*DEAD* CRAWL TO STAPLES!!! Vivitar 3725 3.3MP 4x optical zoom for 130!!! B&M

[carmann]

Hawk, can you post a link to the review you found. I'm trying to justify buying a 5th digicam 😕

 

[Hawk]

it's the same one rossman found a couple posts on top of mine...

 

[skywalker66]

question:

could you buy this online from Staples and still get as good of a deal?


another question:

where do I pick up all these rebates and coupons, etc.?

 

[Ray]

It looks like a rebadged Minolta DiMAGE S304. If it is, there's a pretty detailed review here including sample images.

 

[Hawk]

Okay you guys can just go here for sample pictures. Seems to be the same camera, so the pictures should be the same.

 

[immortalis]

I just mentioned the same thought over at FW with my thoughts why.
They don't have that camera on staples.com (not yet?).

 

[Hawk]

It's in store only (so I read on their ad).

 

[stso]

all sold out ... both 3665 and 3725 🙁

 

[DVDdude]

Originally posted by: Ray
It looks like a rebadged Minolta DiMAGE S304. If it is, there's a pretty detailed review here including sample images.

I agree that the 3725 looks like a rebadged Minolta s304.

But what about the 3665 ???????? I looked at the other Minolta digital cameras and the 3665 does not resemble any of those.

 

[curlykicker]

I can't find the $40 off $200 printable anywhere. Can someone PM me? THanks!

 

[NetworkDad]

 

[kaiotes]

i went to venice one too, got the last one.
they said they ran out of the staples gift pack, is manager lying to me or what?
i paid $250 b4 MIR, thinking of ebaying it... don't think its worth $200 after MIR.

 

[puppyfriend]

It definitely looks like the Monolta down to the menu options.

David

 

[gigglehertz]

I just picked one up. I does appear to be a "rebadged Minolta S304". But the standard "rebadged" label is stretched to the limit here. Most rebadged computer merchandise I have experience with, is simply a different name slapped on the product and maybe a packaging/firmware/user manual change. However, this Vivitar 3725 plastic shell shares NO common parts (aesthetically) with the Minolta. Every part on the Vivitar is different in some way to it's Minolta counterpart. I other words, Vivitar went to extreme measures to make it look somewhat different (on the exterior) from the Minolta. With that in mind, do you think the spec's might also be different than the Minolta? If Vivitar went to that much trouble to on the outside, maybe Vivitar was able to have Minolta manufacture the camera with lesser spec's in order to price it moderately? I'd be interested to hear the group's opinion.

 

[dentalboy]

confirmed minolta from the back of camera

 

[DorkBoy]

Hi ED

 

[AznRyda]

I wonder if I should get this. :-\

I'm so poor.

 

[Hawk]

hey gigglehertz, it looks pretty similar to the minolta, why do you say it's not?

And I don't think it's worth your time if you want to go buy and then ebay it...it only goes for about 230 on ebay anyway...

 

[unclebud]

do you have a digital camera? if not, i would say yes. one never knows how handy one of these is (in comparison to straight film) until the pics are taken and downloaded. then the possibilities begin to emerge...
and one is hooked 🙂

 

[carmann]

kaiotes, why was yours $250 b4 rebate? It should have been $230, they needed to take the extra $20 off to match the price of the 3665.

 

[bolido2000]

I don't know why the Vivitar is so cheap on Ebay (230 like someone mentioned) and that is the "Buy it Now!" price. On the other hand the Minolta twin is going for 350+!!
I guess people are not familiar with the brand

 

[Hawk]

I think he didn't get to use his $20 off $100 (is there even a 25 or 40 off coupon?!) so it's 250 after tax instead of 230 like the others.

 

[carmann]

My mistake. I thought he meant he paid $250 b4 tax.

 

[gigglehertz]

hey gigglehertz, it looks pretty similar to the minolta, why do you say it's not?

I do agree they are similar, and the Vivitar is essentially the same as the Minolta. However, if you look at the two side by side, every outside plastic piece is somewhat different between the two. What I mean is, a different mold was used to produce almost every plastic part on the Vivitar compared to the Minolta. That's a lot of expense/effort for a company to go through. My guess its that this "aesthetic compromise" is one of the criteria Vivitar must agree to in order to buy OEM from Minolta.

 

[kaiotes]

well that was the total price i paid, tax incl/
there aren't any legitamate coupons you know...all are NO COPIES.