Which retailers have the best holiday sales on Canon DSLR bundles? Im so hyped to finally get a real camera! Im looking at the T7 kits from B&H vs Best Buy. B&H has more lenses but Best Buy is local and fits my $500 budget better. Which one usually drops lower in Nov?
Spot on about the refurb site, it's a goldmine for staying under budget. In my experience, Adorama is the sleeper hit for the Canon EOS Rebel T7 EF-S 18-55mm Kit during the holidays. They often beat Best Buy by adding a high-quality SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB SDXC instead of generic stuff. I've bought plenty of gear there over the years and the shipping is usually faster than B&H too.
Honestly, those generic holiday bundles are usually pretty disappointing because they often include the low-end 75-300mm lens. I had issues with the soft focus on those... it's just not as good as expected. Check CamelCamelCamel or the Canon Refurbished site for better value on these:
- Canon EOS Rebel T7 with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II
- Canon EOS R100 Mirrorless with RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM
Ngl, B&H usually kills it with the extras. In my experience, they include stuff you actually need like a decent SD card or a bag that doesn't feel like paper. Over the years, I've tried many different shops, and Best Buy is great if you want it today, but their holiday price drops are usually just the standard manufacturer rebate. I remember buying my first gear from a big box store because I was impatient. I was so stoked to get out there... but then I realized I had no way to carry the extra glass safely. It was a learning curve for sure. The kit I bought didn't have half the stuff I actually needed to keep shooting all day.
- B&H for the free accessories
- Best Buy for easy local returns
- Adorama often matches the big deals If you can hold out until late November, the Canon EOS Rebel T7 18-55mm IS II Kit usually hits its lowest price everywhere. I'd definitely lean toward the online bundles tho.
Stumbled on this while browsing today. Reminds me so much of when I got my first setup during a Black Friday rush. I was so focused on getting the most stuff for my dollar that I didnt really think about if that stuff was actually gonna last.
- Be careful with the generic filters; mine actually ruined my night shots with weird ghosting reflections.
- Watch out for the cheap tripods, the one I had almost tipped over in a light breeze with my camera on it.
- Make sure to check the speed of the memory cards; the Lexar Professional 633x SDHC I used back then actually failed on me during a family trip. I learned the hard way that reliability is everything when youre out shooting. It might be better to get a simpler kit and add quality pieces later when you can afford them. It was really frustrating when my gear failed right when I was finally getting the hang of it... just want you to avoid that headache. Youre gonna love the hobby tho, its a blast once you get going!
