BLACK FRIDAY SALES: DIGITALCAMERAINFO'S BEST OF YEAR AWARDS

It’s almost Black Friday. You know the drill: Get up early, stand in the freezing cold for hours, and save big! Before you ruin your Thanksgiving weekend chasing a bum deal on a digital camera, take a look at what we think of the biggest digital camera deals set for Black Friday 2012.
There are tons of circulars and web ads to keep up with, so consider this page a work in progress until Black Friday actually arrives. Last updated: Thurs. Nov. 15, 4:30 PM EST
DigitalCameraInfo announced our Best of Year Awards last week, and we’ve found a few deals for some of our favorites.

DCI Best Travel Zoom 2012, Canon PowerShot SX260 HS

The Canon SX260 packs a 20x zoom lens into a body that’s legitimately small enough to fit into a pants pocket. Image and video quality are excellent for the class, and it’s easy to use, too.
• Canon SX260 HS, $199 at Best Buy
• Canon SX260 HS, $229 at Amazon
The price at Best Buy is one of the top deals we’ve seen for Black Friday—a top-notch, all-in-one pocket camera for under $200. Boom. Like most of their deals, the price at Amazon is ongoing—not just limited to Black Friday. It’s still a fair price for the camera.

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DCI Best Value Point-and-Shoot, Canon PowerShot ELPH 110 HS

Cheap compacts aren’t cool anymore, but there’s one that we still like: The ELPH 110 HS.
• Canon ELPH 110 HS, $129 at Best Buy
• Canon ELPH 110 HS, $129 at Office Depot
It usually retails for about $179, so at $129 is a decent deal. Skip it if you have a decent smartphone already, but it’s a good gift for folks who just want a simple camera that takes good pictures and video.

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DCI Best Waterproof Camera, Olympus Tough TG-1

What do DCI and Justin Bieber have in common? We both love the Olympus TG-1. It’s the best waterproof camera we’ve seen, and a very good point-and-shoot overall. The price has dropped to $349, down from the MSRP of $399.
• Olympus TG-1, $349 at Olympus Direct
• Olympus TG-1, $349 at Amazon
We’re not sure if it’s a permanent price drop or a holiday sale, but we think it’s a good price for this camera.

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DCI Best Camera for Video, Runner-up, Canon 5D Mk III

Here’s a couple hundo off of a pro-level, full-frame DSLR:
• Canon 5D Mk III, body only, $3,299 at Amazon
• Canon 5D Mk III, w/24-105mm lens, $4,099 at Amazon
Yes, the 5D Mk III is still expensive, but hey—$200 is $200, even if it’s a drop in the bucket of the total cost of this camera. This is a serious piece of equipment—you won’t be able to blame the camera for any bad photos!

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DCI Best Value System Camera for Video, Runner-up, Sony Alpha NEX-5R

• Sony NEX-5R w/18-55mm kit lens, $649 at Best Buy
It’s a bit surprising to see the brand-new NEX-5R going for a discount already, even if it is just $100 off the sticker price. But we’ll take it. Decent deal if you want the power of a system camera without the bulk of a DSLR.

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Canon Rebel T3 DSLR

Canon’s entry-level DSLR isn’t glamorous, but it still has a big leg up on the Nikon D3000: It shoots video and supports live view (LCD preview). We’ve spotted a few Black Friday deals floating around:
• Canon Rebel T3 w/18-55mm kit lens plus freebies, $449 at WalMart-
• Canon Rebel T3 w/18-55mm kit lens, 75-300mm kit lens plus freebies, $499 at K-Mart and Target TOP DEAL
The two-lens deal at K-Mart and Target is a fantastic value. New parents, take note. We’d probably step up to the T3i with the two-lens deal, but this T3 deal is very tempting for the price.

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Canon Rebel T3i DSLR

The T3i came out last year, but it’s still the Rebel we’d recommend the most, obviously over the T3 and even over the new T4i. And since the T3i is an older model, we’re finding some pretty solid deals.
• Canon Rebel T3i w/18-55mm kit lens, $599 at Best Buy
• Canon Rebel T3i w/18-55mm kit lens, 55-250mm lens, 16GB memory card, and a camera bag, $779 at Best Buy TOP DEAL
The first Best Buy deal is a decent $50 off the street price, and the second adds a telephoto zoom lens and some goodies for just $180—that’s a great deal. This camera gets you better image and video quality than the cheaper DSLRs on the list, but stays very user friendly for casual photographers.

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Nikon D7000 DSLR

Best Buy is offering up two deals on D7000 kits:
• Nikon D7000 w/ 18-105mm kit lens, $999 at Best Buy
• Nikon D7000 w/ 18-105mm kit lens, 55-300mm VR lens, 32GB memory card, and a camera bag, $1,249 at Best Buy.
That second deal is even cheaper than the regular D7000 kit at most retailers. Even the first deal is solid, as the body alone usually goes for $999. Snap up either one if you’re looking for a great mid-range DSLR. It’s getting a little long in the tooth, but its sensor is still considered to be one of the best APS-C chips in the game.