is the manufacturer refurbished Nikon D5200 with 18-55 VR II for $359 with free shipping and a 90 day Nikon USA warranty. Limit 5 per customer.
Among the Trending eBay Deals (these are eBay daily deals that according to their algorithms are “trending” – you can find handy links to both in the Sidebar of this blog under “DAILY DEALS LINKS”) we find a more recent Nikon APS-C DSLR.
BuyDig’s eBay store (authorized dealers) is offering the manufacturer refurbished Nikon D5500 with 18-55 VR II for $500 with free shipping and a 90 day Nikon USA warranty. Limit five per customer during this promotion.
In new condition, at authorized dealers, the D5500 body only goes for $750, while the D5500 w/18-55 VR II kit goes for $850 (eg Adorama and Amazon and B&H Photo) with some free accessories and/or promotional rewards.
So as you can see, going refurbished if you need the same kit is $350 in savings, that’s many pockets full of change. But there are dozens of APS-C DSLRs and kit combinations, so you have many choices to consider considering.
If you are comfortable with imported grey market DSLRs, among the many eBay Deals bubbling around, eBay seller GetItDigital (99.6%) offers the imported (grey market) Nikon D750 body only for $1465 with free shipping, with a limit of three per buyer. This does not come with a Nikon USA warranty. It is unclear from the listing whether GetItDigital offers their own 1-year warranty (typically they say so in “Item Specifics” but there’s no mention of it in this particular listing).
At authorized dealers, this goes for $2000, with a variety of free accessories and/or up to 4% rewards (=$80~) offered by Adorama (options include free $250 Audio Technica camera-mount microphone or Corel Software bundle) and B&H Photo ($80~ rewards & accessories) and Amazon itself (free accessories or free AT microphone).
UPDATE:: Speaking of eBay, their current spotlight offer is an HDMI cable for $2 (3 feet) or $3 (15 feet) with free shipping. Limit 50 per customer. This ships from Brooklyn (New York) from eBay seller “BuySuperDeal” (99.5%). Over 5400 HDMI cables got sold through this listing so far. The other sizes sold out.
For some, a compromise between new-condition from authorized dealers vs new-condition from importers/grey-market may be refurbished with a manufacturer’s warranty. If so, Adorama has a Nikon D800 refurbished bundle for $2789 with free shipping. For these, you get the following manufacturer refurbished Nikon gear: the D800 body only, the 24-120mm f4 VR lens and the SB-910 Speedlight. All these are manufacturer refurbished with a 90-day Nikon USA warranty. You also receive the Corel Digital Organization Creativity Software Kit (Elite Edition) which includes AfterShot Pro 2 and Paintshop Pro X7. The software is not refurbished. This is a while supplies last promotion.
If you are interested in the Corel software but not the Nikon D800, Adorama has another bundle, they are bundling the Corel software with the Dell XPS 13 13.3″ Infinity Quad HD+ Laptop (3200×1800, 13.3″, touchscreen, 2.6 lbs, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, card reader, 5th Generation Intel Core i7-5500U, HD Graphics 5500, Mini DisplayPort, Win 8.1 with free Win10 upgrade, etc)
B&H Photo is offering 10% promotional rewards on select Tamron lenses (24-70, 70-200, 16-300, 150-600) in the Canon and Nikon SLR mounts, along with the 150-600 in the Sony Alpha-Minolta. These are the first nine lenses shown in the B&H Photo Tamron specials page. The rest of the lenses in the grid-list have 4% or no promotional rewards.
The promotional rewards are in addition and stackable with the Tamron mail-in rebates. The promotional rewards are from B&H Photo. The mail-in rebates are from Tamron.
The Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 AT-X PRO DX-II lens, in the Canon, Nikon and Sony-Alpha-Minolta SLR mounts is currently on sale for $450 with free shipping and 4% promotional rewards ($18~) at B&H Photo. No mail-in rebates.
If you are interested in Nikon APS-C DSLR kits but have no interest or use in the standard 18-55 kit lens, B&H Photo has a Nikon D5300 2-Lens Kit with the 18-140mm DX VR and the 55-200 DX VR II lenses, along with a Lowepro shoulder bag and 16GB Sandisk Ultra SDHC, along with 4% promotion rewards ($36~) all together for $897 with free expedited shipping.
If the above kit is not of interest, they have 15 more Nikon D5300 bundles featuring body-only, 1-lens and 2-lens bundles. All of them get 4% promotional rewards.
Needless to say, there are many APS-C Nikon DSLRs, various kits and colors, and various options (authorized, authorized-refurbished, new-imported, used, open-box, etc). Deciding is not always an easy task 🙂
Close your eyes Zeiss prime fans of the Nikon persuasion. Your wallet will thank you if you just close your eyes now! B&H Photo is offering a Four Lens Zeiss ZF.2 Nikon F-mount Bundle with matching protective transport case for $4500 with free expedited shipping. You get two f2.8 Distagon T*s (21mm, 28mm) and two f1.4 Planar T*s (50mm, 85mm).
PS: A laser disc with the music video for the super smash hit “Zeiss, Zeiss Baby” is NOT included (perhaps because it does not exist!).
If you love the idea of a 50mm manual prime lens, the Rokinon 50mm f1.4 AS IF UMC Lens in the Canon and Nikon SLR mounts is currently on sale for $299 with free expedited shipping and $6~ promotional rewards at B&H Photo. The other three mounts remain at $400… If you have Amazon gift cards or rewards to spend, the Canon and Nikon version are also going for $300 by Amazon itself…
On the budget front, if you are comfortable with manufacturer refurbished with a 90 day Nikon USA warranty, Adorama is offering the thusly refurbished Nikon WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter for $20 with free shipping. The refurbished averages 3.6 out of 5 based on 35mm reviews.
For more action, check the latest Adorama Specials page (500+ options).
The Nikon D810 body only currently goes for $2800 at authorized dealers which are allowed by Nikon to include a variety of free extra accessories and promotional rewards (eg Adorama and B&H Photo and Amazon).
But if you are comfortable with grey-market imported camera gear that comes with a 1-year warranty from the seller (not Nikon USA), then among the offers bubbling around the eBay Deals is the new condition imported grey-marked Nikon D810 body only offered for $2220 with free shipping and a 1-year warranty from the seller “Get It Digital” (99.5%), not Nikon USA. Limit three per customer. Nearly 1000 units got sold from this listing so far according to the page over there.
As usual with situations like this, it is up to you to decide where you draw the line on risk vs price vs other related trade-offs.
B&H Photo is offering 10% promotional rewards on a handful of lenses from various manufacturers. You can find them below or by perusing the Rewards or Lens Deals archives here.
We start as with all photography, with a prime lens. The Tamron SP 35mm f1.8 Di VC USD with 10% promotional rewards ($60~) is available for $600 in the Canon and Nikon SLR mounts at B&H Photo. This lens does not have a mail-in rebate. The promotional rewards can be used on future B&H Photo purchases.
NOTE: the Sony Alpha version (not stabilized/VC) is NOT available for purchase yet, so it is not participating in the promotion, since you can’t buy it, and the promotion is 10% of the purchase price. There is no release estimate for it as of the time of writing. [the other participating Tamron lenses are available in the Sony-Alpha mount however, unlike the Canon/Nikon versions, the Sony-Alpha-Minolta are not VC/stabilized].
We continue to Tamronize (yes, it’s a verb!), this time we have something for unapologetic superzoom fans, the Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD MACRO is $500 after a $130 mail-in rebate and comes with 10% promotional rewards (=$63~) at B&H Photo and available in the Canon SLR mount and Nikon SLR mount and Sony Alpha Minolta SLR mount (not stabilized/VC).
In addition to the 70-200mm f2.8, the Tamron 24-70mm f2.8 Di VC USD is also participating in the 10% promotional rewards at B&H Photo. It is $1200 after a $100 mail-in rebate and you also get 10% promotional rewards ($130~). It is available in the Canon SLR mount and Nikon SLR mount and Sony-Minolta SLR mount (not VC).
Note that the 10% promotional rewards offers are limited time offers, but I don’t know the exact expiration date. The mail-in rebates have their own expiration date (2/29/16).
The Tamron SP 70-200mm f2.8 Di VC USD Zoom Lens is also participating in the B&H Photo 10% Rewards promotion. You pay $1500 with free shipping, which goes down to $1400 after a $100 mail-in rebate (MIR). You also get 10% promotional rewards (=$150~) to be used on a future purchase (I am assuming the reward is on the purchase price but I could be wrong)… This offer is available in the Canon SLR mount and the Nikon SLR mount.
UPDATE: this offer is also available for the Sony Alpha SLR mount but the Alpha version is not a stabilized (VC) lens.
We have a bit of a Sigma vs Tamron 150-600mm Reward duel, because B&H Photo is also offering 10% rewards ($107~) on the Tamron SP 150-600mm f5-6.3 Di VC USD. The lens goes for $1069 with free shipping, but thanks to a $120 mail-in rebate, you can get it for $950 after $120 MIR. As far as I can tell, the 10% reward is on the purchase price ($1069) not the after-rebate-price ($950), but I could be wrong.
This offer is available in the Canon SLR mount and the Nikon SLR mount and Sony Alpha Minolta SLR mount (not stabilized/VC).
There’s Sporty Spice, and then there’s Sporty Sigma. Part of their relatively recent Sports lens line-up, the Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens goes for $1800 with 10% in promotional rewards ($1800~) to be used in future purchases at B&H Photo. This offer is available in the Canon, Nikon and Sigma SLR mounts.
Also good for some weightlifting exercises, the Sigma 300mm f2.8 EX DG HSM goes for $3400 but for a limited time B&H Photo is offering 10% promotional rewards with it, which comes out to $340~ to be used in future purchases at B&H. This offer is available in the Canon SLR mount and the Nikon SLR mount.
This Nikon prime DX duo was making the rounds at Black Friday but managed to resurface. You pay $497, and for that you get a portrait (85mm f3.5G DX VR) and a macro (35mm f1.8G DX) Nikon lenses. This is available at B&H Photo (4% rewards) and Adorama (4% rewards) and various at Amazon (5% rewards with Prime Store Credit card).
We mentioned a few budget Nikon primes offered as grey-market/imported last week, but I forgot to mention the 35mm f1.8G DX lens. It is available in new condition but imported/grey-market with no warranty mentioned in the eBay listing for $170 with free shipping by eBay seller PhotoVideo4Less on eBay. Over 1600 units have been sold so far from this eBay listing. Of those, I don’t know how many understood the warranty trade-offs…
Alternately, also paying $170 with free shipping, you can get this lens manufacturer refurbished with a 90 day Nikon USA warranty from Adorama.
In new condition, this lens goes for $200 at authorized Nikon dealers, eg Amazon or B&H Photo (4% rewards) or Adorama (free UV filter and 2% rewards).
We continue this burst of specials with the Sunpak RD2000 digital flash for Nikon systems, on sale for $60 with free expedited shipping and four Panasonic AA alkaline batteries at B&H Photo. Only the Nikon version is on sale. Offer ends on 2/4/16 at 11:59pm ET or earlier if sold out.
Prime time for video, double puns intended, the Rokinon 50mm T1.5 Cine DS lens is on sale for $379 with free shipping and 2% promotional rewards at Adorama in the Canon mount and Nikon mount and Micro Four Thirds mounts. Offer ends 2/7/16 or earlier if sold out.
The action continues when you scroll further down the eBay Deals (it can take half a day to go through them all). If you are going to take a chance on an imported grey-market lens, a simple prime lens with a double figure price is about as low of a risk one can take. Which brings us to the imported grey-market new-condition Nikon 50mm f1.8D Lens offered for $99 with free shipping by eBay seller “Peach Photo” (99.8%), with a limit of 50 per customer. Perfect quantity limit if you are planning to have an Oprah moment at your office or living room, “Look under your chairs, you get a 50, you get a 50, and you get a 50, and you get a 50!”
Speaking of Nikon primes, also imported grey-market new-condition, it is the Nikon 50mm f1.8G with a UV filter and cleaning kit going for $174 with free shipping by eBay seller “6ave” (98.8%) with a limit of 50 per customer. It comes with a one-year warranty from Six Avenue, not from Nikon USA.
Since we are talking low priced Nikon imports, the grey market new condition Nikon SB-300 Flash is offered for $120 with free shipping with a limit of three per customer by eBay seller Peach Photo.
The current iteration of the Nikon DSLR Combined Purchase Instant Discounts expires on 1/30/16. You can find the current iteration of the offers nicely organized by DSLR (D3300 all the way up to the D4s) at B&H Photo. Lens options vary depending on the DSLR level and sensor size.
We have two more back to back refurbished Nikon D5x00 DSLR offers from Adorama. We start with the manufacturer refurbished Nikon D5300 body only offered for $400 with free shipping and a 90 day Nikon USA warranty. Offer ends 1/31/16 or earlier if sold out.
The other refurbished Nikon D5x00 offer at Adorama is the manufacturer refurbished Nikon D5200 with 18-55mm DX VR with a 90 day Nikon USA warranty along with 2% rewards and a 64GB Lexar Class 10 UHS-I U1 SDXC Memory Card included by Adorama for $380 with free shipping. Offer ends 1/31/16 or earlier if sold out.
The party continues at the eBay Deals where the BuyDig eBay store is offering the manufacturer refurbished Nikon D3300 Two Lens Kit with the 18-55 VR II and the 55-200mm f4-5.6G ED VR II lenses for $369 with free shipping and a 90 day Nikon USA warranty. All items included are refurbished. Limit five per customer.
Strategically, there are many options in the sub-$500 Nikon DSLR world and one has to trade-off the number of lenses, the newness of the DSLR, the feature comparison of newer vs older models, new vs refurbished vs used, and things like that. It’s good to have choices, but sometimes choices mean more homework and spreadsheets for assisting in comparisons and trade-offs 🙂 Certainly if we ask our 2002 selves that had to pay $2000 for an APS-C dSLR, most of us would gladly take the decision-headache at $400 versus the one choice per mount at $2000 🙂
Speaking of eBay, if you print pictures at CVS, this offer is almost over, Pay $88, Get $100 CVS Plastic Gift Card by Mail from eBay seller svmgiftcards (99.6%). Limit 3 per buyer. As of the time of writing, 1905 gift cards got sold. I don’t know if it expires at exactly 2000 units.
As usual with the eBay featured deals, they are limited time offers that last from a few hours up to a few days…
Adorama has a Nikon-branded Batteries and Accessories sale featuring a total of 22 items, including ten different EN-EL batteries. All these are Nikon-branded, not third-party. That page is of the ever-scrolling kind, you have to keep scrolling to see all participating items.
This “substitute teacher’ daily deal expired…
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