Black Friday Deals for digital cameras

Black Friday is less than a week away. Most discounts are for screen-centric devices—TVs, tablets, laptops, and anything made by Apple—but you can find great digital camera deals, too. Here are some of the best Black Friday camera deals we found at Best Buy, Walmart, and Target.

At Best Buy, you'll get the biggest savings on an SLR or a mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses. For example, on Black Friday, Best Buy is selling the 18-megapixel Canon EOS Rebel T5 SLR, with 18-55mm IS lens, for $400 (you save $100). It shoots very good photos and video and has an excellent image stabilizer.

In a couple of cases, Best Buy will be offering SLR kits with two lenses for about the same price as (or less than) a one-lens kit (with an 18-55mm lens): The 18-megapixel Canon Rebel T3i SLR with an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS and 75-300mm f/4-5.6 lenses will sell for $500 ($50 less than the one-lens kit), the 24-megapixel Nikon D3200 SLR with 18-55mm and 55-200mm lenses will also sell for $500 ($20 more than the one-lens kit). Both are great deals, since the additional zoom lens often costs several hundred dollars or more.

Best Buy also has some older models on sale. The 16-megapixel Nikon D7000 SLR two-lens kit (which was on sale for last year's Black Friday) might be long in the tooth, but it's still a very capable SLR. It can be picked up with the 18-140mm lens and a 55-300mm lens, plus a camera bag and 32GB memory card for $1,100 ($500 off the usual $1,600 sticker price).

Check our Holiday Planning & Gift Guide for suggestions of top-rated gifts and expert shopping advice from Consumer Reports.

Other cameras on sale at Best Buy this Black Friday include two mirrorless Sonys (both come with a 16-50mm lens)—the 24-megapixel Alpha 6000 for $600 (you save $200) and 20-megapixel Alpha a5000 for $300 (you save $150). Both capture very good photos and video and are easy to use. You can also pick up sale-priced point-and-shoots at Best Buy, including the 16-megapixel Nikon Coolpix S9600 for $150 (you save $50) or the 16-megapixel Nikon Coolpix P530 for $300 (you save $50).

At press time, Target and Walmart were advertising fewer camera deals, but there are several worth mentioning. Target will be offering the 20-megapixel Nikon Coolpix L330 superzoom, which has a 26x optical zoom, for $100 ($90 less than its original list price). Like Best Buy, Walmart is selling some enticing two-lens bundles. For example, you can pick up the 18-megapixel Canon Rebel T5i SLR with two lenses—the 75-300mm lens and the 18–55mm STM lens—for $700 (the same price as the one-kit lens). Target and Walmart are offering a two-lens kit with the Nikon D3200 SLR for $500, which appears to be the same as Best Buy's bundle.

Remember to examine the fliers for these sales. Some items will be available early on Thanksgiving Day, while others won’t go on sale until Friday. Also, check out our tips for more ideas for shopping on Black Friday.

—Terry Sullivan