What is the physical differences between gray market vs US Nikon lens
Jul 27, 2020 16:03:53 #
jerryc41 wrote:
So you didn't try soaking it in vinegar overnight? 
I was gonna but I ran out of pickling spices, fresh garlic, and dill weed!
Jul 27, 2020 16:42:35 #
BebuLamar wrote:
Well if it's gray market Nikon won't fix it even if you pay them. Parts are the same, the lenses are the same. But you have a bad lens and Nikon won't fix it.
I disagree with Nikon's and other's integrity. I can understand a gray market lens not being covered by warranty, but to refuse to fix the item at all goes beyond.
That's like buying a Ford from a used car dealer and a Ford Dealership refuses to repair it.
The camera company can make a profit on parts and labor, regardless of where it was purchased, and instill good will from their customers toward future sales.
Jul 27, 2020 17:18:33 #
zug55 wrote:
Camera companies tightly control the distribution ... (show quote)
At one time it wasn’t called price control, but price fixing. It was illegal but somewhere along the way
Things changed.....probably lobbyists with deep pockets.
Jul 27, 2020 20:30:06 #
I agree ( I think) with chg canon...I have used a authorized Nikon/canon/Sony repair place with outstanding success in Miami Beach (southern photo repair)....but the entire shop is shutdown as owner & lead repair tech have COVID....the only other place I’m aware of is in Columbus Ohio...web page continuously updated...still mark authorized Nikon repair...might be worth the call. I believe part of the issue is too many shops were wearing authorized Nikon repair, & they ended up sending stuff to Nikon...causing extremely long delays
Jul 27, 2020 22:54:09 #
zug55 wrote:
Camera companies tightly control the distribution ... (show quote)
NOT FIXING THEIR OWN PRODUCT - EVEN IF YOU WILL PAY THEM - IS A SIGN THEY WILL BE GOING OUT OF THE BUSINESS. THE POLICY IS COMPLETELY STUPID. THEY ARE JUST WINDING DOWN IN ADVANCE OF EXITING THE BUSINESS.
Jul 28, 2020 01:15:03 #
Bruce M
Loc: Northern Utah
PGJR wrote:
I tried to search for this info here without any luck. I have a Nikon AF 80-400 gray market. It doesn't auto focus. Can the parts of a US model work in a gray market lens & vice versa? Is it worth fixing if that was possible? Anyone have experience? Thanks a whole bunch.
What camera body are you using it on? My AF 80-400 won't auto focus on the Z7 with the FTZ adapter, but it will on then D810.
Jul 28, 2020 08:00:16 #
ecommons wrote:
I disagree with Nikon's and other's integrity. I can understand a gray market lens not being covered by warranty, but to refuse to fix the item at all goes beyond.
That's like buying a Ford from a used car dealer and a Ford Dealership refuses to repair it.
The camera company can make a profit on parts and labor, regardless of where it was purchased, and instill good will from their customers toward future sales.
That's like buying a Ford from a used car dealer and a Ford Dealership refuses to repair it.
The camera company can make a profit on parts and labor, regardless of where it was purchased, and instill good will from their customers toward future sales.
Yes, it is confusing. Nikon Inc is a separate company based in the USA. It has an arrangement with Nikon in Japan to be their official importer. They make money by selling what they import. If they treated other imported Nikon products like their own, they would be losing out on the profit they make from importing and selling. It's not Nikon Japan you're dealing with. It's their agent in this country. I bet you could send any Nikon product to Japan for service by Nikon.
Jul 28, 2020 09:49:16 #
Paul Diamond
Loc: Atlanta, GA, USA
I disagree with Nikon USA and their stance on grey market products. Seems to me, if they want to discourage grey market products, they should have a page on their site where you could key in the s/n of a lens or camera and immediately see if it is a valid USA product or grey market. This would identify/discourage grey market purchases before you bought the new or used camera/lens.
Instead, they insist that you have something in need of repair and send the item to them for their checking against the computer list of USA registered s/n's.
I've seen several prior posts where owners send their cameras to USA repair shops who get the parts from outside the USA, often Canada. And, I've seen posts where USA owners have sent their Nikon gear to Canadian repair shops when they found no help here in our country.
Instead, they insist that you have something in need of repair and send the item to them for their checking against the computer list of USA registered s/n's.
I've seen several prior posts where owners send their cameras to USA repair shops who get the parts from outside the USA, often Canada. And, I've seen posts where USA owners have sent their Nikon gear to Canadian repair shops when they found no help here in our country.
Jul 28, 2020 11:16:41 #
camerapapi wrote:
Are we talking about the new or the old 80-400?
APS (Authorized Photo Service) Morton Groove, Illinois has been repairing Nikon cameras and lenses only for many years. They do excellent work and the prices are competitive.
Your lens could be in need of a new AF mechanism.
APS (Authorized Photo Service) Morton Groove, Illinois has been repairing Nikon cameras and lenses only for many years. They do excellent work and the prices are competitive.
Your lens could be in need of a new AF mechanism.
I've had APS do all my lens repair. Very satisfied.
Jul 28, 2020 14:18:57 #
From what I can find out the only difference is the warrantee. If nothing breaks they are the same.
Jul 28, 2020 14:41:52 #
Nikon Japan wholly owns Nikon USA, after acquiring it from the prior USA distributor Ehrenrich, Inc. many years ago. Nikon discovered that it was not making an adequate profit to fund its advertising and warrantee repair facilities because many people purchased new products from dealers who bought the product wholesale from distributors outside the USA (Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.)who bought and sold them for less, which funded the distributors in those countries(Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.). The products are the same, but instruction manuals are different. Nikon does offer a worldwide warranty, and buyers of new Nikon products
not imported by NikonUSA can send it to Japan for warranty service if proof of new purchase is provided. I feel that Nikon's policy is reasonable and fair. If you want to take the risk, buy a lower-priced grey market product. I would not.
not imported by NikonUSA can send it to Japan for warranty service if proof of new purchase is provided. I feel that Nikon's policy is reasonable and fair. If you want to take the risk, buy a lower-priced grey market product. I would not.
Jul 28, 2020 20:44:03 #
hobbit123
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
lightyear wrote:
If you want to take the risk, buy a lower-priced grey market product. I would not.
There will always be risk takers and those that only bet on a sure thing and pay more. The secret is to weigh up the risks and balance them against the rewards. I don't see buying grey differs much to buying s/h, in fact it's probably safer. Cameras are an inherently reliable device in my experience. Over the past few years I have bought and sold in excess of 100 cameras and lenses, the majority being Nikon, and only had one failure (coincidentally a Nikon kit lens with an intermittent auto-focus problem).
So I have no problem taking the risk.
To answer another question, is it possible to fix a lens yourself? Well I pulled my failed lens apart and although I found the problem I wasn't able to get it back together (and I consider myself pretty handy with tools) so I think not.
Jul 28, 2020 20:59:24 #
bgberlin
Loc: On the Delaware River
It's a business model similar to the one Big Pharma Uses in the United States. We are known at the country with the highest drug prices vs. other countries, such as Canada and others where the same drug is cheaper. Of course it's never that simple, it involves marketing procedures, legal liabilities and corporate influence.
🤬
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Jul 28, 2020 22:09:06 #
Hobbit: Years ago, Nikon's Los Angeles repair facility was near LAX, where I was going to turn in my rental car before catching a plane home, and i dropped off a lens in Warranty for service. One of the service people came to the counter and invited back into the repair area while he evaluated my problem. I observed that in the glassed in ( no dust) lens repair/assembly area the workers were guided by large lens assembly diagrams and had access to multiple special tools. There were several optical benches with various light sources , used by the workers, to confirm lens element placement and performance before returning to the owners. It would be extremely difficult for anyone to duplicate what they do without their equipment. The approved Nikon facilities have similar setups.
Jul 28, 2020 22:14:49 #
hobbit123
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
lightyear: Even more reason to believe me when I say I don't think it can be done (a self repair)
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