Every other week, sometimes more frequently, a friend, family member, or colleague asks me when is the best time to purchase a digital SLR camera. Most often, I tell them to wait until the next Canon lens bundle promotion, unless of course they want to go with Nikon. It looks like we’re actually on the tail end of one such promotion.
Canon Lens Bundle Discount Page via Amazon
The current bundle promo is eligible on the Canon Rebel T3i camera kit with 18-55mm lens*, the Canon Rebel T3i camera kit with 18-135mm lens*, and the Canon T3 with 18-55mm lens. The T3i with 18-55mm lens is what most people will want to go with, but if you’re on a tight budget, the T3 with 18-55mm kit will serve you almost as well.
Then, add the 55-250mm IS telephoto lens to the order. This lens is priced at $200, and the bundle discount takes off an extra $150. This is one of the best budget-friendly zoom lenses that Canon offers, and it is a nice complement to the 18-55mm kit lens.
There is also a mail-in-rebate offer on the Canon Pixma Pro9000 II inkjet printer. This printer is priced at ~$450, and the rebate is for $400. A lot of people resell these printers, but they’re also nice to keep and offer incredible print quality.
*Amazon reports that the T3i bundle discount was valid until Oct 15th, but they might (will probably) come back again soon. The T3 bundle discounts are still valid until Oct 29th, or while supplies last. The T3 product page is actually showing a $200 bundle discount if you purchase the $200 Canon 55-250mm IS telephoto lens with it, making it a little over $500 for the combo right now.
Benjamen Johnson says
I wouldn’t waste my money on cheap Canon lenses. Don’t be afraid of Tamron, you can get the same lens quality as a canon lens for about 2/3 the price.
I’d highly recommend this lens for general purpose use.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EXR0SI
It’s $460 on Amazon right now, but you can probably get it a little cheaper. People with the same camera or equiv as my wife (Canon Xsi) are always surprised at how good her photos look compared to their photos. Some of it is knowing how to use the camera, but a decent lens is a big part of it.
Another route to get a really good lens for cheap is to get a prime lens (fixed focal length. You can pick up a really good one for under 100 dollars.
Stuart says
Actually, although inexpensive, the 55-250IS lens is not at all cheap. I owned one until I upgraded to a 70-200 f/4, and it provided spectacular results. I have heard very good things about the Tamron 17-50mm lens, though.
Still, my thoughts are that an SLR beginner should learn the ropes with the basic 18-55mm kit lens before upgrading to a better lens. Adding the 55-250mm IS lens early on also complements the kit lens instead of replacing it, offering far greater versatility.
The Canon 50mm f/1.8, aka “nifty fifty” is about $100, sometimes less, and it also helps opens up the potential of an SLR. For the price image quality is decent as you mentioned, but operational performance and build quality can be questionable.
Israel David says
I can tell you when the worst time to get a camera; that’s at the duty free shop.
A comparable canon camera was $200 less at J&R with the sales tax compared to the duty free shop in Lod (Tel Aviv airport).