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Nikon D3100 14.2mp, DSLR "Single 'VR' Kit" - $660.45! JB Hi-Fi (27th of July only!)

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Hi All,

JB Hifi currently have the Nikon D3100 w/ 18-55mm lens selling @ $777.00

From this post http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/49494 we know they are having a Friends & Family Special tomorrow from 6pm-9pm which is offering 15% off all cameras.

Hence, you have the chance to pick up this camera @ $660.45 for TOMORROW ONLY at JB Hi-fi.

I recently picked up the same camera (w/ an additional 55-200mm lens) for $777 at Big W, but for a decent DSLR at sub $700.00, I thought it was worth me putting in some time for my first post!

Hope this helps!

Thanks

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  • +1

    is this better then pantex k-r?
    cant decide between this and k-r

    • Pentax will be better value overall
      depends on your needs.

      • -1

        I personally wouldn't buy a pentax.

        Pentax is not as dedicated to dslr market compared to say nikon and canon.

        Pentax lens also won't hold value as well as nikon lenses, you are more likely to loss more when you try to sell them.

        • +3

          Pentax have been around since 1919 and they produced the first Japanese SLR using 35mm film back in the 1950s, their 40 megapixel 645D has just won the 2011 Camera of The Year at the Camera GP Japan Awards and, in conjunction with their parent company Hoya, they are one of the largest optics manufacturers in the world, so I reckon they are pretty "dedicated" to DSLRs and cameras and lenses in general ;)

          Nikon and Canon tend to spend more on advertising (hence they have better brand recognition) and they normally have higher prices for a given spec as a result, but I don't think advertising and prices indicate "dedication" or for that matter "quality"…

    • K-r will give you more features and interesting mode options such as "hybrid" priority modes but you will need to decide if you will use the extras…
      Pentax will give you a better range of affordable primes, Nikon will give you a bigger overall range of lenses but they will generally cost you more.
      Either camera is capable of great photos, it comes down to which one you like the layout of, the feel, etc - Make sure you actually try each of them out then you will be in a better position to make a choice :)

    • +1

      k-r looks nice. But, pentax provides less lensed than canon and nikon does. I decided to earn money to buy a nikon dslr even it is black. By the way, canon 1100d with red color looks great.

      • +1

        Less does not mean worse.
        I am 100% sure that Pentax nomenclature will covers all your needs.
        The deal itself is good and Nikon DSLRs are good as well but I would not say that Penax is inferior to Nikon or Canon.

  • I spotted this as well, I'm tempted as I missed out on the $777 deal.

  • -3

    Surely this is a repost of the deal quoted in the OP?

  • Thanks ev3nfl0w, both deals on D3100 came late for me. I ordered D3100 + 18-55mm lense via ebay $575 inc postage. I know it is a gray import but for $660 this is excellent deal.

    I saw the Big-W deal only after an hour of ordering D3100 via ebay.

  • +3

    This is assuming JB don't jack up the price before the sale. ;)

    • I don't think so, this special is listed on their latest printed catalogue. It even said "BONUS 4GB SD CARD".

  • So, which deal is more worth it? The Big W deal for twin lenses at $777 or single lens at JBHifi for $660.45. I have yet to check for a good price for an extended 55-200mm lens only. Please do advice…

    • single lens
      decide on ur 2nd lens later, unless u do like the 2nd lens then get the twin.

    • -1

      The 55-200mm becomes a 88-320 due to the 1.6 crop factor, so I dont think its very useful for normal usage. If you are into wildlfe, bird watching, spying, etc, then it will be very useful.
      I would prefer to safe the money to get a better lense next time or perhaps some filters.

      • +1

        Wrong. The crop factor is 1.5. My guess is you're a canon user who assumes every other entry aps dslr is 1.6x.

        • twin lens. The difference here is a merely ~$110. There is no way you can buy the 55-200 at that price seperately.

          You can even make some money by selling the 55-200 if you don't like it.

          Overall, it's a better deal than the the single lens kit.

        • OOPS… So would 82.5-300m be much useable then 88-320 :-P
          I wonder who neg you when you corrected my crop factor error.

        • Agreed mg_k, the ~$110 price for the "extra" lens was a real bonus for those who managed to get it…

      • "spying"

        XD lol

    • +3

      The Nikon AF-S 55-200mm VR Lenses bundled with the Big W deal goes for approximately $200 each, so deal wise it is definately the better deal.

      However, the reason why I posted up this deal was that most of the people found it incredibly difficult to get people to match the $777.00 (I was one of the really lucky ones) and I just wanted to provide a suitable alternative as there were quite a lot of desperate buyers on the other post!

    • You'll find very quickly 55mm is not very long at all, with a 1.5x crop factor (BTW, 1.6 is for Canon), it's equivalent to 82.5mm in the old money, which is just shy of the old "portrait" lens.

      I'd be happy to save the money on the 18-55mm, and get the 18-200mm VR rather than having to change lenses all the time.

      200mm by the way is still not "long" enough to shoot some meaningful photos of the moon, and some find the 18-200mm rather "soft".

      All in all, decide what it is you want to do. The longer lens - even 50-200mm - offers you great opportunity to discover shallow depth of field and much better at capturing candid shots from a slight distance.

      The D5100 offer much better low light performance (according to reviews), which goes a long way towards compensating for slower lenses - ie ones that have f/stops like 4, or 5.6.

    • if u have got a 18-55mm lens, there is a suggest that 50mm 1.8 is valuable for u.

  • IMHO, another alternative to this entry-level SLR is probably the popular Nikon D90, around $700 grey import.
    It has built-in auto focus motor hence you are not limited to the AF-S lenses.

    • +2

      Unless you needed that support for older style Nikon lenses, skip the D90 which has been pretty outgunned in every other aspect. Check out the D5100 instead.

    • agree. d90 is good enough for new learner with a great price.

  • megaloman has a good point and D5100 does not have an autofocus motor. So upto the user what existing lenses they have to make the final call.

    • +1

      But most modern Nikon lenses have autofocus built within the lens itself.

      For the few who might want this autofocus with the camera body option, suffice to say those lenses that need it cost way more than what you'd want to pay for this end of the market anyway. By and large, it's irrelevant.

  • If size matters then get the D3100. The D90 is awesome but bulky. The D3100 is amazingly small and lightweight for a compact and fits in my handbag. Won't tire your neck even if you carry it around all day. No need for compact camera. I even sneaked it into concerts.

    Get the 35mm prime lens and you've got an amazing compact kit. I think it's only about $250 and it's DX. I paid about $580 body only grey import about 6mths ago. For that price, who needs warranty really which is only 1 yr anyway.

    It's true that the kit lens isn't great but of all the kit lenses from all brands then nikon's the best. It's sufficient for newbies.

    • "It's true that the kit lens isn't great but of all the kit lenses from all brands then nikon's the best. It's sufficient for newbies."
      can't agree more

    • "of all the kit lenses from all brands then nikon's the best."
      Maybe not the 18-55, but the 55-200 is the second best kit lens out of all systems (after 14-45) in terms of sharpness. Add to that low cost, light weight and small size and you've got 95% of the performance of the 70-200s in daylight. I personally shoot with an 85 glued onto my camera so its focal length is natural for me.

      Honestly size shouldn't really matter that much when looking at dslrs. None will fit in a pocket, but the d90 isn't that much bigger but offers a lot more features and control.

  • +1

    Got a grey import about 2 months ago ($600) including the 18-55mm VR lens, 16GB SDCARD and UV Lens.
    I'm newbie to photogrpahy and but overall happy with the camera. One thing I notice is that the battery life isnt very good.

  • Whats the bad thing about getting a grey import?
    From what I gather, it looks to be cheaper, maybe problems with warranty, possible extra costs with postage/insurance, extra wait time.

    I tried in vain to get the $777 deal but couldn't.
    So it's $660 for the single lens, and $839 for the twin lens.

    • From the Nikon Website:

      What is "Grey Market"?

      Generally, a manufacturer works with a single importer who can sell and support their products in a given region. The importer usually has local dealers and distributors who resell the imported products; this is called a "distribution channel". Grey Market refers to merchandise that is imported and sold by methods other than these normal channels.

      For local safety regulations and certifications and government requirements a manufacturer provides special packaging (manuals in the appropriate language, power cables designed for the local receptacle, etc.) and product engineering designed to meet local codes. Manufacturers also have service and support agreements with the authorised importer.

      Grey Market items are not designed to be sold in a particular market and cannot be supported by the authorised importer because they may not meet mandatory safety and certification codes. Because these items are not designed for a particular market they may not function properly, or the authorised importer may not be equipped to provide service, support or software.

      With the opening of international borders and the use of the Internet to sell goods, Grey Market equipment has become extremely common in the photographic and consumer electronics markets. Many different types of equipment are brought into the country for sale without the proper documentation and many consumers do not always know what they are purchasing.

      Because the resellers' cost is less they can sell Grey Market items for less. Unfortunately this price saving is only on the initial purchase; because service and support is more difficult to obtain it may end up costing the consumer more in the long run.

      • +5

        "Because these items are not designed for a particular market they may not function properly…"

        I am not having a go at you ev3nfl0w (I don't want to shoot the messenger), but this is blatant scare mongering by Nikon. Do Nikon seriously expect us to believe that if, for example, we buy a DSLR camera in Hong Kong it won't take photos in Australia because it needs to be designed differently to do so???
        If that is the case I reckon a Nikon camera would be BAD choice to take on holidays with you LOL

        • +1

          I agree with you Dave, and I didn't post that statement above because I agreed with it - I was just trying to state out some of the disadvantages of grey imports compared to buying through local distributors as per the question.

          However, one big factor is the time it takes to get things fixed via warranty as you cannot go through your local distributor (e.g. Nikon Australia) which was the reason why I ended up purchasing via Big W.

          At the end of the day though - it's down to personal preference so it's hard to weigh up which one is better than the other.

        • +2

          Understood ev3nfl0w, hence why I didn't want to "shoot the messenger" - I think it was fair enough that you addressed the question the way you did :)
          And I agree that the warranty issue is a big problem for some people (especially those for whom a fault develops), BUT it is an artificially created one…

          If Nikon (and other manufacturers) wanted to they could stop price discriminating against certain regions and honour warranties for all of their products regardless of where they were purchased - usually, the only fundamental difference in the camera packages sold world-wide is the plug on the end of the power cable…

  • Wondering what makes a dslr camera a newbie camera or advance camera?

    • +2

      dSLR for newbies: imagine a point-and-shoot box camera, where you literally just aim and press a button, plus you have the option to change lenses to join the big boys.

      Advanced camera have more buttons and settings to satisfy the "pros" so they feel better.

  • I picked up the d3100 along with the twin lens kit plus 8GB memory card and camera bag for $710 from my overseas trip. I would recommend this DSLR for anyone who is just getting into photography. Very good kit when compared to the canon 1100D, and is comparable to the 550D. For me the best point about the camera is it can do 1080p video and auto focus on your subjects so it doubles up as a HD camcorder for those short home videos.
    The 55-300mm lens is a very good telephoto lens with manual focus. It can disadvantagous for casual photographers who don’t want to interchange their lenses and lugging the extra load.

    • +5

      Short home videos aye? Isn't that how Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton got so famous? I wonder if they were using the D3100

      • God no, those videos were as blurry as hell. On another note, the D3100 has a better sensor than the Pentax K-r and the autofocus on video + 1080p really seals the deal if you're more interested in a well rounded camera for both pictures and video taking.

        • +4

          The D3100 has a HIGHER megapixel sensor than the K-r but that does NOT mean it has a "better sensor".
          DxOMark 2011 gives the K-r a 5 point lead over the D3100 and because their scoring system is logarithmic that equates to a sensitivity difference of 1/3 of a stop. It also measures greater colour depth and dynamic range for the K-r's sensor.

          Some of Nikon's higher end cameras are also lower megapixel than the D3100 and I find it interesting that my old 5 megapixel P&S camera produces better pictures than my new 8 megapixel phone camera…

          The quality of the sensor is a far more complex equation than just the "number of dots" ;)

      • @supboi

        Funny ha!

        Anyways, I've never bought a 'real' camera before so I'm not sure how good this is compared to those elcheapo $60 cameras. Regardless, most comments on here are positive so I'll go with that.

        Off I go to JB tomorrow.

    • Do note that youtube reviews of the D3100 autofocus criticise the sound it makes during videos. The sound of the lens moving in and out is recorded by the nearby mic.

      On top of that, the autofocus can be a bit slow and inaccurate.

      (see Digital Rev's review. it's in great detail!)

  • For those of you wondering how to get the D3100 Twin Lens Kit for $777, it's almost impossible now. I asked, and was finally told that the Altona Meadows made a mistake. They meant to price match the local JB HiFi's single lens kit for $777, but the problem is Big W doesn't stock single lenses. As a result, the staff there assumed there was a typo, and altered the TWIN lens kit to $777.

    The mistake was quickly realised after all us ozbargainers went and sought the deal. Hence most Big W's won't provide this price anymore ><"

    I also asked around, and it seems the D3100 is more equivalent to the current Canon 1100D. It's quite a basic camera that will do the basics of DSLR photography, but if you get into digital photograhy, Nikon D3100 won't take you far. Hence I was recommended to get something like the D5100 or the Canon 550D.

    I got the 550D single kit off eBay (grey import) for $730 including shipping that comes with 8GB SD, bag, tripod, card reader, screen portector, screen cleaner cloth and travel adaptor for australia.

    ALternatively, for people who want a deal on the Canon 550D in Australia, go tell ted's camera house that JB HiFi is having a sale on cameras, and they are selling for $850 for single lens kit, and they will usually match it without confirmation.

    • I am canon user and if I am getting a entry level DSLR I will be looking at Nikon. I think their quality and lenses are better made but when you go higher up, L lense are really nice.

      • but the 550D isn't exactly the low entry level is it? :S
        omg, i hope i haven't bought the wrong camera ><"
        im new to all this, and my friends pointed me in this direction..

        • +3

          Pretty much ANY current model DSLR from one of the major manufacturers is capable of producing great pictures - the person operating the camera probably has more bearing on the quality of the pictures than the particular model you choose so don't worry so much - you CAN be happy with your purchase :)

        • Have you seen photos taken from an iPhone? "The best camera is the one you have with you" - or something like that. dSLRs give you more options to toy with, but ultimately whatever you end up with, it's not just the equipment that makes a good picture.

          Having said that, I think Canon cheated in not just dumping the 550D and just sell the 600D.

  • Tbh, the Nikon D40 was the ultimate entry level SLR and it's in such high demand even now that's it's obsolete that I managed to sell it for $500 o trade up to the D3100. I wished I had kept my D40. MP is not everything.

    • Can you elaborate? Im thinking of selling my D40 to upgrade to the D3100. Moreso for the HD video. Did you find the picture quality on the D40 superior to the D3100? What made you regret getting the 3100?

  • Does this come with a memory card at all? just wondering

    • no memory card included. you will have to buy it seperately. but to save myself the hassle i brought it together with the camera

  • just brought one with a 8gb sd class 10 card :3

    i think it's worth it~

  • Thanks. Got one yesterday. Cant wait to unbox it tonight.

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