Something missing here. Bought a Leica M lens from them, after trying it decided I wanted a different Lecia lens (within their 30 day return window), returned it for full refund and then bought a second Lecia M lens that better fit my needs, that I kept. No questions asked, What little service/return experience I've had with B&H over the last several decades has been 100% positive.

I won't do eBay anymore. I recently got ripped off. I bought a battery charger....... When received, it wasn't working and didn't look like the one in the picture, which was claimed to be a picture of the actual item to be delivered. I asked for a refund and was told to return the item. On return the seller told eBay it wasn't the item they sent me as the item they sent was clearly shown in the picture and just as clearly was not the item I returned. eBay immediately told me they wouldn't authorize the refund. What really ticked me off was that ebay refused to listen to my version. They simply took the sellers word that they sent the part described and would not entertain that maybe the seller sent the wrong part. So beware of that D800 you purchase on eBay, you may get a cheap point and shoot sent to you, and when you try to return it and get a refund, eBay will say tough, the seller posted a picture of a D800 and claims that's what they sent, so no refund. You now have $900 P/S camera and no recourse. If I were to use ebay again (unlikely) I would set up a video camera and record every step from opening the original package to show exactly what was sent, and even then ebay would probably say the video was doctored. Use eBay at your own risk.

[quote=jerryc41]Unlike you, I don't hesitate to buy something that....../quote]

In my case, photography is not my main hobby so doesn't get funded any where near the level of my classic cars. I need to keep my focus more oriented to upkeep of my 1957 AC Ace, 1957 AC Aceca Bristol, 1964 MGB Roadster, 1972 BMW 2002 (purchased new and still have) and 1980 BMW 633CSi (also purchased new and still have). Sold my plane in 1979 to purchase the 633CSi, prefer to fly low in that! My Avatar is the 1957 AC Aceca Bristol.

In all honesty, I'd be just as happy with my D90 if that was all I had. The desire for the D800 was strictly a "want" to get a FF camera, not a need. The D90 is actually handier due to less size and weight. I don't get much in the way of prints done, largest with the D90 was a 16x20 and it came out fine by my standards. I'm sure pixel peepers could find plenty wrong with it, but on the wall at viewing distance it looks just fine to me.

The D850 is giving me real GAS, however I'm going to pass at this time. My D800 has far more capability than I as an "advanced" amateur. The only reason for thinking of changing is GAS. My reason for passing at this time is that at my age I expect I will only get one or two more DSLR's. The only DSLR's I've had are the D90 and the D800, both of which I still have. I entered the world of digital in 2008 with the D90, adding it to my Nikon F4 (which I still use). I was so new to digital I didn't even realize that DX meant a crop sensor, I just thought the D90 was a top of the line amateurs 35mm (FF) DSLR camera. The info I read at the time didn't really describe the crop aspect. All I knew was that it was a lot less expensive than the "Pro" Nikons. I was and am still happy with the D90 and the DX format is absolutely no hindrance to me, has no bearing on the desire to upgrade, but GAS forced me to want an actual FF camera. Didn't need it, just wanted one. Plus I have a lot of FX lenses from the F4 era and have now added more (yes, have used them on the D90). Finally bit the bullet in 2014 and jumped in to the D800. Again, far more camera than I need but love it. So this was a gap of 6 years between my first DSLR and latest DSLR. Now, looking at the timeline of Nikon FX releases I see a span of only 2 to 3 years between them, each offering interesting steps forward, especially in sensor size and/or iso. So my thought is, since I've only had my D800 for 3 years now that the D850 is out, what will Nikon be releasing in another 3 years? If I keep my 6 year gap between DSLR purchases then I'm wondering what Nikon will have for us in 2020? Figure if I start saving now, I'll even have enough money to buy whatever they have to offer by then. If I had a real reason to upgrade, I'd get a D850, but..... I can wait. Anybody else thinking of waiting?

This summer I've found myself using my F4 more than my D800 although my Leica M240 gets the most use as it is by far the easier/lighter camera to carry with me for just day-to-day walking around.

What and Where to shoot............ memories, memories, most all bad.

Are you missing shots, or unhappy with the results provided by your current camera? If so, decide what is missing, what do you NEED to improve your results, and narrow down the possible camera/lens choices based on what you NEED. If, on the other hand, it's a case of GAS, then all bets are off.

I'm an "experienced" (in terms of age) amateur. First SLR was a Pentax in 1960. Next was a Canon F1 in 1971. Then a Canon AE1 added as a backup to the F1 in 1976. Traded all my Canon gear (bodies and lenses) for an RB67 ProS in 1992 and at the same time got a Nikon F4 as my 35mm film camera. In the 35mm format, no camera gave me any more capability than the F1 and I did not NEED any other camera. Simplicity of operation improved, yes, but nothing that allowed me to magically make better photos if I didn't do my part (composition, etc). I can view photos taken with my 1970's Canon F1 along with my 1990's F4 and I couldn't tell which camera took which picture if I didn't know. I can identify some photos from the Pentax era, but I believe that's more a function of 1960's Pentax lens quality, not camera body issues. In 2008 things changed and I went digital with a Nikon D90. In 2014 I went to a D800. The only reason for changing from the D90 to the D800 was that I wanted to get closer to the true 35mm format. By the way I still have the F4 (film) and D90 along with the D800 and use all three. Too many cameras are coming along too quickly for me now. While there are "improvements", from the D800e, D810 and now the D850, there is nothing that indicates my personal pictures will be any better than what the three DSLR's I have now are capable of providing. D810 and D850, yes some improvements are there, but to replace my D800? I'm not good enough a photographer to make use of those changes. If I were a full time professional, I would consider the upgrade, but I'm not. At the same time, with the rapid upgrades, I would probably also wait for the D900, but then wait for the D950, but then wait for the D1000, but then wait for the D1xxx....... That should be only another year or two at the rate they are coming out . Now, do I have other cameras? Yes, I still have, and use, my RB-67 ProS, which is bulky to carry and difficult to use, but the pictures from the 6x7mm negatives are still amazing. I do have one other camera which is actually the most often used because it is the one most often with me as a walk-about due to it's low weight, size, ease of carry and ease of use. That is my Leica M with a 35mm lens and extra 75mm lens in my pocket. My DSLR's are just too big and bulky for full time carry. My DSLR's go out me with when I have specific photography events planned, such as car races, car shows, air shows, landscape, wildlife, places where I have specific photographic goals in mind. But for just going out of the house, with no preplanned photographic objectives in mind, it's light, simple and small with the Leica.

So once more: What are you MISSING to improve your photography, what do you NEED to improve your results, then narrow down the possible camera choices based on those requirements. If, on the other hand, it's a case of GAS, then all bets are off.

Close to 20 years ago I was asked by a family friend if I could develop some film for them. They didn't know anything about it other than they found it in their fathers attic along with a camera that still had film in it. As I recall it was a Leica, I think a III, with some German brand film, unusual name, which included a translation to black and white. They told me to do what I wanted with it so I took a gamble and developed one roll as if it were equivalent to Kodak Plus-X using HC-110 (taking into consideration it might be decades old) . I was really shocked when the images came out reasonably well. I used the same technique to develop the other 7 rolls, including the one in the camera. The photos all appeared to be WW-II vintage taken most likely by one or more German soldiers. The scenes were mostly of "after the battle" images of soldiers going about their daily routines, plus pictures of after battle damage like downed aircraft, damaged buildings, armored vehicles etc. I was thrilled to think that I was the first person to view these pictures after, at the time I did this, 45-50 years. Based on signs included in some of the images, these were most likely taken in multiple countries, or at least locations where signs in various languages, would be included images from at least France, possibly Belgium, Germany and maybe Russia based on some photos of farm vehicles with Cyrillic writing on them. While I did return the camera and negatives, along with a set of photos I printed up, to the family, I did with their permission, scan all the negatives to keep. Unfortunately, 20 years ago my scanner technology was pretty poor so the negatives did not come out real well, low scanner resolution, but they are pretty much all viewable.

Memories and family history----

We like to go back occasionally and view our family history, things we've done, places we've been. Have over 60 years of photo albums I took for our children and grand children to see. Added these to the family history photo album going back many years, starting with a few shots taken of my Gr-Gr-Grandfather in the Civil War. Now use primarily electronic photo display units and update them as desired. Also, when we get really memorable photos, print them out and add them to the photo album. Label each so someone can get back to the digital original in the future. I've also scanned significant (to me) negatives to add to a digital collection. These are primarily of F1 and other sports car races like CanAm and TransAm, and sports/classic import car shows we have gone to in the past. Particularly when "famous" drivers were in the picture (Jackie Stewart, Nikki Lauda, Emerson Fittipaldi and many more too numerous to name). Majority have meaning only to our family but I hope my future family will enjoy going back and viewing some of these "historical" photos, as I have viewing our family photos from the late 1800's to current times. Many have the snapshot "Martha by the Monument" look, meaningful only to us, but I'm glad of the memories from the time it was taken.