Dan De Lion Loc: Montana

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Actually the Nikon reburbs are NOT like new. They only have a 90 day warrantee, rather than 3 or 5 years. If your refurb needs repair within the 90 days you DON'T send it to Nikon Factory Repair, as you would with a normal Nikon warrantee. Instead you send it to a third rate independent repair shop who will decide if by repairing it, they can make money. The repairs by the independent repair shop are nowhere near as good as Nikon's Factory repairs.

That is my experience with a Nikon factory refurb D7200.

Nikon's factory refurbs are second rate products backed up by a third rate warrantees. That's why refurbs are cheaper.

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Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

The pre AIS or non AIS Nikkor lenses won't mount on the D7000 without having the collar on the mounting ring notched. The Nikkor AIS lenses will mount on the D7000. I believe the entry level Nikon DSLR's (the D3xxx and D5xxx series) will mount all the lenses without modification. My D3100 mounts all the Nikkor film lenses. My D7000 only mounts the AIS lenses or the modified pre AIS or non AIS lenses.

Greenmachine Loc: Chicago, IL

[quote=Dan De Lion]-----

Actually the Nikon reburbs are NOT like new. They only have a 90 day warrantee, rather than 3 or 5 years. If your refurb needs repair within the 90 days you DON'T send it to Nikon Factory Repair, as you would with a normal Nikon warrantee. Instead you send it to a third rate independent repair shop who will decide if by repairing it, they can make money. The repairs by the independent repair shop are nowhere near as good as Nikon's Factory repairs.

That is my experience with a Nikon factory refurb D7200.

Nikon's factory refurbs are second rate products backed up by a third rate warrantees. That's why refurbs are cheaper.

Good points, but I will still say folks on a tight budget should at least think about a Nikon refurb, but consider where you buy it:
A decent used Nikon camera should CERTAINLY last more than 90 days if refurbished, and not require any major repairs. Sorry to hear about your 7200 refurb...Maybe I've just been lucky, but I have bought several used cameras down through the years and I think only ONE gave me a little trouble with a shutter speed issue and I took it back to the camera store where I got it and they took care of the problem. I guess it's like buying
used cars: Let the buyer beware! ---Greenmachine

Bill_de Loc: US

New Nikon bodies have a 1 year Nikon warrantee.

Sending something to Nikon for repair doesn't mean it is repaired by Nikon. I knew this from UPS tracking when things I sent in were returned. On a recent visit to Melville I was told they don't have enough room to house all the technicians they need.

The 800mm I dropped off is listed as "repair by Nikon only". They returned it without repairing it. But they were nice enough to send a shipping label to send it back.

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

I have purchased 5 camera bodies and more than a dozen lenses on ebay from top rated sellers (generally 100% ratings). I have never had a new or used camera fail on me. I got one bad lens on ebay and Paypal refunded all my money and postage. I personally would never buy new again when I can save 50% or more buying used. A used Df is about $1400 or less on ebay and $2750 new. On the other hand, if new is just a little more than used I would buy new. A used D750 is about $1400 on ebay and just $1500 new. But that's just me and I wouldn't spend more than $400 for a camera body or $300 for a lens, so I am not risking much.



[quote=Greenmachine]

Kissel vonKeister Loc: Georgia

Not my experience at all. Mine looked like it was taken out of the original box and put in a white one. No sign of it ever having been handled. I bought mine from Nikon direct, and it looked like the refurb program was a means of reducing excess inventory. I've seen this same comment repeatedly on here.

Greenmachine Loc: Chicago, IL

You're right on target: when camera inventory backs up or a new model is about to be released, buyers are in a great position to get refurbished (or even never sold) cameras for a fraction of the
original price: As a freelancer here in Chi-Town, I have nothing but great experiences with my originally new 7200 and a refurbished 750, both of which I've had for over two years now!
I believe in saving $$$ and spending it on high-quality lenses (new or refurbished!

adm

i am a Nikon shooter and still shoot mostly film. I have two Nikon FM2s. I am not that serious about digital and shoot Olympus micro 4/3 when I do shoot digital, because of the size and price. However, if I were more serious about digital and could justify the price, the DF would be my dream camera.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

If that's an accurate appraisal, it's very unfortunate. Canon refurbs are first rate and come with a 1 year warranty. Any service is done by Canon directly at one of its four national service centers in the US..

Dan De Lion Loc: Montana

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It's the dream of amateur photographers that Nikon sells new cameras as refurbished. The reality is that refurbished cameras are defective merchandise supposedly fixed by the factory or some other repair facility. Some of this merchandise is fine and some of it should be tossed out.

My experience with the Nikon Store USA is instructive. Three months ago I bought a refurbished D7200 for $720. The body was perfect except the viewfinder did not come into focus. After 4 days the Nikon Store sent a prepaid repair label for the California repair facility. Five days later Nikon's official repair center sent the camera to a third party repair facility in California . Three days later the third party emailed me that they could find no record of the body being purchased from the Nikon Store and that the repair would cost $250. Five more days elapsed before the Nikon Store got the correct information to the repair facility. One week later the body was returned to me UNREPAIRED. It was then 21 days since I initially got the body. When I called the Nikon Store for a return lable, they said I couldn't return the body because it was more than 14 days from purchase. Naturally I disputed the VISA charge and about a week later the Nikon store recanted.

It's notable that I could have gotten the viewfinder fixed for $250, but that the Nikon Store warrantee would not cover that.

Despite the dream of cheap first class merchandise, you get what you pay for with refurbished equipment.

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Haydon

Bill_de Loc: US

So your one bad experience is enough to make a broad assumption, even though it contradicts what most have to say on the subject.

Was the focus setting for the viewfinder set correctly? Sometimes it requires a diopter correction lens.

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wingclui44 Loc: CT USA

NO metering on D3xxx & D5xxx and even some older one like D40 D60.

Dan De Lion Loc: Montana

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Actually Bill, I reported the facts: 90 day warrantee, third rate warrantee service, and their refusal to honor their warrantee. What I did not mention is that the people at the Nikon Store USA are, to the man and woman, are incompetent. That is an opinion and not reported as a fact.

Face the facts, when Nikon says refurbished, they mean refurbished, not new.

My 750's, and 810, and previous D7000 all have the diopter setting at about the midpoint of the adjustment range. The defective D7200's adjustment range did not allow the viewfinder image to come into focus.

To repeat, refurbished does not mean new. It means the item was returned to Nikon as defective. The purchaser's hope is that the defect was corrected. The new owner has 90 days, not 3 years, to see if Nikon was able to correct the defect. Any warrantee claims in that 90 day time frame will be addressed by a private, third rate, repair facility.

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Greenmachine Loc: Chicago, IL

Good call on the diopter correction lens possibility! I have known several photographers with what they thought were major and possibly expensive focusing issues,
and found out that all they needed was to replace or adjust their unfocused diopter lens usually at minimum expense!
---Greenmachine