How Much did you Spend on your Last Digital Camera?
Digital Cameras have come down in cost considerably since I started writing about them back in 2004. I remember spending a small fortune on my first one (a little 3.2 megapixel Canon PowerShot A70).
While you can still spend a lot on digital cameras entry level cameras have got to a point where they’re in the reach of most people (I had an email recently of a six year old who saved up to get one with her pocket money).
So my question for this week is this:
How Much Did You Spend on Your Last Digital Camera?
The poll is below.
It would be helpful if you could put the cost into US dollars (as the majority of DPS readers are in the US - there’s a currency converter here if you’re not).
How Much did you Spend on your Last Digital Camera?
As usual I’ll pull together the results in the coming week.
Feel free to use comments below to tell us what your camera is or anything else that this question triggers in your mind.
Read more posts like 'How Much did you Spend on your Last Digital Camera?'
January 2nd, 2008 at 12:07 pm
D300, last week. Talk about sticker shock.
January 2nd, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I just bought a nice little d70s set for about $850. I think it’s a great starter set for a newbie;)
January 2nd, 2008 at 12:54 pm
D300 Also, but with accessories it came in north of $2000. Sticker shock yes.. and when it finally arrives I’m sure it’ll be worth it… ::Gulp::
Topslakr
January 2nd, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Bought a Canon A610 almost two years ago ($190), only because I couldn’t afford a dSLR. What does a broke hopeful photographer do to get practice and quality pictures? It’s so frustrating to miss out on the dSLR capabilities. I know friends who have a dSLR but don’t know jack about how to take photos, and it’s so frustrating!!
January 2nd, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Two years ago I bought a RebelXT. I put down that I spent between $751-$1000, but the truth is that by the time I got the extra battery, two 1G memory cards (they were more expensive then), and a bag to carry it I was well over the $1000 mark LOL!
January 2nd, 2008 at 1:40 pm
I’d never have enough to buy a Nikon D40.
Right now, it’s all I’ve been wanting.
I just recently bought a Nikon Coolpix P50 for around $230.
It sure is a good camera, which just makes me wonder.
If this is great, how great will my D40 be?!
– Angela
January 2nd, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I spent $599 on my D40 in january. I have been eyeing a d300 and some better glass though. My pocket book is going to be severely damaged.
-Jeff
January 2nd, 2008 at 1:50 pm
My Last camera was a nice little point-and-shoot for outings where I can’t take much, like family beach trips. It takes some surprisingly good photos.
January 2nd, 2008 at 1:55 pm
My Canon 40D was $1349 for the body (Canadian, which is pretty close to US now), and thankfully I traded in my XTi in the purchase!
If you trade it within a year (at our photo store here) you get 50% of what you paid in a trade. And I paid more for the Rebel XTi than it currently costs, so it wasn’t too painful a deal!
January 2nd, 2008 at 2:15 pm
I bought a Nikon D40 in July for $700 and they’ve already dropped drastically in price. I’m kicking myself, now.
January 2nd, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Bought myself a Nikon D40 for christmas. now to get some nice VR lenses and a bag
January 2nd, 2008 at 2:23 pm
I spent $600 (tax included) for Nikon D40 with two lenses, 18-55 and 55-200.I’m very happy and ready to go out and shot pictures.
January 2nd, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Still waiting for Sony’s next dSLR to release — I’ve been hanging on to that old KM 7D that I picked up 2 years ago for $1200.
January 2nd, 2008 at 3:29 pm
$195 for Canon A7201S. We publish a magazine and I need one I can carry in my pocket. I have had it almost a month and it does a good job.
January 2nd, 2008 at 3:47 pm
$260 for a Canon Powershot A710 14 months ago. I still remember spending $900 on my birthday back in 2001 for my Sony Cybershot DSC-S85.
January 2nd, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Paid £300 odd quid for a 400D/Rebel XTi body, but will get £50 cashback.
now just need to get a new 50mm lense!
January 2nd, 2008 at 6:20 pm
i got my Canon Rebel on my b-day last Nov. and i spent about $1,000 including some accessories. Now i am dreaming of Nikon d80.. yay..
January 2nd, 2008 at 6:41 pm
I paid a little over $700 for my Rebel XTi with the kit lens this past September. It’s been a great investment thus far!
January 2nd, 2008 at 7:16 pm
I’m honestly not sure how to count it. My last camera was my d80, but it was a replacement for my broken d70 (hooray for extended warranties). Should I call it $0? $200 (the price of the extended warranty)? $1300 (the price of the original d70)?
January 2nd, 2008 at 7:26 pm
I purchased a 2nd hand refurbished 20D for my wife… having done it once I would find it hard to justify buying a new camera again - it had only taken 250 shots and we picked it up for well under 1/2 what the 30D/40D’s are retailing for new.
January 2nd, 2008 at 9:59 pm
I bought a Canon EOS 400D this chrismas.
it costs 864$ (which is 590€) and there is a CashBack Action where Canon gives me 102$ back (which is 70€)
I also bought me an Tamron Tele.
It’s a great System - i Love it!
(My first SLR Camera)
January 2nd, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Sony Alpha 100. Cost about 1050$ in Europe. Not included: a second lens, UV-filter, bag, remote control…
I also spent some money on some studio stuff such as umbrellas, light, backdrops…
January 2nd, 2008 at 11:24 pm
This Year:
Canon SD600 - $300
Nikon 18-200mm Lens = $680 (last week)
Previous Year:
Nikon D50 - $650
Nikon 55-200mm Lens - $250
Geez! That’s where all my money went! But I LOVE my new 18-200mm lens!
January 2nd, 2008 at 11:48 pm
I bought a nikon D40 a week before Christmas & a 55-200vr lens for $700 and I think it was the best investment I ever made
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:10 am
I could tell you in pounds!
Pentax K110D for about £350. It’s only a starter DSLR but it’s great for me I get some good shots out of it =)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elenafiorini/
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:33 am
Actually $20 for a small point and shoot to take pictures while running the Chicago Marathon.
Joe
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:41 am
The question how much did you spend on your last camera taken literally $1449 however, if the question is to included excessories see list below.
Dec - 2007
Canon D40 which came with a 28 - 135 mm IS UM lens $1449.
Canon 580 EX II flash - $350
Sigma 8mm F3.5 Fisheye lens - $550
Middle of last year
Canon - 100mm F2.8 Macro - $450
Canon - 100-400mm L IS Zoom - $1400
Canon - 1.4x extension - $250
Plus some thread on filters (UV - Circular Polarize - Star Burst )
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:42 am
I just spent $1724 on the D300 body, and a little over $600 for the 18-200mm lens. I love it, and I just bought a D100 for $340 (no lens) that I’m going to convert for IR shots.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:46 am
I purchased my last two cameras from a FRIEND (in capital letters) who upgraded to a 30D and then a 40D.
When he got the 30D, he sold me the 20D for $700.00.
When he got the 40D, he sold me the 30D for $650.00.
Since getting the 30D, I’ve purchased:
- Canon f1.8 85mm (Amazon $372.00)
- Canon f1.4 50mm (Amazon $309.00)
- Canon f4L 70-200mm ($550.00 from my friend)
- Canon 1.4 Teleconverter (Amazon $285.00)
- Canon 580EX II Flash (Amazon $349.00)
Additionally I’ve purchased 2 Canon Camera Bags (@$45.00 each), three Lowe Lens cases (@$55.00 total)
and other stuff.
For me the Cameras were the cheap part.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:54 am
Just picked a Nikon Coolpix S51. Replaces my Sony W5.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:55 am
Sony Alpha a-700 with the grip and extra battery along with an external flash, filters, and such came to almost 3K. It does a great job, I am very happy with it.
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:01 am
Hi, I have never posted anything here but thought this was one way to start! I just got a Nikon D40 this year and paid about $600 for the camera, lens, filters, tripod, case, bag and few additional extras. Now, if I could just figure out how to take good pictures, I would be happy. I have been told by my husband that the amount I spent on the camera I never get to pay for professional pictures of my kids again!! I am extremely new with this camera so any advice on this particular model would be greatly appreciated! I have barely stepped out into the manual settings and haven’t even begun to understand ISO and all that. Thanks and sorry this is so long….
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:39 am
Digital Rebel XTi (400D) - about $1400Cdn… live in Canada though and ordered it online from the states. Came with the body, 18-55mm and 70-300mm lenses, large and small tripods, 3 lens filters, soft bag, hard case, extra battery, 4GB CF card and a 5yr international extended warranty (was about $350 for the warranty) that includes 1 covered body cleaning per year… oh and shipping as well. All in all I think I made out good considering the week after I bought it the local shops had the same camera with 2 lenses only for $1799. Back in November when the Cdn dollar was above the USD…
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:39 am
I bought d 40 in June 07.. I am quite happy with it.
it gives pretty good results.. it is one of the best
starter level dslrs…
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:44 am
Nikon D100 from a friend with the original wide angle lens and an additional 75-200 telephoto and a 512 MB and a 1 Gb memory card for $1000.
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:10 am
It all began about 4 years ago. Still kept my old Minolta x-300 35mm SLR and bought a Fuji A340 4 megapixel digi-compact. With hindsight, I could not expect the same results or flexibility as an SLR of either film or digital and so we move on…next investement was a Panasonic FZ20, sort of midway between where I was and where I really wanted to be. Some superb results but whetted my appetite for more.
Still got the A340 for snapshots and a lucky win on bingo meant the wife treated me to a Nikon D80 + 18-135DX kit and I sold the Panasonic on e-bay. Just love the Nikon but now got the urge for more glass to stick in front of it.
Have bought the Sigma 18-50 f2.8 lens (reccomended)a superb buy and a cheapy Nikon 70-300mm f4-5.6G which gives acceptable results on the right day, and saving my money for a Sigma (”Bigma”) 50-500.
Caveat Emptor, or as they say in Rome, Buyer beware, this digital photography lark can become seriously addictive.
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:59 am
A Canon A570is. I was proud to have manage to get one for only 249 $can back in june 2007. It was worth 289. Now, it’s in sale for 189. Damn!
January 3rd, 2008 at 3:31 am
I’ve had a Sony Cybershot 3.2 for a few years now. I’ve wanted a replacement for a while so a couple days before Christmas I picked up a Canon G9 ($439). Very happy so far!
~d
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:47 am
I recently bought a used 20d for $580 with a warranty, but that was for the body only. about a month later I bought a Tamron lens for $300. so $880 total.
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:52 am
I bought my D50 in April for about $450, which to me is still a steal for the quality I get out of it.
In September I bought a Pentax W30 for kayaking, which it did that wonderfully in the bright sun, but other than outdoors it’s been fairly disappointing.
January 3rd, 2008 at 5:12 am
$1300 for body only
$5000+ for entire gear
Sheesh….I’d be gaping at that hole in my wallet for a long time….
January 3rd, 2008 at 5:24 am
I spend
NZ$2200 for Canon EOS 40D body only,
NZ$700 for Tamron SP AF17-50mm f/2.8 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) lens,
NZ$939 for Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM lens
US$443 for Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens
Quit huge amount for me, but the love for photography made me do this.
January 3rd, 2008 at 6:01 am
My cousin gives me his old cameras. :) Perfect for the student budget, haha.
January 3rd, 2008 at 6:39 am
i paid $185 for a brand new Samsung S850 which has 8megapixels and 5x zoom and plenty of manual capabilities. i m finding it a really good buy! worth what i paid for it and more!
January 3rd, 2008 at 6:58 am
I bought a D80 last July. Although I dream with a D300 the D80 will surely be my eyes for the next couple of years.
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:03 am
Sorry, in my earlier witterings I forgot to put the prices in.
From memory Fuji Finepix A340 c.£130.00, Panasonic Lumix FZ20 £350.00 and Nikon D80/18-135 AF-S DX Zoom plus Lowepro 100AW Slingshot bag c.£750.00 after collective bargaining/blunt-nosed hard dealing and playing Jessops off against another large player in the photographic equipment market.
Times are hard and even photographic dealers have mouths to feed!!!!!
Bleed em dry, or at least, negotiate your best deal.
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:25 am
Made the switch this past year from the Pentax *ist DS to Nikon D80, using earnings from a couple weddings. Spent almost $2000 on body, lenses, flash, and accessories. Love the camera! I’m hoping for more work this year that’ll pay for some fast glass.
Reading some of the posts from folks w/ point & shoot cameras wishing they had DSLRs reminded me of a lesson I learned a long time ago as a photographer. A photographer’s eye is the most important aspect of good photography. I’ve seen plenty of pictures taken by folks with very expensive equipment (also paid a lot of money) that really are nothing more than glorified snapshots. I personally like showing my portfolio, then pointing out that a particular shot was taken with a $150 point & shoot.
Here’s to 2008 - good shooting!
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:00 am
I think the answers to this poll are going to be a little confusing to the uneducated reader. I bought (Or had my parents buy me for christmas :D ) a Digital Rebel XT for my 2006 birthday, and I’ve been building on it ever since. That christmas, I got probably a new lens and the 430EX flash. I got a 28-135mm lens last birthday, and a lens hood and cir. polarizer this christmas. So for me, my total camera gear for that camera totals to above $2500, while the actual body costed about $800 at the time. So, if you are about to get a camera, don’t worry about all of these $1000-2000 votes, because it might be the total cost of the camera.
In addition, I urge all new wanna be photographers to look at OLDER MODELS FIRST! For example, the new Digital Rebel XTi, 10 megapixels, is running for $600 on Amazon.com, while the “older” and “worse” Rebel XT is running for just $469.95 on Amazon.com. Of course, it is not “worse,” actually I would say it’s better. So look at older models first. DPReview.com has a great list of every camera from every manufacturer, even ones from 1999!
Happy shooting-
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:21 am
Bought a Nikon D300 with Nikon’s 18-200mm lens, great camera for its money, and i recommend it to
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:02 pm
I got my Pentax K10D body about 2500 shutter actuations ago for $700. Never mind what the lenses cost - I feel much better if I consider only the cost of the body.
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:26 pm
I bought a Canon A70 about 4 years ago with a set of 2500mAH + Charger, camera case and a 128MB CF card for just below the price that I paid for my new Canon S5is with a set of eneloop + camera case + 2 pieces of class 4 1GB SD card during Christmas!
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:43 pm
NIKON D40x 18-55 kit + 2 2Gb SD cards for $759
I Think is Good for a SUPER AMATEUR
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:46 pm
I bought a D80 a little more than a year ago.
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:59 pm
First-time photographer. Have tinkered around with my friend’s cameras, and instantly knew I wanted a dSLR. As a new photography (and a college student), I was on a tight budget. I waited for a while searching websites ferociously for deals. I finally grabbed a used Rebel XT w/lens kit for $260+$15 CF card about a month ago. I’m quite happy with the purchase, and think I got a really good deal.
I absolutely love the camera, though it is a bit overwhelming being a novice. I would recommend buying a used/older model as the poster above me mentioned. It’s a good starting point, and quite easy on the wallet, especially if you plan to upgrade later on.
Also, be sure to force yourself to read the basics. I had a hard time forcing myself to read rather than snapping away like a mad-man. I’m definitely glad I did, as I can already see a vast improvement in my pictures.
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:53 pm
I just bought a Canon PS A720is for $293AU. I’m very happy with it and just before xmas was a good time for me. I would really like to get a DSLR may be next year though.
January 3rd, 2008 at 5:29 pm
I bought the Canon EOS 20D in Oct of 2005. It took me six months to justify it to myself and to take it out of the house without stressing that I might break it.
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Canon Eos Mark III for $4600 w/tax, 3 Canon L lens $4200, Lowepro Sling 200 $100….June 2007. And this is just a hobby. But it’s cheap compared that fishing hobby…have you checked the price of bass boats lately….the wife actually bought this argument…ha! Life is too short if you don’t do it with passion. At 10 frames a second and a 12 gig. card…the camera doesn’t miss much.
January 4th, 2008 at 1:22 am
I bought mine last year (last year?! That was so long ago!)for $350, that’s in Australian dollars. Sorry, that page was taking too long to load for me so I don’t know how much that is in US dollars. Anyhoo, it is a Canon ixus 70, and it would’ve cost a fair bit more but I got it cheap because of.. certain sneaky reasons.
Hehehe…. :D
January 4th, 2008 at 4:45 am
Back in about 2002 or 2003, I spent a vast amount of money (more than twice what I’d planned, anyway) on a Minolta Dimage 7. We still use it, and it lasted long enough that many compacts finally caught up with the megapixels and quality. It was a great camera, with plenty of manual settings and a decent optical zoom lens. Eventually, the DSLR market matured enough, and I bought a Canon EOS400D just over a year ago. I paid UKP 400-ish, which I guess was about USD 600-ish then. Since then, I’ve spent more and more on lenses and accessories. That’s the fun bit they don’t tell you about when you get back into serious photography!
January 4th, 2008 at 6:11 am
My wife bought me a Canon S5 IS for our anniversary for $399.
I love it.
January 4th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Last camera I purchased was also the least expensive: a Fuji S700 for just a bit over $200. Nice photo quality, full featured, and very light. Seem to get an additional camera every year with all but the oldest one still going strong. This year maybe a DSLR but $$ for lenses might make it just too pricey.
January 4th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
My last camera purchased was last May - a Nikon D80. Buying the camera is the cheap part - it’s all the other things (lenses, bag, batteries, cards, etc.) that you just have to have that adds up! Especially lenses. Love the camera!
January 4th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
own a nikon d80 plus 12-24 tokina, 60mm micro. 70-300 vr lens & a standard kit lens, but i bought myself for xmas a canon g9 point & shoot , its a great camera , wants to be a dslr but cant just get there. great when i dont want to lug around my full kit
January 4th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
I spend almost USD$1200 for my new Canon 40D with lens kits 18-55. Still want to buy new wide angel lens :D
January 5th, 2008 at 1:03 am
As a newbie, I bought the Canon XT body for about $500 a year ago. I didn’t include the price of the 17-40L, 50/1.8 and 430EX flash. That would bring my total to about $1,450. Six months later I added the 70-200/2.8L, and recently the 85/1.8, Kenko extension tubes and some B+W filters (another $1,800). Unfortunately, I feel like I have outgrown the XT, and have been looking at the 40D, but I’m waiting a few months until the price drops again (already down $200). This is an expensive hobby, but I’m getting shots that are much more creative, and have less noise than my old Canon A95. It’s well worth it to me.
January 5th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
I bought a Kodak z612 this past July for $250. Over Thanksgiving it dropped in price well over a hundred dollars. This alway happens when I buy a camera. Within six months time, the price of the camera I buy drops by half usually. :(
January 6th, 2008 at 1:35 am
After having a very early model Canon rebel I switched to a 5D body one year ago. Even though you don’t hear much about this model, I love the results. The full size sensor works well with my main two lenses, a 24-70 f2.8 and the 70-200 F2.8 IS. Nearly every time I use this camera I’m amazed at the focusing and detail, even with large JPEG’s rather than RAW. The prices are down now and i’d recommend the 5d body to anyone other than someone shooting long distances and requiring 300mm or longer. With he Rebel(again, a very early model) probably 50% or more of my shots were out of focus. Now with the same lenses 95%+ are right on. Now if I was only better with those Speedlights!
January 7th, 2008 at 1:18 am
After fighting going digital for a long time, I decided on the Pentax K100D Super with 18-55 lens and 2GB card, shelled out $540.00 bones for it.
Love the camera and capabilities, just goes to show you can teach old dogs new tricks :0)
January 7th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
A bit more than $2700 including additionnal lenses, flashes, accessories, all bought withing the last 18 months.
January 10th, 2008 at 4:47 am
I spent $853.00 on my Sony A100 SLR and $250.00 on Sony SAL-75300 - f/4.5-5.6 Telephoto Zoom lens. I love it and have a renewed passion for the art!
January 10th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Had a Kodak point and shoot 3.0 meg pix, just bought a Canon
Powershot S51S. I love it and as soon as I learn how to use iit, I’m sure Ilove it even more.
January 10th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Camera I’m using right now: $150 Canon Powershot A550
Camera that I just bought, Thats being shipped my way now: $600 (roughly) Canon Digital Rebel XT, Canon 50mm f1.8 EF, 4GB CF card.
Its not a lot, but still a huge upgrade from my lil P&S :D
Tom
January 19th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Sony DSC W55 ($273.29, SGD399.00)
Light and small. Good for me to taking along.
Come with:
1 Battery, 2GB MSD, Mini tripod etc.
January 21st, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Big year last year. Upgraded a Nikon Coolpix 5600 to a Coolpix P5000 and a D50 to a D80. Plus 50mm 1.8, 18X200mm and 70X200mm lenses and the dual battery pack for the D80 plus miscellaneous filters, SDHC cards, adapters, spare batteries, a 2X telephoto for the P5000 etc., ad nauseam. Less what I sold the old ones for it came to about 2000 bucks. Add in a trip to Key West to try ‘em out and…ooops…calculator choked!
January 26th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
$2,500 or so for a Nikon D200 and a pair of nice lenses.
January 27th, 2008 at 10:26 am
I bought a point and shoot for when I dont want to lug my Canon 30D. A nice little fuji finepix for 149$ nice.
Thanks