Nikon D3200: Buy now or wait for price to drop further?
I'm looking forward to buy my first DSLR and I have set my eyes on Nikon D3200. Well, we all know D3300 is announced and will be released on Feb 6, but I'm not planning to get the newer model.
The price of D3200 (since November) has been around $500 ~ $530. I just got my 2013 bonus check and it is just enough to buy my a new camera. So, I'm wondering if I should get it now.
Based on experience, is $500 as low as it can get within 2014 Q1? Will the price drop further within the next 2~8 weeks after D3300 is officially hit the market?
(I don't want to cry when the price drop to $450 3 days after I purchase the camera.)
No ads please. I already know where I will buy from.
I'm hopefully waiting for price drop like you.
But most places have a 30 day price guarantee. If price drops within in 30 days yo can get difference if you bought it from them.
They seldom let the price drop to bargain low levels for a couple of years because it damages the brand.
You can rarely succeed in playing a waiting game for cameras. With Northern hemisphere spirng in the offing there will be plenty of demand still.
Are you sure you want to buy a camera that doesn't have mirror lock up shooting. Neither the D3200 or D3300 will have it. The difference in image sharpness with mirror lock up is huge.
I'd go with the D3200.
The price will always be about to drop. And then there will be another, better camera. But wait a bit, that one will drop in price as well!
The D3300 may well drive the D3200 price down a bit, but it has already dropped quite a lot and they won't want to push the D3100 down much more. It will probably take about a month for the D3300 to start dropping from its recommended retail price and another month for it to reach its stable street price. Are you happy to wait that long?
Whenever you buy, there's a good chance that you will see a lower price 2-3 months later. That's life. But if you wait for 3-4 months then that's 3-4 months of your life that you won't be enjoying a DSLR.
You won't see the D3200 significantly drop in price for quite some time as it is still covered by Nikon's pricing policy. Nikon has lately maintained two generations of each model in recent years. This is done to reinforce/maintain the D3300 price. Afterall, no one would buy a D3300 if the D3200 was hundreds of dollars less.
Don't look for the D3200 to drop significantly in price until the D3400 is available.
The D3100 however will likely drop in price as it no longer is subject to Nikon's pricing policy.
Every piece of IT kit (including cameras) drops in price when an even newer piece comes along. Your question suggests that you have already observed that fact.