Canon 50d - where to buy?

altyfc

Hi

I'm looking to buy the Canon 50D. Am I better off going for one of the lens packages, or buying the body and (better?) lenses separately?

Any good deals out there?

Thanks.

Shimrod

http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/cat1.html

The camera and lens packages tend to work out slightly cheaper than buying the lens separately - it all depends on whether you want the lenses or not.

You could also check out the canon outlet on ebay (user canon_uk1) They sell refurbished with a 12 month Canon warranty - however the camera equipment often gets bid up to near retail price anyway.

altyfc

Cheapest reputable(?) sources I've found so far put the body at £570. (Digital Rev)

Shimrod

That's a very good price - I tend to use warehouse express as the benchmark for prices as they tend to be amongst the cheapest. They also used to do a price match against certain competitors - not sure if they still do, but it saved me £25 on a lens once (or £125 against their price, as it was difference + 10% and free postage).
I've just had a look at digital revolution, and it's not clear whether you'll be charged duty or not as it's coming from Hong Kong. I think with a price so far below most of the others (including some of the other Hong Kong suppliers) I'd be a bit wary - what do reviews/comments on digitalrev say? Also, at £570 they are just about the same as the ebay sellers.

Have you considered getting a 550d instead? No experience of them (I lust after a 7d, but a bit too pricey at the moment), but it seems to have very good reviews, and in many ways is considered on a par with the 7d? http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos550d/page29.asp
From the review "Image quality is equal or better than its predecessor the EOS 500D, and not noticeably inferior to the considerably more expensive EOS 7D. The 550D's video capability is excellent too."