Nikon D90 Body $750 @newegg

[DanielW]

Quote from Xenophanes : Sites like Supreme Camera are a scam. If you look at their reseller rating - they're spotty at best - and only going to get worse. The positive reviews you see there all read like plants - the reviewer only having one review - for the bogus camera store Here's how they work. They make sure that their sites show up on google as having the lowest retail cost for a camera body. They also have their own websites which pretend to rate resellers and find you the best deal. Those sites list all the well known retailers, show their high retail costs, and give them good reviews of course. Then they slip in their own sites, also highly reviewed, but with the low low costs - and of course, they hilight their own site with 'BEST PRICE' awards, and sometimes other awards like bet customer service etc. Here's what happens when you call: You find out that your particular camera doesn't come with certain things, like a battery. But they'll sell you one for $200. Or that the firmware it ships with is in a foreign language - but they can fix that too with a new firmware...for $300. These are lies of course, they're simply adding back things that come in the box, but charging you money. So your actual purchase price will wind up being pretty much retail or higher. If you press your sales agent with the fact that you'll take care of those things yourself, you'll be told that your camera body is suddenly on backorder, and they'll get back to you. Don't expect a call from them of course. Finally, the cameras they're selling are serial #s destined for sale in foreign markets - typically smaller asian countries, where they will sell for less money. These companies buy them for the discounted 3rd world market prices, and then import them to the US, where they sell them for US retail rates. That's where they make their money. NikonUSA will not honor the warranty of those cameras. These companies say they have a 'USA Warranty' - but it is NOT through Nikon. Given the other deceptive tactics of these companies - I would not put any faith in the warranty coverage that these companies offer. Stick to the authorized resellers, and yes, NewEgg counts. These sites with the bargain basement prices are indeed too good to be true.

I've had the same experience with those shady vendors. Stay away.
I've repped you for trying to save some headaches for other slickdealers.

[Zero]

Xenophanes pretty much summed it up. Nikon doesn't care where you buy their equipment as long as it's not "Gray Market". I bought a 35mm 1.8 lens in August that needed repair when the focus motor quit. The only thing the local Nikon service center wanted to make sure of was that I had the lens less than a year, which of course I did because it hadn't been out for a year yet. They didn't ask where I got it, or check my purchase against an "authorized" seller list. My boss was looking for a camera earlier in the year and he of course googled it just like everyone else and saw one of those scam online camera stores, and he didn't believe me that it was a scam until he found out for himself.

[ychen07]

Buydig (authorized dealer) has body for $809, kit for $1079. There is 2-5% Bing cashback. If i can confirm it's 5%, then it's not a bad deal -- $1025 after Bing.

4GB SD included..

[rman]

Quote from DanielW : I've had the same experience with those shady vendors. Stay away. I've repped you for trying to save some headaches for other slickdealers.

so what do you think he can do with that rep you gave him? will it fetch him a cup of coffee atleast?

[Xenophanes]

Quote from rman : so what do you think he can do with that rep you gave him? will it fetch him a cup of coffee atleast?

That shady site said I can trade in my SD rep points, and they'd attach all of the missing buttons that didn't come on my camera for free. So long as I bought their extended battery, engrish menu, lens kit, 5 year warranty plan and paid for expedited processing. Sounds like a great deal to me!

Those idiots didn't even know that you can get SD rep points for free!

[kyzen]

Quote from ychen07 : I'm looking to get D90 kit soon. Should i wait til black friday? So far what is the best price that we've seen? I saw $1030 couple months back. Is it the best?

This is the best price for the body that I've personally seen. I'm not a huge fan of the D90's kit lens, so if I were in the market for a D90 right now, I'd snatch up this body and a faster lens

[ychen07]

Quote from kyzen : This is the best price for the body that I've personally seen. I'm not a huge fan of the D90's kit lens, so if I were in the market for a D90 right now, I'd snatch up this body and a faster lens

Which faster lens would you recommend? I know Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8 and 24-70mm f/2.8 are much faster, but they're out of my budget.

[joeboy]

OK, so I'm not taking a stance in the Canon-vs-Nikon flame wars, really, but I have to just mention that i own a D90 (after going through a D70 to a D200 to a D90) and I have to say that I'm pretty disgusted with Nikon for abandoning the D90.

By abandon, I'm referring to the fact that the video mode has severe problems (google it if you will), and while Nikon has diligently fixed these in firmware patches on other models (D300s), they have just ignored it on the D90.

OK, so it's a fine DSLR, and it takes good pictures, I just wish I'd waited for a second-generation video capability, because I'd hoped to replace the camcorder, and this isn't good enough for that. If you don't care about video, and can accept that Nikon isn't ever going to fix their firmware on the D90, then this is a good price for a good camera.

But I'm still pissed off.

[ykovaliv]

We should not loose the sight that this is a DLSR CAMERA. The video function is a nice feature probably requested by the marketing people more then anyone else. There are a ton of better options at $750 if you need a video camera. Nowdays the camcorders are so compact, it can probably fit in the camera bag right next to D90.

[awer25]

Quote from ychen07 : Which faster lens would you recommend? I know Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8 and 24-70mm f/2.8 are much faster, but they're out of my budget.

35mm 1.8 if you don't need the zoom. I use the 18-200mm but it's 3.5 at the wide end which isn't great, but definitely workable (especially with VR)

[Xenophanes]

Quote from joeboy : OK, so I'm not taking a stance in the Canon-vs-Nikon flame wars, really, but I have to just mention that i own a D90 (after going through a D70 to a D200 to a D90) and I have to say that I'm pretty disgusted with Nikon for abandoning the D90. By abandon, I'm referring to the fact that the video mode has severe problems (google it if you will), and while Nikon has diligently fixed these in firmware patches on other models (D300s), they have just ignored it on the D90. OK, so it's a fine DSLR, and it takes good pictures, I just wish I'd waited for a second-generation video capability, because I'd hoped to replace the camcorder, and this isn't good enough for that. If you don't care about video, and can accept that Nikon isn't ever going to fix their firmware on the D90, then this is a good price for a good camera. But I'm still pissed off.

Sorry - I just don't agree with that. Nikon hasn't abandoned the D90. The firmware updates for the D300s are just not applicable to the D90 because the electronics for handling video in each of these cameras is unique.

You said it yourself - you have first generation video. And the video you can get from it is still pretty good - but it was never meant to replace a camcorder, it was a novel addition. The D90, D300s etc are all still cameras first and foremost. Buying them or the equivalent Canon DSLR for video is misguided.

Don't let the fact that better video is starting to appear get you down on your D90. If Nikon were able to simply fix the quibbles with your D90's video capture easily - they would've done so. It's still one of their heavily promoted cameras, and they aren't holding back on capability to try and get people to jump to another model.

Camera bodies are gonna get better and with more features relatively rapidly - it's hard not to feel like you're obsolete soon after the next models are released. It's a mindset that you've ought to make sure you don't fall into because it's just gonna get you down for no reason. The images you can make with your D90 are simply spectacular, and even in 5 years when it's only worth $75 - it will still be able to put out fantastic print worthy images - and that's the bottom line.

I shoot with a D300, and of course I'd love to have the D300s features - but that doesn't make my camera any less awesome.

[rsg71]

Got mine in an open box from Tech4less for $723 shipped. Couldn't be happier with the camera! I upgraded from a D40.

As far as lenses, the 35mm 1.8 is an awesome lens. The kit 18-105 isn't bad, but if you skipped it and put that money towards a 18-270 Tamron, you have your whole kit for the casual photographer.

I just first bought a SB400 flash which is a great little flash. I recently upgraded to SB-600 which is much more expensive. If anyone is interested in the SB400 shoot me a message.

Good shooting!

[wmelnick]

Nikon USA is about 10 minutes from where I live. Down the road from them about 10 miles is a camera store called Cameta Camera. They have been around for 25+ years and get all of the demos and A/B stock from Nikon aside fro moving a lot of normal new equipment. Their demos generally sat behind a glass display case for one show - the grand total of their usage.

Cameta has a website http://www.cameta.com and they sell on eBay as well as cameta auctions http://stores.ebay.com/Cameta-Camera . I have bought bodies and lenses from them for years. They sell those other brands too, but they really excel at Nikon because of their proximity to the US HQ and the volume that they move for Nikon as a result.

They have some D90s on auction that are well below the amounts seen here. Sometimes they will even match prices on a previously ended auction.

Just to give everyone another option - I buy a lot of equipment from them.

W

(I shoot with a D40x and am in no rush to upgrade to get the latest features)

[dealsslick2006]

Quote from Zero : Xenophanes pretty much summed it up. Nikon doesn't care where you buy their equipment as long as it's not "Gray Market". I bought a 35mm 1.8 lens in August that needed repair when the focus motor quit. The only thing the local Nikon service center wanted to make sure of was that I had the lens less than a year, which of course I did because it hadn't been out for a year yet. They didn't ask where I got it, or check my purchase against an "authorized" seller list. My boss was looking for a camera earlier in the year and he of course googled it just like everyone else and saw one of those scam online camera stores, and he didn't believe me that it was a scam until he found out for himself.

Zero is right. Nikon doesn't really care where you buy the camera even their website listed those so-called authorized dealers). As long as the camera/lens you buy comes with Nikon USA manufacturer warranty card that has the serial number of the camera/lens pre-printed on the warranty card! This is the difference between the Nikon USA product and "gray market" product. I bought mine from a ebay sweller, and register my camera/lens on Nikon website without any problem (If its gray market product, the registration will tell you registration error by its serial number). You can buy from the ebay Power sellers as long as the ebay seller states EXPLICITLY on their ads that:

1. it's brand NEW, never opened (not refurbished, nor factory demo)
2. it comes with the original Nikon box
3. it states that it has Nikon manufacturer USA warranty (very important, if it gray product, you won't be able to find this information in the ads description; on the other hand, if it is Nikon USA model, the ads will gladly state this in the description)

I just talked to Nikon warranty support (1-800-645-6678), the associate was more than happy confirmed that as long as I have the USA warranty card, yes I am fine!

[slackr]

Quote from hwiryant : D90 vs T1i ? any opinion?

You are quite possibly opening up a can of worms.