D-SLR advice
 

I'm thinking about getting the black bodied Digital Rebel XT (350D) at Abe's of Maine. It's going for about $850 before taxes and shipping, and includes an 18-55mm Canon lens. That's about the price of just the body at B&H and many other places, and I trust Abe's.

Any advice?

Update: I found the same camera, including the 18-55mm Canon lens, for $833.95 at Us1Camera, which is where I got my Powershot G2 3 years ago. Should I go there or go with ABe's?

I bought from Abe twice, the first time they are so good. The second time, they are so f*up. Just take your chance to deal with those New Yorkers.

I ordered my latest canon from Abes a couple week ago. No problems with them yet.

Hey Bruce,

I just got my XT (350D) from Dell for only $766 not including taxes (this week as a matter of fact). Graduation present to myself :icon38: :)

If you can wait for the next online deal, you can get yours for about the same price... LMK and I'll keep an eye out for you ;)

And what everyone online said is true... the kit lens is crap, so I've got to save for a nice lens next... $750-$1250 :icon9:

Brian, yeah, my other friend was telling me to keep an eye on Dell, but I have been way too busy at work. Could you keep an eye on it for me and PM me when something comes through? Cuz the XT is so the shiznit. I do kinda want the kit lens, though, just as a backup, but if I can find a good lens I'll do it anyway.

NP bro ;)

Just be careful with places like Abe's. Check to see if you are getting the warranty because they are an authorized dealer. May not be a gray market product, but it still may not come with a factory (or any) warranty. Not saying this is the case with Abe's, but it may be.

I bought the 20d earlier, the XT is a great little camera, If you pay attention to the coupons you can get it from dell for about $600 I have seen people get it that low. Abes dosent have the best trackrecord according to the guys at the other forum. I would go with B&H thier a little pricier but they got the BEST customer serverice and the tell you wether or not the peice your ordering is grey market or US market. OR since you live in CA if you keep an eye on Samys camera in LA from time to time they have a no sales tax day and i rush over there to get some stuff.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/

Its not CRAP its just not "L" quality, Its a little soft wide open but if you stop it down to about f5.6- f11 its pretty sharp.
I recently bought teh 24-70 2.8L which is a beautiful lens but its so heavy that I will go back to the kit lens sometimes when I need it to be lightweight.

I'm not sure if you've made up your mind on the Canon or not, but I highly recommend the Nikon Coolpix series. They have a wide variety of styles, whether you want to pay a lot or a little for the camera. The functionality, menus, and quality are top notch.

I should've restated that...

Any leads or recommended price points for the 24-70?

I think he's looking for a D-SLR camera...

B&H has been great for me, yes a little more expensive but thier customer service and more importantly thier return policy is the best. Every once in a while camera bodies and lenses aren't quite up to spec.

Take a look at resellerratings.com, it's a good place to get an idea of the business practices of a site.

Hope that helps!

expect to pay a pretty penny for that, actually ANY L lens is pricy. I found a good deal on B&H for about $1100. I think its worth every penny. But its heavy.

Yeah, I lucked out with Us1Camera 3 years ago. I don't know if they've gotten any better. Still, if it's possible to get it down to $700 including kit lens, I'd do it.

also made sure to ask whether the product is US or Grey market. Most of those NY vendor advertise really cheap and they are grey market. No US warranty.

I've never used the warranty at all on my G2. :p

I usually buy from Adorama, 17th street photo, or B&H. They all been good to me and have good ratings. I just compare and get the best price.

Never had 18-55mm, but what I heard is consistnet with what you should expect from kit lens (not much). Here is one of the detailed reviews:
http://www.photo.net/equipment/canon/efs18-55/review/

I'd say find a body only, and invest money you save into a good lens. You wouldn't buy geo just because it's 6 times cheaper than Z, whould you? :D

I recommend fredmiranda.com for lens reviews:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/index.php?cat=45

Also you can get like-new quality used 10d from Ebay for less than lower-end Rebel new. Because a lot of people are upgrading to 20d. Price range is $550 to $800.

I just checked at B&H, and including shipping it comes out to $855.25. Not including kit lens though. At Amazon it's $819.94, shipping's probably free. Also not including kit lens.

I've never seen a deal as good as ferret indicated earlier (and I shop the deal sites very regularly), but the mid $700 price is one of the best prices for a rather newly released camera (you can find the older 300D for cheaper of course) that includes the kit lens. Getting free shipping from Dell isn't usually a problem (everything I get from them is free ship)... the only caveat is CA tax. Sites like Amazon get around that, but not Dell.