Dodgy deals?

[Elliot87]

I'm looking into buying a d7100 body at some point this year, so naturally I'm looking at the best deals out there, because why pay more, right?

There seems to be a fair few companies selling the D7100 body new, for less than I could get a used one for on sites like MPBphotographic. They also tend to offer a 3 year warranty, at least 2 of which are their own guarantee rather than Nikon's. Here are a couple of these deals.

Nikon D7100 Camera Body

Nikon D7100 24.1MP DSLR body only+3 Years WorldWide Warranty, Multi Languages. | eBay

What do you guys make of such deals? Grey imports I assume but that's only and issue for me as it effects the warranty. Do you think such warranties they offer would be worth the paper they're written on?

Thanks

 

[carguy]

Adorama has Nikon refurb D7100 bodies for $699 on ebay, might be the best deal around.
My D7100 was a Nikon refurb through Roberts. Zero issues.

 

[mikew_RIP]

The first one has a very good reputation on another UK forum,if i was buying grey i would choose them,the second i know nothing about,i cannot recomend them from experience though,as you say as an alternative to second hand possibly from ebay with no back up.it could be a no brainer.

 

[Elliot87]

I'd definitely look into refurbs but I'm not sure where to get them in the UK. My local store does have some refurbs on their website but no D7100's.

Thanks for the input Mike, good to know at least one of them has a good reputation. I'm just scouting out at the moment, will do a lot more digging before clicking "add to cart".

 

[FastGlass]

Always read the reviews. Good indication on a company.

 

[paul04]

Just looking at your 1st link to HDEW Cameras,
reading about them, they are based in surrey since 1993, and have 3 shops,


The deal you are looking at will last till the 7th of April, it was £549.
I would give them a quick phone call (there number is on the about us page) and have a chat with them.

 

[Elliot87]

Just looking at your 1st link to HDEW Cameras,
reading about them, they are based in surrey since 1993, and have 3 shops,


The deal you are looking at will last till the 7th of April, it was £549.
I would give them a quick phone call (there number is on the about us page) and have a chat with them.

Looking into them a bit more I think I'd be happy to buy from them but I really shouldn't be buying anything right now, my wife would kill me I think. For that reason I probably shouldn't call them.

Is the D7100 likely to fall much more in price now the D7200 is out? I should really be waiting until later this year when the funds are healthier and hopefully it will have dropped back down to around this price as standard.
Why can't I just leave the internet alone and be happy with what I've got? Damn NAS!

 

[mikew_RIP]

Looking into them a bit more I think I'd be happy to buy from them but I really shouldn't be buying anything right now, my wife would kill me I think. For that reason I probably shouldn't call them.

Is the D7100 likely to fall much more in price now the D7200 is out? I should really be waiting until later this year when the funds are healthier and hopefully it will have dropped back down to around this price as standard.
Why can't I just leave the internet alone and be happy with what I've got? Damn NAS!

Put it this way its unlikely to go up with any thing but the exchange rate so you shouldn't lose by waiting.

 

[carguy]

Remember the creed: Forgiveness is easier obtained than permission

 

[Elliot87]

Remember the creed: Forgiveness is easier obtained than permission

Almost unbelievably I was given permission from my good lady. I feel like it must be a trick of some sort. The main reason I posted this was because you guys were meant to put me off any deals like these, to help me keep NAS at bay!

My main reason for wanting to buy it and not wanting to buy it are the same thing. I'm going to Australia and New Zealand later this year, so that means funds are tight and I shouldn't be buying camera gear. On the other hand though I want to be able to take the best pictures possible as it might be a once in a life time trip.
My last holiday meant I held off buying a DSLR until after I got back and I regret it. Now I have a good camera so will get nice photos but how much better could they be with a D7100 instead of a D3200?

 

[Horoscope Fish]

Now I have a good camera so will get nice photos but how much better could they be with a D7100 instead of a D3200?

I can think of two things (assuming you don't already have them) more important to outstanding photography than a new camera body: Really good glass and a really good understanding of composition.

....

 

[mikew_RIP]

A new/better camera will not give you better pictures on its own,there are things about a better camera that can help you in you picture taking, so perhaps lead to a higher keeper rate depending on your subject/interests,first thing to say is it could be a steep learning curve moving up to a D7200 so make sure if you do it you have plenty of time to become accustomed to a totally different type of camera before you are in once in a lifetime situation.

 

[jay_dean]

Is the D7100 likely to fall much more in price now the D7200 is out?

Maybe a bit, but certainly not like a stone. Popular cameras don't depreciate as fast as others, and i imagine there's plenty more like you wanting one The D7100 is very popular, hence keeping the price quite strong. Just my thoughts mind.
I can recommend this site. Used them a couple of times, and with the Bank transfer.
Panamoz Nikon D7100 DSLR Camera (Body Only)

 

[paul04]

I got my D7100 at the start of the year, got it set up to how I like it, but so much more to learn.

only yesterday I had a "ADL icon" (active D lighting) on the display I've never seen before.

took me a while to work out how I had turned it on.

 

[Felisek]

I bought my D7100 from HDEW and had no problems. I decided to buy from them after reading lot's of good reviews. Having said that, I don't know what would happen if my camera needed a repair.

 

[aroy]

. . .


My last holiday meant I held off buying a DSLR until after I got back and I regret it. Now I have a good camera so will get nice photos but how much better could they be with a D7100 instead of a D3200?

The image quality of D7100 is not all that different from the D3300. The D3300 is marginally better that the D3200 (in terms of processing power and video). So if you want better images, spend the money on better glass, rather than on a body.

 

[Elliot87]

Thanks folks, some really good advice. I think what I want most from the D7100 are its better ISO capabilities and superior auto focus. I feel these two things hold me back most with my D3200 as wildlife and birds are my main interests. For landscapes and macro they won't make much difference. I also want the in built focus motor and ability to meter with AIS lenses. This would open up a whole range of more affordable but still very good glass to me, such as the 300mm f/4D which won't autofocus with my D3200 so isn't much good for action.

In terms of glass I would want, an improvement on my 70-300 and a wide zoom or prime to replace my non VR 18-55 kit lens.
Right now for landscapes I'd go to my 35mm which often isn't wide enough, or my 18-55mm which isn't the best lens either. Will get a circular polariser and possibly some grad ND filters, so that should help image results a bit hopefully.

To get an auto focusing 300mm prime set up on my D3200 would cost me £1600 for the new version on amazon. For that I could buy a D7100, 300 f/4 D and a 1.4x teleconvertor. Or a D7100 and a Tamron 150-600 or similar. I don't have that to spend right now unfortunately, so it would seem to make sense to get the D7100 first and see a slight improvement right now with the lenses I've got. But I really don't know.......?

 

[MartinCornwall]

I bought a Tokina 11-16mm, Sigma 17-50mm and a D7100 all from HDEW on different occasions, you can phone and speak to them and get really good service. At £495, that is the cheapest that the D7100 has ever been through them.

 

[jay_dean]

To get an auto focusing 300mm prime set up on my D3200 would cost me £1600 for the new version on amazon. For that I could buy a D7100, 300 f/4 D and a 1.4x teleconvertor. Or a D7100 and a Tamron 150-600 or similar. I don't have that to spend right now unfortunately, so it would seem to make sense to get the D7100 first and see a slight improvement right now with the lenses I've got. But I really don't know.......?

I think if i were in your situation, i'd opt for the body first, then add the lens.
The choice between the 150-600 and the 300+1.4tc is a bit horses for courses. The 150-600mm gives you great flexibility, and is easier to use as you can zoom into your subject. A long range prime takes some getting used to at first. Its a bit like looking down a long thin tube, and locating your subject, but should yield slightly sharper imagery.
just my 2 penneth!

 

[Elliot87]

I bought a Tokina 11-16mm, Sigma 17-50mm and a D7100 all from HDEW on different occasions, you can phone and speak to them and get really good service. At £495, that is the cheapest that the D7100 has ever been through them.

From what I'm hearing about HDEW they might become a go to shop for my gear. Those two lenses you mentioned are both £309, so I could afford one but not both. If you were going on holiday to somewhere like New Zealand and could take just one, which would it be?