I agree about the use on DX bodies. I bought the VR version to use with my D7100 and was less than happy with the results. I just got a D810 and decided to try it and see if there was any improvement. The results were good enough to change my mind about selling it.

I use my Nest with a Nikon D7100, Sigma 150-500mm lens combination and it works flawlessly.

I have one from B&H that is a Nikon refurbished. Can't tell it from a new one and it has performed flawlessly. I would buy refurbished again.

I put Camera Cottage at the top of my preferred vendor list. :thumbup:

Below is the Official Nikon USA Policy directly from the Nikon USA site. You can go to nikonusa.com and confirm this.


What is Gray Market?
Answer ID 331|Published 10/09/2002 02:22 PM|Updated 06/21/2013 09:37 AM
Question: What is Gray Market?
What is "Gray Market" ?
Generally, a manufacturer works with a single importer who can sell and support their products in a given region. The importer usually has local dealers and distributors who resell the imported products; this is called a "distribution channel". Gray Market refers to merchandise that is imported and sold by methods other than these normal channels.
For local safety regulations and certifications (FCC, CE, UL, etc.) and government requirements a manufacturer provides special packaging (manuals in the appropriate language, power cables designed for the local receptacle, etc.) and product engineering designed to meet local codes. Manufacturers also have service and support agreements with the authorized importer.
Gray Market items are not designed to be sold in a particular market and cannot be supported by the authorized importer because they may not meet mandatory safety and certification codes. Because these items are not designed for a particular market they may not function properly, or the authorized importer may not be equipped to provide service, support or software.
With the opening of international borders and the use of the Internet to sell goods, Gray Market equipment has become extremely common in the photographic and consumer electronics markets. Many different types of equipment are brought into North America for sale without the proper documentation and US consumers do not always know what they are purchasing.
Because the resellers' cost is less they can sell Gray Market items for less. Unfortunately this price savings is only on the initial purchase; because service and support is more difficult to obtain it may end up costing the consumer more in the long run.
Who is the authorized importer of Nikon Equipment into the USA ?
Nikon Incorporated USA is the sole authorized importer of Nikon Corporation of Japan for photographic devices. Nikon Inc. USA pays shipping into the USA, import duties and taxes, and provides service, support and downloads for these products. Nikon Inc. USA ensures that the products they import are fully certified and safe for use in the USA market.
Nikon Inc. USA cannot provide service, support or downloads for products that have not been imported by Nikon Inc. USA.
How do I know if my Nikon product is "Gray Market"?
If the deal was just too good to be true, it probably was. One of the first indicators that a piece of Nikon merchandise might be Gray Market is if the price is considerably less than most other resellers.
Additionally, a genuine Nikon Inc. USA product will include an Owners' Manual and Warranty Registration card in English. It will also include power cables (if applicable) designed for US style plugs. Any other language on the printed material or wrong cables indicates a Gray Market item.
Another indication of a Gray Market product would be photocopied manuals or manually created software CD's. Nikon Inc. USA always provides professionally printed or duplicated materials with genuine products.
What does owning a "Gray Market" Nikon product mean to you?
Nikon Inc. USA cannot provide any technical support or warranty service on Gray Market items. Additionally Nikon Inc. USA cannot perform any fee-based repair work on Gray Market items. Please do not contact Nikon Inc. USA for help with any Gray Market products. Please contact the reseller or importer of your Gray Market items for warranty and service information as well as software updates and downloads.
Does owning a "Gray Market" Nikon product mean I don't have a warranty?
No! All Nikon products come with a warranty by the manufacturer. The designated Nikon service center will always repair "in warranty" Nikon products and perform "out of warranty" repairs. If you own a Gray Market product it will need to be returned to the reseller or importer for service. Refer to your reseller or to the warranty cards included with the product for service contact information.

Ditto for me. Bought it for my Sigma 150-500mm. Works great no complaints. Would buy it again if needed to.

The issue to me was not the brand of lens, it was just the out and out bashing of the brand lens I inquired about. He should have told me about the lens I inquired about and then offered the Tamron as a option. I own a Tamron lens and am happy with it. Salesmanship is the ability to convince the buyer to buy his product because it has more value that what the buyer had been considering.

I also purchased the Sigma 150-500mm last year and couldn't be happier. I use it on my D7100 with excellent results and recently was given the opportunity to try it on a D810 with even greater results. I will purchase the Sigma 150-600mm also in the future. I tend to be brand loyal when I find a brand that meets my quality standards.

Any time a salesman starts bashing a product and does not start selling me on the virtues of his product I just leave. I left without spending a dime in the store.

That may be quite true because they had both brands in stock so you would assume a sale is a sale.

That is very true. The difference is that Sony has a division that for for years before they went into the camera business developed sensors and operated a foundry as a Teir1 vendor as its only business. This business is larger yet today than their camera sales. Samsung does the same thing, but as we have seen they are running to problems because they decided to compete with their customers. Of course their is more at stake with the Samsung situation than Sony. Sony has also forged many joint ventures with various companies over technology. The camera/lens business by modern business standards is not a Mega-large market business, it considered medium to low end large business. Just from my knowledge of the automotive manufacturing business the smaller the market the less sharing of technology happens. This is way I find this statement hard to believe. The other issue is, if Tamron purchases from Canon and Nikon. Why did they have issues with the firmware on the 150-600mm lens at launch for the Canon mount lens?

I recently stopped at an out of my area camera shop and was checking out the inventory. The salesman was trying to sell me a Tamron lens by telling me the Following. "Tamron buys their chips for the lenses they produce directly from Canon and Nikon. Sigma does not so their lens have more problems and only work with camera bodies produced over 5 year period." I find this hard to believe. I have never heard of a company spending money to develop a product and then sell it to a competitor who is going to undercut them on price in the same market.

You won't go wrong with the Nest.

Go to apple.com and check out their refurbished first. You may be able to do better there.