Why You Can Trust CNET Get a Canon EOS Rebel T6 dSLR kit for $394
From the Cheapskate: Ready to move from snapshots to actual photography? This top-rated camera would normally run you at least $100 more. Plus: two sweet bonus deals!
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It's been a long while since I shared a camera deal, in part because I'm not really a camera guy, and in part because I think most folks these days get the job done with their phones.
But, let's face it, certain situations demand a good camera. Indeed, anyone with "prosumer" photography aspirations should switch to a dSLR immediately.
Smile! You just scored a sweet dSLR deal.
Like this one: Today only, and while supplies last, Meh has the Canon EOS Rebel T6 18-55mm dSLR kit for $394, plus $5 for shipping. It lists for $550 and would cost you $500 at Amazon.
Let me start by saying there's some difference of opinion when it comes to the T6 (also known as the 1300D), which has been on the market only a few months. CNET's Lori Grunin rated it 6.8 (out of 10), knocking its fairly minimal feature set and somewhat slow performance -- while also praising its photo and video quality.
Over at Amazon, however, some 40 buyers collectively rated it 4.7 stars out of 5. And that's the same average score from over 200 Best Buy customers. This is not to say Lori's review is somehow inaccurate, merely that the average dSLR buyer might have different priorities and expectations than a professional reviewer. And for those buyers, the T6 rocks.
The camera comes with an 18-55mm lens, which can be swapped for any number of other lenses should you so desire -- but the included one gets the job done.
With it you can shoot 1080p video, and with a lot more shooting options than you get from most phones.
Just take note of Meh's comment regarding the warranty: Although the Rebel T6 is new, "Canon won't let us be an authorized dealer, but if they won't honor the warranty on this, we'll cover it with our own one-year warranty." Normally I'd consider that a red flag, but I trust Meh as a vendor; they've been around a while, and I can't recall ever receiving a complaint about them from a reader.
Your thoughts?
Bonus deal: Regular Cheapskate readers know of my affinity for WPS Office, the free version of which rivals Microsoft Office in terms of core features, interface and so on. Alas, it now hits you up with ads when you use certain features. I don't find that particularly intrusive, but I'd just as soon not have ads. Today only, Giveaway of the Day is offering a 12-month WPS Office Personal subscription for free. Regular price: $19.99. (Note: You must download, install and activate the software today.)
In addition to an ad-free experience, you get priority tech support (via email) and support for splitting, merging and converting PDFs. Prefer OpenOffice or LibreOffice? Cool, stick with it. Everyone else, this is a great office suite.
An awfully good deal for under $10.
Bonus deal No. 2: If by some miracle you don't have all the mobile chargers you could ever possibly need, there are some great deals on Tylt products. For example, Tech Union (via Amazon) has the Tylt PowerPlant 5,200 mAh charger for $7.99, which is shipped free with Prime. I like this one because of its built-in Micro-USB charging arm. Want the Lightning version? Groupon has it for $10 -- or $7.50 if you're a first-time Groupon customer and apply promo code FIRST at checkout.
I'm also a big fan of the Tylt Energi, which has less capacity (1,800 mAh) but is also much more compact. Even better, it has built-in wall prongs for the easiest possible recharging. Tylt proper has the Energi Micro-USB version for $8.99, and TechRabbit has the Lightning version for $9.99.