Counterfeit remote controller?

[davee]

Hi all,

I've just bought a second remote timer from an Amazon seller. It was fulfiller by Amazon UK, so I assumed I was getting the genuine part. When it turned up, however, I'm pretty sure it's a fake. I've put a pic of it next to my existing one - what do you think? The logo is wrong, the three curves at the top are squint, the plastic is a different colour and feels cheaper, the pouch is a lot cheaper, and the battery housing doesn't seem to shut right. Fake, or could it be that Nikon are making not-so high quality accessories these days? If I'd wanted a third party remote, I'd have spent less than half the money.

 

[Marcel]

I suspect that Nikon, as other companies out there for our money, is always looking for cheaper sub-contractors for these kinds of parts. So maybe they have switched supplier for the remote. But the counterfeits are there and are sometimes difficult to differentiate from the original. And sometimes they just will do the job as well as the originals.

 

[Horoscope Fish]

*facepalm*

Totally mis-read your post... And I agree, the one on the left is fake. The "o" in the logo is definitely not correct for the Nikon logo.
...

 

[PapaST]

In my opinion I think it's a fake. I think the giveaway is the Nikon font. It's true companies save by going to cheaper suppliers but I think a golden rule for any supplier is to get the logo right. I bet Nikon gives any real supplier the actual logos/fonts. So there's never a need for a supplier to try to get it "as close as possible". But hey... what do I know???

Found this on Ewe-Tube... I have no idea if this guy knows what he's talking about, but that's definitely your remote.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KOS3chs_Nw

 

[Nikon Photographer]

Looks like the one on the left is indeed a fake copy, the way the 'O' in the Nikon badge is totally different to the original one.

 

[MartinCornwall]

Just had a quick google and checked some legit suppliers and couldn't fine one that looked like the one on the left. They were all identical to the one on the right so I would suspect Fake...

 

[Don Kuykendall_RIP]

There are two different "Nikon" remotes out there. One will say Nikon and the other generally say "Remote Control for Nikon ML-L3" some of them will have the Nikon like yours do. Some will say "For Nikon" on it and some will have nothing on it. Generally they cost a lot less and work just as good. If you are like me you tend to lose the small objects like the remote so the cheap ones are a better bargain.

 

[Griso]

On a tangent here, but if anyone is interested look up the CE label and the 'China Export' label. Cheeky beggars.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[davee]

Thanks all for replying - I think it's a fake, mainly due to the font that others have mentioned above. I'd paid for the 'genuine' one from Amazon; it's not a high cost item and I wanted to make sure I'd a robust remote as a backup before I went abroad. I'm not against third party remotes, but when I pay £15 rather than £5-10 for the 'genuine' one, that's what I want to get.

As an aside, I've complained to Amazon - they apologised in their response, but put me through their standard returns procedure. I know they have large volumes to deal with, but I get the feeling that they'll give me a refund, bin the returned item, and write it off. I think that's the last time I'll use them for something like this.

 

[Nikon Photographer]

I've used Amazon U.K for many years, both for photographic and household items, never had a problem with them, but the trouble is that they have so many sellers selling items through Amazon, there stored in their warehouse, but they just can't check every item they hold for Amazon sellers.

 

[Bob Blaylock]

This is probably one of those items where there's really not any good reason to buy the Nikon-branded version over a cheap aftermarket knockoff.

Some time last year, I had the fortune to catch a great deal on a Targus-branded remote, that I guess was being discontinued. Nominally priced at about $10 (about half the price of Nikon's unit), Target had dropped the price to five dollars. A few days later, when I saw that what few remained had been further dropped to three dollars, I couldn't resist buying a second one, just in case.

I do, however, agree that if the OP paid for a genuine Nikon item, then he should have received a genuine Nikon item, which it appears that he did not; and for that matter, that if an item is not a genuine Nikon item, then the manufacturer shouldn't be trying to pass it off as one.