Some of you know that my amazing husband and parents and in-laws all pitched in for my birthday/Christmas present - a new camera. A, knowing how I love to bargain shop, put it all on a gift card so when I found the right deal, I could snag it.

Well, after a month of researching, consulting my good friend (and wedding photographer) Courtney with always.autumn.studios, I decided to purchase this steal of a deal on a Canon Rebel T2i with a 18-55mm kit lens for $649.95.

If you've been looking for a great "starter" DSLR camera that will be able to transition well into the "prosumer" market, check this out. It is refurbished, but from what I've read and heard, has been thoroughly checked out and "fixed" before being placed up for sale. Although the lens isn't the best, it's a good starter lens for me to get used to so I can determine what I like and need for future lens purchases. It's a great camera to grow into :) Although this is the newest model of Canon's Rebel series at the moment, rumor has it (over at Canon Rumors) that next month will see the announcement of a new Rebel, maybe dropping the price of the T2i a bit more around March, or whenever the new one is released.

If you don't want to wait till then (and who does? I didn't!), seriously, check out the deal I got from Adorama. All signs point to a great company with a good warranty (1 year return-to-Adorama) for a great little camera. In fact, I was so upset when I missed this deal a couple of weeks ago that I have been stalking their website ever since. Yesterday was my lucky day (as I was home sick.) I saw the deal back up on the site, ran into the bedroom for my giftcard and fast and furiously began the purchasing process.

Because I used a giftcard for a portion of the purchase, and Christmas money in the bank account for the rest, I had to call Adorama directly and purchase through them, which was fine. However, if you're going to buy the camera online and want to save even MORE, go through Ebates first for 2.5% cash back, bringing the grand total to $633.25 (free shipping and no sales tax, too!)!!! Seriously - a steal. DO IT :)

Once the camera gets in (next week!) and I've had some time to get used to it, I'll let you know my thoughts. Until then, happy hunting!

P.S. - Ebates is a GREAT site where you go before you shop online. Click through to the store you're going to buy from, and they give you a check for a portion of what you spend back. I've already gotten one check, and there's another on the way!