I made my first purchase of a "Like New - Minus" quality Nikkor 50mm f1.4G lens from KEH.com last week and it arrived in about four days. The lens was exactly as described by their "industry standard" rating system... very clean glass but possibly some signs of wear on the body that are difficult to detect except under the closest of inspection. (I can't find any signs of wear on the lens I received).

I paid about $300 with both caps but no hood or the storage bag, using a 10% off coupon they previously sent me in a promo email. They don't charge sales tax and shipping is free on orders over $99. The overall quality of the lens is comparable to refurbished lenses I've purchased from Nikonusa.com. Make sure to register on their website and opt-in to receive their emails, which frequently feature 10-20% off coupons.

It worked for me... cranked up all the Sharpening settings on the Set Picture Control to +6 on the SHOOTING MENU on my Nikon Df... except Portrait, which I only increased to +3. Thanks for this suggestion!

I normally buy lenses and accessories from Nikon's "refurbished pages" on Nikonusa.com to get reasonable prices on what arguably seem to be brand new items. The only difference between Nikon refurbished and store-bought merchandise seems to be that the refurbished items are packed in plain brown corrugated boxes marked "Nikon Refurbished," plus they only come with a 90-day warranty. Nikon frequently features 10% off specials on their refurbished site, and in fact a 10% sale is currently in process.

I also had an amazingly positive experience recently when I purchased a refurbished Nikon 24-120mm f4G from buydig via their online eBay store for a killer price of $469 (price for a new 24-120 is listed at around $1,100; refurbished is $900).

The lens from buydig arrived within two days via FedEx, and was packed identically to a refurbished lens from Nikon, with the same 90-day Nikon warranty. Like other refurbed lenses I've purchased directly from Nikon, the 24-120 arrived in perfect condition... much better than a used 105mm f2D DC and a 135mm f2D DC I recently bought on eBay.

I recently ordered a "like new minus" Nikon 50mm f/1.4G from Keh.com, and I'm looking forward to what this lens looks like when it arrives tomorrow.

As far as 42nd Street Photo, I've visited the store which is a few blocks from my office. The lens I was looking for was in stock and priced well, but I'm not sure if it was a US model or grey, and I didn't purchase it. The store personnel seemed friendly and helpful.

I purchased the Fundamentals of Photography course taught by Joel Sartore soon after I traded up from my Nikon D7000 to a Nikon Df in late 2014, and realized that I needed to refresh my knowledge of classic photographic techniques from my days in college when I used Nikon and Nikkormat film cameras and developed my own B&W film over 40 years ago(!). My photo skills seriously deteriorated with my first Olympus digital camera purchased in 2001, and as I moved up to Nikon DX-format DSLRs over the past 10 years, I tended to rely heavily on the cameras' automatic features to get my shots.

The purchase of my first serious DSLR motivated me to want to re-learn how to properly use the Df and take advantage of the various mechanical settings, as well as better frame, set-up and compose shots.

Somehow I received a catalog from The Great Courses in the mail in early January 2015, and jumped at a 75% discount offered to purchase the Fundamentals course, comprised of 23 20-30 minute video segments. I was able to upload the videos onto my iPad, and on a 22-hour flight to Malaysia for vacation in early 2015, watched the first half of the course. I also noticed that the quality of the pictures I took on vacation were significantly better than previous photos Inhad taken.

Joel is a very engaging, knowledgeable and entertaining instructor, with a wry sense of humor. His standard lectures in a studio are interspersed with "video field trips" where he demonstrates the techniques presented in class in real-life situations. While he covers technical material and terminology, he also speaks in plain English and includes many "tricks of the trade" to help photographers shoot not only technically correct, but interesting, memorable images as well.

I'd highly recommend this course, both to new as well as experienced photographers who would like a refresher photo course.

I recently bought a Nikon 24-120 f4 online from buydig.com via eBay for a great price of $469 versus the normal $900 price for a refurbed model. This lens looks as good and functions as well as a Nikon 28-300mm f3.5-5.6G that I bought refurbished directly from Nikonusa.com. In fact the 24-120 was packaged exactly the same as the 28-300 from Nikon and offered the same Nikon 90-day warranty on refurbished lenses. I'm very happy with the results I'm getting from my bargain priced 24-120 in terms of sharpness, colors, focus speed and ergonomics.

If you're pleased with your lens performance, then that's all that really matters and you should be happy that you saved some bucks in the process.

I would wait for the tax refund and try buying a refurbished Apple Thunderbolt Display from the refurbished section of apple.com. I have one for my MacBook Pro, and it's really great for colors, resolution, build quality and overall aesthetics. They are available now for $799 + tax at http://www.apple.com/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/displays.

I use B+W filters on the lenses I use with my Nikon Df and have never had a problem, including several circular polarizers, although I prefer the classic Nikon NC filters most of the time.

First, check out Nikon.USA's website for factory-refurbished lenses, at http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-store/refurbished-cameras.page?#!/tag:8ps:Lenses.

Second, wait for one of Nikonusa.com's frequent 10% off sale, which seem to occur every six weeks or so, and around the time of usual holiday retail sales (they just had one from January 15-18, 2016 for MLK Day weekend).

Third, once you've found a lens or two that meets your needs, also visit eBay and search for them, focusing (no pun intended) on sellers with ratings of 99.7% or higher. Especially check out refurbished lenses offered on eBay by buydig.com or Beach Camera and see if you can find any killer deals.

Recently I was tracking a refurbished Nikkor 24-120 f/4, which Nikonusa.com offered for $899.99 (pre-10% off sale) and adorama.com offered for $649. (A brand new 24-120 f/4 sells for $1,099). On eBay, buydig.com's normal price for a Nikon USA refurbished version of this lens ranges between $549 and $599. During the time it was priced at $549, I received an email announcing a limited time $80 off the $549 price after I had placed it on eBay's "watch list," and I immediately purchased the refurbed 24-120 for $469... with no tax or shipping charges. The lens was delivered via FedEx and I received it in two days. The lens was in virtually "new" condition, and included the traditional 90-day Nikon warranty. The only thing missing was the instruction manual (which can be downloaded for free on Nikonusa.com), and the front and rea lens caps -- although perfectly fine and functioning -- appeared not to be genuine Nikon-manufactured products.

Needless to say, I am very pleased with my buydig.com buying (and saving) experience on eBay.

Shipping boxes


Unboxing


24-120 with 90-day Nikon warranty

I recommend looking for a tripod "kit" that includes the legs as well as a head to save some money. I recently was in the market and ended up buying a Manfrotto MK290LTA3-3WUS 290 Light 3-Way Head Kit after doing a lot of online research. It's light, compact, folds up nicely for storage and is quite stable. It can handle up to 8.8 pounds of camera and lens. It's also available with a ball head or a 3-way head, and the leg clips provide a secure and firm grip. Amazon lists the price at $149, but occasionally drops the price to $129. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013JS8JZW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

I don't have a question, but wanted to mention an amazingly positive lens-buying experience I recently had on eBay with Buydig.com.

Over the weekend I ordered a "new" refurbished Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR lens on eBay from Buydig.com. I didn't really need this lens, since I'm already covered at the wide to mid ranges, but I couldn't refuse a killer email offer I received over the weekend from eBay notifying me of a limited time additional $80 off the $549 price for a refurbished 24-120mm from Buydig.com.

Since my mother taught me that "anything that seems too good to be true probably is," I have always steered clear of killer prices on products sold by online camera retailers. But having had my eyes on this lens ever since purchasing a Nikon Df from nikonusa.com over a year ago, I decided to give it a try.

The $469 price I paid was remarkable -- especially since Adorama recently marked-down a refurbished 24-120 to $649 and Nikon still sells it for $900 on its refurbished web site, both plus sales tax. The normal suggested retail for a brand new version of this lens in a gold box is $1,099.95!

I'm very pleased to report that the package arrived today (Tuesday) in perfect condition, and only two days after I ordered it on Saturday night.

The lens is in "near new" excellent shape, and packaging was identical to refurbished lenses I've purchased directly from nikonusa.com. The only things missing were the operating manual (which I can download from nikonusa.com) and official Nikon-made front and rear lens caps (which I can buy from Adorama or Amazon for about $16).

Buydig.com's eBay product description was honest, right-on and accurate. The only thing missing from their eBay posting was that a 90-day warranty from Nikon is included with this product, which I was very pleased to discover.

I'm completely satisfied with this Buydig via eBay purchase, the quality/condition of the lens and the very fast FREE delivery time via FedEx. Most important, my confidence in selectively purchasing expensive products on eBay from online camera retailers at prices that sometimes seem "too good to be true" was significantly raised.

Just thought I'd pass-on this very pleasing buying experience from Buydig.com and eBay.

I just wanted to thank everyone who provided advice about buying a new tripod, which I found very helpful. After doing considerable additional research online, I decided to buy a Manfrotto MK290LTA3-3WUS 290 Light with a 3-Way Head Kit, mainly because I wanted something that was small, lightweight, easy to store and reasonably stable. I've used it a few times indoors, and once I figured out how to open and properly set-up the three-way head's 2 compact "arms," I like it. I also found a short-time $20-off "sale" on Amazon, and only paid $130 for it. (The current price is about $150). It's small enough to fold-up and "hide" in my living room, and my wife hasn't complained about it yet.

(1) Because you don't want a great DSLR that doesn't look like every other DSLR?
(2) Because you don't want a great DSLR that's full frame and has the same sensor as a D4?
(3) Because you don't want a great DSLR that takes great low-light pictures and is fun to use?
(4) Because you don't want a great DSLR that is backward compatible with virtually any Nikkor lens produced since 1980?
(5) Because you don't want a great DSLR and you prefer taking photos with your iPhone 4?
Go to nikonusa.com and check out a refurbished Df... I bought two... one in black and one in chrome! Both arrived in perfect condition sans original packaging.

(Download)

You need Nikon's 16-25mm f4 refurbished. I have it and it works great on my Nikon Df. Buy it on nikonusa.com. Check it out here: http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/refurbished-camera-lenses/af-s-nikkor-16-35mm-f%252f4g-ed-vr-refurbished.html

Whatever Nikon DSLR camera you choose, visit http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-store/refurbished-cameras.page?#!/tag:8ps:Digital%20SLR%20Cameras ... Nikonusa.com is having a 10% off sale on all refurbished Nikon DSLRs (as well as lenses and accessories) until December 28! You can't go wrong with a "used" Nikon product refurbished and sold by nikonusa.com!

I keep a Nikon 28-300 on my Nikon Df, and a Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 on my other Nikon Df. Both lenses meet my need for something that will work under most quick shot circumstances.