Looking for advice on this D3200 bundle on Amazon

Hi! New to the fourm, but not to Nikon cameras. I had an old Nikon D3000 that I no longer own. The DSLR bug has bitten me again and I'm looking to buy something new. I found this bundle, (Amazon.com: Nikon D3200 24.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR and 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S DX NIKKOR Zoom Lenses + EN-EL14 Battery + 32GB Deluxe Accessory Kit: Electronics) on Amazon. I'm curious if anyone has any advice on anything I should look out for or stay away from in this bundle or if you have any experience with any of the included parts/pieces associated with it? Any and all input would be appreciated. Does this look like a good deal? Or can someone point me in a better direction as an alternative? Should I just wait and purchase the D3300 with the 18-55mm lens and call it a day? I'm really just starting out and looking to get the best bang for my buck. Thanks in advance!

Ryan.

I would get the D3300 if you have the $...Skip the kit lens and get you some fast glass...Usually in those bundle kits the accessories are made very cheap..

It's a standard kit (slightly "expanded"). Go for it, I'd suggest. The D3300 offers a couple of "advantages" (in MHO , these are more like "gimmicks") such as the removal of "anti alias filter", and the expanded connectivity options. What I see as a SIGNIFICANT difference is what is found on an another model (in the same price category): D5100 - a rotating mirror, the thing you'll be needing a lot, if you shoot macros, close-ups, especially if you intend to shoot videos... As for the lenses, it depends on what picture quality you are up to. If your ambitions are not "professional", buy kit-lens(es). Otherwise, buy yourself a 35mm f/1.8 AF-S (G) and a 85mm f/1.8 G, for the start...

ShootRaw said:

I would get the D3300 if you have the $...Skip the kit lens and get you some fast glass...Usually in those bundle kits the accessories are made very cheap..

Click to expand...

That's exactly what I'm afraid of.

I say if you are getting back into photography,and you want another Entry level camera..Why not get the top-of-the-line one to start out with? AKA D3300...Or honestly the D7100 would be my next step coming from the D3100 my-self

I've been going back and forth between the D3200 bundle and the D3300. I'm leaning more toward the D3300, but was curious on people's opinions on this bundle and if it was worth the extra $$$.

I would skip that particular kit. It does not come directly from Amazon, but a 3rd party market place seller. I would stick to mainstream dealers and be sure they are Nikon authorized. Amazon is authorized, but that kit is not from Amazon, just sold via their website. Usually most of the stuff in those big kits is low quality.

Welcome to nikonites!
I'm not sure I'm the best one to advise you, since I don't own a D3200. But if it were me, I'd skip the D3xxx series and go for something in the D5xxx series with a smaller bundle or just a single lens. I have both the D3100 and the D5100 and the D5100 has enough advantages over the D3100 that it was well worth the extra cost.
Now my preferences are for the more pro feeling Nikon's, and my favorite Nikon is the D300 and second favorite is the D90. I bought both of those Nikon's used for under what your planning to pay for the D3200, but that was without a lens.
It highly depends on what you like and what printed photo sizes you tend to want. Lenses tend to make the biggest differences depending what you like to photograph, and depending on what that may be, you might do better buying the lens you need separate.
But if you really like the D3200 I think you'll like the D5200 better. Others here can help advise you much better than I can on the models your interested in!

Thanks for your input everyone. I think I'm just going to buy the camera and a lens separately and stay away from the bundle. Now to decide which direction to go for the camera. I'll be using it mostly for sports (I attend quite a few races every year) and family photos as well as trying my hand at a little bit of nature photography.

"sports, family, nature...". That makes a whole lot of situations, thus requires a wide range of focal lengths. As I already suggested, start with 35mm and 85mm (primes), for "family". For sports: a zoom of 70-300mm (whose largest aperture depends on how much $ you would like to invest). For "nature" (mostly, landscapes): 24mm f/2.8 D (if you don't mind manual focusing, at least with this lens mounted on D3200). http://url.ie/lpuw

DraganDL said:

"sports, family, nature...". That makes a whole lot of situations, thus requires a wide range of focal lengths. As I already suggested, start with 35mm and 85mm (primes), for "family". For sports: a zoom of 70-300mm (whose largest aperture depends on how much $ you would like to invest). For "nature" (mostly, landscapes): 24mm f/2.8 D (if you don't mind manual focusing, at least with this lens mounted on D3200). nikon 24mm f/2.8 D - Google Search

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply and the suggestions. I appreciate it!

Which camera you gonna buy o.p?

I think at the moment I'm leaning toward the D3200 and picking up a few lenses. I know the D3300 is an improvement, but for the price difference I'd like to get a lens or two to mess around with.

Mmmm ok

I juuuuuuuuust went through this, as of like, the last 16 hours. I set my sights on a red d3200 after months of research and yesterday was the day I was going to buy. I quickly figured out that 99% of the online camera stores were located in NJ/the Bronx and they were scummy/sleazy at the best. I could say much worse.

I thought I found one that was semi reputable in that the only complaints were that they took your credit card info but then emailed you saying it failed and they urge you to use paypal. Well, I ordered anyway and guess what..... I had to call them and they wanted me to use paypal. I said no, cancel order please. They huffed and puffed but they cancelled. I thought I had a great deal at $449 bucks.

Point is, if you think you're saving money, or it looks to good to be true, especially with cameras for some reason, it is too good to be true. Just spend the money and buy from B&H. I JUST ordered my red d3200 and it came with a free $40 carrying case and a 16 gig class 10 memory card for $529 plus tax. If you're not in NY you might not have to even pay tax. Maybe.

Even Amazon uses third party vendors and for some reason, with these cameras, they are mostly scammers. Just do yourself a favor and stay away from them.