Last Updated on May 13, 2023 by cameraconsumer
Camera bundles are getting increasingly popular – especially with first-time buyers and novices. They can offer you everything you need to get started and save you some time and money in the process! But where should you look?
So, here is a list of my Top 5 stores on Amazon if you’re shopping for a camera (or camera lens) bundle.
If you want to go straight to the list, then just scroll down. Before I get to the list, however; I thought I would list the criteria I used to select these stores/sellers.
There are numerous stores on Amazon selling camera bundles, but I wanted to find the best. So, the stores that I place on this list, are stores that I would consider purchasing from myself.
What Are The Criteria?
I’m rating these stores in terms of buying a camera bundle, so here are my criteria:
- Excellent feedback
- Authorized dealer
- Value of bundles offered
- The relevance of accessories included in their bundles
Excellent feedback
This one is a no-brainer, of course. If I’m purchasing a camera or anything photography related, I want the seller to have impeccable feedback.
It doesn’t have to be perfect, however.
Everyone makes mistakes, but I want their feedback history to be free of dishonest business practices. I don’t want to see comments that indicate counterfeit or grey market products, cheaper substitutes being received, or worse – no item received at all.
Authorized Dealer
When buying a camera, people will want to make sure that they are purchasing authentic merchandise. Buyers will also be curious about the warranty length, conditions, etc.
Purchasing from an authorized dealer is the only way to ensure that you are NOT buying counterfeit products, and that you are entitled to the full manufacturer’s warranty.
Fortunately, it’s really easy to confirm whether or not a seller is an authorized dealer for a specific brand.
Value Of The Bundles
What’s the point of buying a camera bundle if you’re not saving any money?
The cost of a bundle should inherently be less than if you bought all of the accessories one by one.
And you would think that it would be, of course. Except that’s not always the case.
A lot of sellers will jack up the price, increase the shipping costs unreasonably, or charge you name-brand prices for generic brand products. But I want my bundles to be rich in value.
For example – two identical bundles, with a price variance of $25 because the higher priced bundle contains a lens cleaning cloth. No, thank you!
Relevance Of The Accessories In Their Bundles
Again, what’s the point of buying a bundle if you don’t want or need the individual components? A lot of sellers out there will inflate the “value” of a bundle by throwing in cheap and irrelevant accessories that you will likely never use.
So, are the accessories relevant to the main attraction?
For example, if I’m looking for a Sony A7r II mirrorless camera bundle, I want to see a few extra batteries, and maybe a battery charger – because that will really come in handy.
I like bundles that give you what you need, for instance – and not just filler to boost up the price.
Bundles can sometimes be a way for a seller to get rid of slow-selling products, of course. But some sellers take this tactic a bit too far!
Bonus Credit
While this isn’t something I would hold against other sellers, I appreciate it when a store offers unique bundles.
You’ll find the same general bundle selection from most sellers out there, but some sellers do offer unique bundles that you don’t seem to find elsewhere. Maybe it’s a lens bundle for an outdoor photographer, or maybe it’s a camera bundle that’s perfect for someone starting a YouTube channel, etc.
With the criteria out of the way, let’s get to it. So, these are my Top 5 Stores for a camera/photography bundle (in no particular order):
You can also click on the jump links below to go straight to each store’s section:
1.) Focus Camera
There are many camera stores out there – but none of them with the loyal following of Focus Camera.
In my experience, customers seem to rave about the customer service offered by Focus Camera. If there is such a thing as a “cult following” when it comes to camera stores, then this is the one!
They’ve been in business since 1966 – and there’s a reason why. They know what they’re doing! This is the kind of store that all camera shops should try to imitate.
If you’re interested, here is a full review of Focus Camera.
Criteria check:
Excellent feedback
Yes! Almost 90,000 in lifetime feedback, with an overall 2% negative rate. (In general, I look for Amazon sellers with less than 5%.)
Authorized dealer
Yes!
Let’s confirm with Olympus for example:
They are in fact an authorized Olympus dealer – as well as other camera brands.
Value and relevance of bundles offered
Yes!
In this Canon EOS Rebel T6 DSLR Camera bundle, for example, value and relevancy are very high.
The image alone is not a fair representation, as they allow you to customize the bundle to suit your own needs. You have the option of just an 18-55mm lens, or the 18-55mm with an additional zoom lens (75-300mm, or 55-250mm).
This is a great beginner’s bundle.
It’s very affordably priced, and you get to start off with the 18-55mm lens which is a really great all-purpose lens, as well as the additional 55-250mm or 75-300mm which will take care of your portraits and close-ups.
As far as value goes – let’s just look at some of the individual components. You get Canon lenses, SanDisk memory cards, a Bower zoom TTL dedicated flash gun, etc. It all makes for a high-quality bundle, at a very reasonable price.
That’s a great value, of course!
2.) Photo Savings
Photo Savings isn’t just a camera shop – they are an all-around photo/video store. They carry the usual photography selection, but they do also sell audio and video gear as well.
If you’re shopping for almost any type of electronics bundle, then chances are that they have it! We’re talking printer bundles, camcorder bundles, photography accessory bundles – everything!
If you’re inside their store page, just click on the “Photo Savings” brand category to see what’s currently in stock.
You can also read a full review of Photo Savings.
Criteria check
Excellent feedback
Yes! Almost 15,000 in lifetime feedback, with an overall 0% negative rate. Over the past 12 months, that number drops to 2% – not a big deal.
Authorized Dealer
Yes! Let’s confirm with Canon this time…
They are an authorized Canon dealer – as well as other camera brands.
Value And Relevance Of The Bundles
Yes!
Let’s look at an example. This Nikon D5600 DSLR camera and Nikkor lens bundle has components that are both relevant and add value to the package.
Right off the bat, you notice that a good portion of the components are Nikon brand – not generics. The lenses, lens caps, battery, battery charger, camera strap, etc. – all Nikon:
For example, they have packaged this Nikon D5600 bundle into 3 levels:
The camera and one of the following:
- 18-140mm lens
- 18-55mm lens
- Or an 18-55mm lens & a 70-300mm lens
The first two are great for beginners and intermediates, whereas the 3rd bundle satisfies photography enthusiasts who are looking for the specific and detailed applications that the 70-300mm lens offers.
3.) Photo4Less
Photo4Less is relatively new compared to other camera stores that have been around for decades – they’ve been in business since 2004.
So you probably won’t find much in terms of information, a cult-like following, etc.
That said, they have quickly established a reputation for excellent customer service, a very knowledgeable staff, and quick order turnaround times. This is a professionally run business!
Criteria check
Excellent feedback
Yes! About 25,000 in lifetime feedback, with an overall 0% negative rate. Over the past 12 months, that number remains at 0% – very impressive. It just confirms the fact that Photo4Less is committed to offering a high level of customer satisfaction.
Authorized Dealer
Yes! Let’s confirm with Canon again…
They are an authorized Canon dealer – as well as other camera brands.
Value And Relevance Of The Bundles
Yes!
Let’s switch things up here and check out a non-conventional bundle set. How about for the adventurous type, like this TACTACAM 3.0 bundle:
This bundle includes:
- TACTACAM 3.0 With Flat Black Stabilizer
- TACTACAM Rechargeable Battery
- SanDisk Ultra 32GB microSDHC UHS-I Card with Adapter
- Custom Gun Mount/Scope Mount
- Cleaning cloth
As far as value, let’s get straight to the point. If you purchased the Tactacam, and just the additional battery, you would pay about the same for those two as you would for the bundle. So, in this case, you’re basically getting the memory card and the gun mount for free!
That’s a good value!
4.) 33 Street Camera
33 Street Camera is not a large-scale operation like the others on this list. They aren’t a big corporate entity – but that’s not a bad thing.
What they lack in mainstream recognition, however, they make up for with their pricing. 33 Street Camera products are routinely among the lowest-priced on Amazon. They’re usually the first place I check when I need something camera or photography-related.
And their bundles are no different. Whether you want a bundle packed with quality name-brand components, or you’re looking for something more budget oriented – then you’ll definitely appreciate the prices.
If you’re interested, you can also read a full review of 33 Street Camera.
Criteria Check
Excellent Feedback
Yes! About 7,000 in lifetime feedback, with an overall 2% negative rate. Over the past 12 months, that number drops to 3% – again, not a big deal.
Authorized Dealer
Yes!
Let’s switch things up again. 33 Street Camera sells a lot of Sigma lens bundles. So let’s just confirm with Sigma…
Yes, they are an authorized Sigma dealer – as well as other camera brands.
Value And Relevance Of The Bundles
Yes!
Let’s check a lens bundle this time. How about this Canon EF 70-200MM f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens bundle:
I love seeing quality components in bundles. Here we have:
- Canon EF 70-200MM f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens
- A Canon lens case
- Canon lens cap
- Canon lens hood
- Commander Pro polarizing filter
I don’t mind if the ancillary accessories like a cleaning kit, blower, etc. are generic – you don’t use them too often. But I want the main, everyday-use accessories to be the same brand as the lens, or at least a quality branded product. In this case, we have that.
5.) Beach Camera – Same Day Shipping
Last but not least, we have Beach Camera – probably the largest store on this list (in terms of sales volume, location, market presence, etc.)
While they started out as a camera store in New Jersey back in the 1990s, today they are a fully loaded electronics store. If you want your camera store to be fully established, fully-stocked, and have massive brand recognition, this is the store for you.
Beach Camera is particularly popular when it comes to Nikon bundles. I’m not sure why – but every time I see someone online mention a Nikon Bundle, they usually purchased it from Beach Camera.
You can read also read a full review of Beach Camera.
Criteria Check
Excellent Feedback
Yes! With over 300,000 in lifetime feedback ratings, Beach Camera has the highest amount of feedback from all of the stores on this list – which is commensurate with their sales volume.
Authorized Dealer
Yes! We confirmed with Canon earlier, so let’s check with Nikon this time…
And yes, they are an authorized dealer for Nikon.
Value And Relevance Of Bundles Offered
Yes!
We checked their status with Nikon, so let’s look at this Nikon COOLPIX A10 bundle:
Even though sales of point-and-shoot digital cameras keep dwindling as smartphone camera technology continues to evolve, this bundle is still awesome!
For the first-time camera buyer, you really can’t do much better than this bundle. What I really like is that you get a digital download of Corel’s PaintShop Pro X9. So, in other words, the camera and the PaintShop Pro pay for the entire package.
That’s a great deal right there – and I didn’t even mention the sweet Nikon all-weather sports case, with an attached carabiner!
I had a great experience with Photo4Less purchasing via their website. They have free shipping and excellent customer service.