Anyone know how the PayPal discount works?

I went through all the way to the point where it actually charges me and completes the transaction through PayPal and the amount for the unit never changed.

Deathstalker

same here..apparently your pay pal account will be credited in Jan 2008...you won't see any discounts for now..as fas you have your receipt which shows the time and date of purchase, you should be fine...

"Anyone know how the PayPal discount works? "

Those that take the two seconds required to read the terms and conditions will note that this is actually a "rebate" that gets deposited into your paypal account by the end of January.

#3 I would have been happy to do that if I had actually found a link to it, which I did not.

Sorry to have bothered you.

Deathstalker

I think that unless you plan on buying several lenses costing at LEAST as much as the body itself, its just not worth it to buy a dSLR. Its pluses: less noisy pictures, instant on. Minus: costs twice as much as a bridge camera, comes with a mediocre lens w/o zoom, Optical Image Stabilization, and large F range. Unless your camera budget is around $1000-1500, you are better off getting a $300 to $500 bridge camera. Especially if you don't know the difference between f-stop and iso.

I'm sorry, but I get really tired of self professed photography experts that want to tell me what kind of camera I need to buy - or how horrible a particular line of lenses is. This is an excellent camera and even the lowest end SLR lens is far and away better than anything permanently mounted onto a bridge camera. This may not be the best deal I've seen on this camera, but it is a decent deal for a great camera.

Have you guys noticed the Dell Home coupon listed at the top for Inspiron desktop pc? It's now $350 off $1049 on Inspiron desktop!! It had been $350 off $999 for a long, long time. Now it's $50 more after the Paypal deal is announced. Anybody think there is a connection?

What the heck is a bridge camera? I must be really ignorant. Is it the same as P/S camera? or is there a new class of digital camera?

Your camera can only take as good of a picture as it can see through the lens. With a few exceptions, Canon consumer lens are junks. Canon is doing this on purpose so they can sell you the good lens at a much higher price. So, just use the crappy kit lens and save up for the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS or the 10-22mm USM.

well, #7, they can do whatever they want with their coupons, just like you don't have to buy anything from them. how much of a discount would you like? free? have them pay you to take the desktop from them? you fail.

Just a recommendation - I use Tamron and Sigma lenses and love them. Definately worry about spending the money on glass, not the camera. This price is excellent, and you should be able to find similar deals at local camera shops.

#8, I believe a "bridge" camera refers to the hyper zoom P&S cameras that are now on the market. These have 10x (or higher) zoom ranges and many include image stabilization. The Canon S5IS is an example of this category (approximately $350).

As someone who bought into the Canon DSLR system (I have the original digital rebel), you should be aware that once you buy one of these cameras, you WILL want to buy more lenses and other toys to go with it. If you are ready for that, then a DSLR is a fantastic camera and it does allow you to take better pictures than a P&S. If, however, you are not ready for that kind of commitment, but you want a good camera to snap pictures with, then go for a "bridge" camera. You'll save money and you'll still be able to take very, very good pictures.

compare this with a nikon d40x, you may be surprised to see that you can buy a cheaper one as well. unfortunately, these cameras boil down to how good your lenses are. and of course how good you are as a shooter still a fan of nikon than canon. nothing against canon, just a preference

I agree with #12.

I have the 8 megapixel rebel and I have easily spent an extra $2000 on lenses, flash, bag, and 3 point lighting set up. The picture quality is great though. Now I need to get a couple of primes. There goes another few bucks.

Apparently to be loyal I need to have lots of posts, regardless of how long I have been visiting this site (since .com)

Ok, I'll post mindless drivel that has nothing to do with this deal just to increase my count!

#6, I'm not saying this camera wouldn't be great for some people, I'm just saying that while you do get better picture quality, you also lose a lot of versatility, and if you want that versatility, you're going to have to spend some serious money. The average snap shooting joe is going to be taking a step backwards buying this camera unless they are prepared to keep shelling out. $629 is just a teaser price.

niro5 has a point. The avg joe blow who doesn't know anything about photography will be doing himself a disservice by buying this camera over a P&S or bridge camera.