flyboy61 Loc: The Great American Desert

There are some interesting listings on eBay...from Japanese sellers. First, What are reputable companies in the
CONUS that can/will repair Japanese or Gray Market Nikons? I have perfectly good DX cameras, A D7100 and D 7500, and my lenses run about 50-50 FX and DX. The DX format has done what I require for a decade or more, but I always wonder..."What if?...

I am thinking about two more lenses, one "classic" FX, and the 35mm F/1.8 DX.

The D 700 still has a great reputation, and I spoke with my camera repairman, who said they are good pro cameras, but "have had the crap shot out of them!" A reasonably low shutter count example may be a Unicorn.
As I understand it, the D200 was a contemporary with my D 90, having the same MP resolution, which allowed me to enlarge to the strange requirements of our State photo competition.

A good, low shutter count D 7200, with its rugged construction and battery compatibility with my other two cameras seems like a better deal to me, being several generations newer. But, what do I know? Nikon shooter since my Film days, but far from being an expert on anything photographic.
Soooo...what do you say, Nikon experts?

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Several years ago, I traded for and refurbished a D300. The prior owner had attempted to mount an incompatible lens and broken the mechanical interface lever that coneys lens maximum aperture information to the camera. I was able to find a donor body for $50 that supplied the parts that I needed, and I found a repair tech that was willing to help me with final stages of the repair that were beyond my ability to do well.

Where I ran into trouble was when it came time to replace all of the rubber grip material that had to be removed to allow disassembly and of the camera to do the repair. No replacement materials were available. Anywhere. I finally found a company in Illinois that was selling knockoffs of the six grip pieces necessary to complete reassembly of the camera. The problem was that they were almost the correct size, and they were almost the correct thickness, and they were almost the correct material, and the double-sided tape that secures it in place was not preapplied. The camera went back together after a tremendous amount of fretting with the stocky stuff, but it does not feel or operate as it really should. The slot for the sub-command dial is not quite the right size, and is not quite in the right place, so it tends to bind up on the dial wheel. Most of the grip pieces don't feel solid and secure like they should.

I still own and (very) occasionally use my first really usable DSLR, a D200. It was quite a high-end model when new, and its CCD sensor has done a beautiful job for me when photographing Chihuly glass exhibitions and other high-color subjects. But it's only 10.9 MP (the D300 is 12.9), and it is really stinky when high ISOs are required. It's not much good past ISO 400. (The D300 is quite good up to 800 or so.)

NikonUSA announced a few months ago that they would only support the current and one previous model in each camera line. Support for the D810 will end at the end of 2023.

With all this in mind, if you are looking at an older camera model, it really doesn't seem to make much difference any more whether it is gray market or not. Support for any of them is going to be nonexistent or limited. Warranty coverage doesn't matter either, because NikonUSA has never honored warranty coverage on any camera bought used. As far as paid repair, my suggestion is to identify a repair shop before you buy. Talk to them. Ask them which models they tend to have (or be able to get) parts for.

As for lenses, I'm pretty pessimistic right now. I have a moderate cost lens that I have been trying to have repaired for almost a year and a half. I don't think it even requires parts to fix. I can't find anyone willing to even take a serious look at it, despite my telling them that I'm willing to pay whatever is required, since there don't seem to be any of that model to buy anywhere at a reasonable cost.

I am sympathetic to your quest. I love refurbishing and using older two-way radio equipment (and sometimes cameras). But the climate for doing so has shifted dramatically in the last year or so with the tidal shift to mirrorless gear. It can still be done. It just needs a lot more time and study. It is much less a mainstream activity now.

Paul LaFontaine

I purchased a gray market 7200 on eBay and directly from Japan. The price was good and so has been the camera. I also purchased a lens or two from the same purveyor and have been very pleased.

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

My go to camera is my D7200. Alao have the D7100. The D7200 has a larger buffer than the D7100 so it can hold more images while downloading to the card. A fast card really helps.

Don

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

If you want to buy any of these old DSLR models, make sure the usage is low and the price is the lowest. You'll likely have ZERO repair options. Then again, you'll likely never experience any problems requiring a repair. Just understand the risk.

SX2002 Loc: Adelaide, South Australia

Bought my D7200 in 2016, new. It's a great camera and has performed faultlessly.

User ID

IOW just accept the fact of buying very reliable, but DISPOSABLE, gear and pay according to that reality.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

I agree entirely with others that have already discussed that old cameras and lenses most probably will be difficult to repair if they fail. It already happened to me with my Nikon 18-70 f3.5-4.5 AF-S. Nikon advised me they no longer service the lens. It had a failure of the AF mechanism so I continue to use it in manual focus mode which after all is what I was doing prior to AF.

I am not a Nikon expert but I am pretty familiar with the D200 and what I like most of it is its first generation of Nikon colors, perhaps the result of using a CCD sensor instead of a CEMO. I seldom enlarge to sizes beyond 12x18 and in that respect the D200 did very well. It was not the best camera in low light but as I said the images were beautiful. The D300, I owned one, was more advanced technologically speaking but the colors were not the same. I have never used a D7200 but I have heard good things about it. The same with the D7100. I still use a D7000 and I am very pleased with its performance.

I am sure that if you finally decide to go for the D7200 it will serve you well and you will be very happy with your camera.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

A good quality low shutter count D7200 will serve you honorably for years to come. Mid west camera repair can and will repair gray market cameras.
Good luck and keep on shooting until the end.

photoman43

When I shot with DX lenses, my favorite was the 35mm f1.8. I called it my grand daughter lens as I bought it when she was born to take picture of her. If you want one get it.

Regarding used Nikon cameras and lenses, I second he advice Larryepage wrote. If you go that route, and the used lens or camera you buy needs to be fixed, you may be out of luck. Just factor that into the price you pay for the used item.

flyboy61 Loc: The Great American Desert

Is that really an advantage? So far, I have had no problems with the smaller buffer on my D 7100.

flyboy61 Loc: The Great American Desert

Thank you!

flyboy61 Loc: The Great American Desert

Thanks!

GLSmith Loc: Tampa, Fl

Over a period of 24 years, I have had 1 lens & 2 bodies either get dropped or damaged. My go to place is Southern Photo Repair in Miami. They service all film bodies, digital etc for Nikon, Pentax, Sony, Canon. They have been in business for ages, Price estimates given on phone with always" Until we receive it, we cant give you an accurate final price" Repairs are typically quick, even if they have to order/receive parts from Japan or China.

But you could compare prices of used comparable bodies at KEH.com or MPB.com & determine if its worth it to either replace or repair.

Southern Photo Repair
37 NE 167 Street
Miami, Fl 33162

(305) 663-7365

BebuLamar

The buffer size is really an advantage to some who shoot a lot of burst and to some who do not take a lot of frames at a time it means nothing.