Camera for sale at Costco - whataya think ?

I know most ( 99.94 % )  of you already own a camera.  I however DO NOT
All I have is my android phone camera, which I use all the time, but as you can see
by the pics I have posted, it is lacking in several areas.  No jokes please about my actual photos.  

Anyways, I am on the hunt, but have not yet come across the camera deal that makes me break out my wallet.  I know you get what you pay for, and though there are even better, more expensive "PRO" cameras...…for sale: cameras in the 2 - 3 - 4 thousand dollar price brackets,   I think I'm looking to jump in around this price point somewhere.  Maybe a little higher. Maybe a little lower.

There is soooo much to learn.  Does anyone think this would be a decent purchase ? 

Looks like you get two  lenses, a bag, a memory card, an extra battery pack and an HDMI cable included. 

Great price. Costco usually has a 15% markup on most items and when the run sales it is about the best you will get. And their return policies are exceeded by one one. I have the 60D, 70D and 5DmkIII. This one is a slight update from the 70D on which I have over 100K clicks. The lenses are EF-S so they would not be usable if you decided to go full-frame later. That is not a deal killer since I bought all EF single lens so they will work with both lines. 

Yes, there's lots to learn.

1) Nikon and Canon control the pricing of their products (for US warranty items, that is) which means that if you can find a good price on a camera in one location, you'll find it at others. Costco is not going to be able to give you a special sale on US version of those products. I found 3 other vendors offering comparable deals at $1300 on Amazon just now.

2) Don't rush into anything.

3) Don't buy gray market, despite what some may say, until you have plenty of experience to make a informed choice that is good for you. Besides, we like Canon and Nikon and want their businesses to continue. Don't we? (This is just for general info/principle. Go google "gray market" to learn more.)

4) That's the wrong camera system.

5) Have you gone to a store and laid hands on equipment? Either there, or Walmart, or Best Buy, or...? If you haven't already settled on a system, you need to go touch the goods and play with. The camera you want is the one you can't put down.

6) Note the lenses. Those are "kit" lenses. Fine enough, but as stated, they'll only work on crop sensor bodies. Keep in mind that, over time, your largest investment will be in glass. A body can last you years depending upon how many shots you take per day.

7) A modern crop sensor at 24MP is going to give you a long lifetime of shooting, and be usable in a variety of situations. Provided you have suitable glass.

So, yeah, it's a fine choice. Nikon will have something comparable at that price point, too (a D7200). There's a lot more that could be said, but not in a single post. See #2, above.

So wait a minute.  CostCo has a very liberal return policy.  Are they allowing people with cameras to come back 2 years later and swap like other items they sell?

IMHO, that's a decent price point to jump into the DSLR game at. Many make that leap and never take their cameras off auto settings. For them, it's probably more than they needed to spend. For others, they do try to learn the various photography aspects and upgrade equipment as they learn and determine what makes sense for them. 

My first DSLR was the T1i and my first upgrade was to the 60D. I've made multiple upgrades since then into the pro body ranks (even though I don't shoot professionally). I can't speak to this body specifically, but is in the ranks that would make sense for a beginner. You'll figure out fairly quickly if it's something that's for you or not. If it is and you find that something's not meeting your specific needs, you can upgrade a piece at a time.

It's hard to say which side of the spectrum you'll fall. If you fall in love and get the upgrade bug, you'll wish you had bought better to start with. If you find it's just too much work, you'll wish you hadn't wasted your money.  

You don't say what kinds of things interest you. And certainly that may change over time. Some areas may be more forgiving and you'll get by just fine with that setup for years. I shot a lot of sports, and quickly learned shooting speed in bad lighting required better equipment. But that's not the case for all subjects. If you like shooting well lit landscapes, you might never feel the need to upgrade anything at all. Of course, your financials have a lot to say for what you think is 'worth it' over time as well. 

But bottom line in my humble opinion, that would be a good starting point assuming it's in your budget. 

But you might want to get a few bodies in your hand just to get the feel. When we bought our first DSLR, we went to a camera shop. My wife and I both liked the feel of Canon over Nikon for whatever reason. And I've never turned back on that first decision in all my upgrades. Fortunately we chose correctly and didn't choose Nikon.  (I'm very much joking - while I love my Canon gear, I'm confident we would be just as happy if your initial choice had been Nikon - although I hate to say that ) 

Mike, in time you will learn that photography is about what is in your brain, not what is in your hands.  Virtually every modern camera can record stunning images, including this Canon DSLR.  What matters in terms of equipment is what you like.  If you like this camera, then it is a great choice.

I like what Gary posted. It's a very nice camera at an Ok price. The main knock against it is that it is a DSLR. Which come with a loud shutter (flipping mirror). The new mirrorless cameras are quieter. Shutter loudness makes no difference for family, landscapes, or sports (except golf!). A quiet shutter is nice for stage and street photography.

Kelly

Personally I'm not into these sort of of packages, they always seem like more fluff items that have higher perceived value than their actual worth.  Show me a deal on camera body alone.  

Sandy Smith Photos wrote: Personally I'm not into these sort of of packages, they always seem like more fluff items that have higher perceived value than their actual worth.  Show me a deal on camera body alone.  

This