Opions thoughts wanted

arshuter

Senior Member
I would like to hear everyones thoughts/opinions on weather it is a good idea to buy referbished equipment. I use a D5100 I bought used it has about 25,000 shutter count and have been thinking of up grading to a D5600. I was watching a you tube video the other day by Tony Northrup and in it he said he has no problem buying refurbished equipment so it got me wondering, is this a good way to save a few bucks or not? I don't plan on turning pro anytime soon but like everyone want good quality pics.
Thanks for the help.

Also how do these work as for shutter count etc. Does it start at zero or say under 100 count?
 
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Fred Kingston

Senior Member
I've purchased refurb'd cameras before. Shutter counts have all been under 100... I suspect that most are dealer demos that get returned to Nikon for credit... inspected, re-packaged and re-distributed by Nikon...

I bought mine from Robert's Camera in Indianapolis... A well respected Nikon dealer for about a 1/2 a century. They (as well as many other Nikon dealers) sweeten the standard Nikon Refurb's warranty from 90 days to 6 months to a year... Deal with a well known dealer that has a bricks & mortar presence and you shouldn't have any problems...
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
I bought my D7100 refurbished directly through Nikon. It only had 39 shutter actuations on it. To this day, it's the sharpest body I've ever used. And I never experienced any issues with it.

Don K. used to swear by Cameta Camera. Their web site lists them as an authorized dealer, and their refurbished D5600 comes with a one-year warranty. Not sure if they include the 90-day warranty via Nikon that usually comes with a genuine refurbished body.

https://www.cameta.com/Nikon-D5600-Digital-SLR-Camera-Body-Refurbished-99285.cfm

If we were talking about lenses, I doubt I'd go with a refurbished lens. But having gone that route with my D7100, I had no issues at all with a body. I upgraded to the D7200 only because Nikon discontinued offering 2 card slots with the D7x00 series.
 

nickt

Senior Member
No issues with refurbs. I bought several cameras and lenses as refurbs. Most have very low shutter counts under 100. I think my 2nd d7200 had a higher shutter count but no issues. Adorama tends to have better than average refurb prices, but Cameta gives the longer warranty. As far as I know, Nikon does not swap out anyone's camera when they have an issue, they fix it and return the same camera to them. So there is not a shelf full of well used, patched up refurbs sitting around. I believe they are all early store returns or dealer demos. I never saw any signs of wear or dust on anything Nikon refurbished.
 

PapaST

Senior Member
I don't have an issue buying refurbed as long as I feel comfortable with the warranty. For me, 90 days is the least that I look for, 30 days is a little too short for me.
 

nickt

Senior Member
And to be clear, we are talking about refurbs sold directly from Nikon or and authorized dealer. Its not a cleaned up used or repaired camera that some small shop might be incorrectly calling 'refurbished'. These come in a plain box with a Nikon refurbished sticker or stamp on it and no manual or strap and the serial number will have a tiny punch mark before and after.
 

Danno

Senior Member
I bought my 7200 was refurbished. It had less than 50 actuations. I have been very pleased.

Places like Adorama sell refurbished cameras and lenses and offer a warranty. Nikon did not when I got mine. The nice thing about refurbished was that I got more camera than i could afford new.
 

cwgrizz

Senior Member
Challenge Team
No problem with refurbs. I had doubts at first, but after reading about many others having good results, I decided to try. Well I got a D7100 refurbished and it had a whopping 2 shutter clicks. It has been a great camera. Like others have said, buy from reputable places ie Roberts Camera, Adorama, B&H, Cametta, etc.
 

arshuter

Senior Member
Anyone ever deal with KEH Camera Outlet? They offer 180 days and are an authorized Nikon dealer. Nikon 7100 for $367.00 body only.
 

nickt

Senior Member
I've not delt with them. People have had good and bad experiences with them across the forums. I just found the one you mention by kehoutlet on ebay. Sounds like not the greatest physical condition. For me, I'd go with the like-new Nikon refurbished d7200. The d7100 is seller refurbished and well used. I don't know, but I'm betting their refurbish procedure is to just test it and maybe clean the sensor. Anything more would not be cost effective for them. Easier for them to play the odds and hope they don't have to fix it during warranty for you.
 

arshuter

Senior Member
While I was at the falls today I was lucky enough to find a NiSi V-5 Pro with an 82mm polarizer and a NiSiND 1000 (3.0) 100 x 100 mm 10 stop filter. If I could sell that I'd be able to afford the camera. Maybe my luck is finally changing, naaaa, can't be.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
Anyone ever deal with KEH Camera Outlet? They offer 180 days and are an authorized Nikon dealer. Nikon 7100 for $367.00 body only.

I bought 2 different lenses from them - both lenses were the highest rating. Both had issues. One lens had an intermittent problem with sticky aperture blades that didn't stop down all the way. So at times those images were overexposed. Saw they listed it again as soon as they got it back. The other lens would stick at one spot when zooming in and out. I returned both, but it cost me return shipping both times. So I stay away from them for electronic purchases.

I strongly suggest you look elsewhere.
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
I would like to hear everyones thoughts/opinions on weather it is a good idea to buy referbished equipment. I use a D5100 I bought used it has about 25,000 shutter count and have been thinking of up grading to a D5600. I was watching a you tube video the other day by Tony Northrup and in it he said he has no problem buying refurbished equipment so it got me wondering, is this a good way to save a few bucks or not? I don't plan on turning pro anytime soon but like everyone want good quality pics.
Thanks for the help.

Also how do these work as for shutter count etc. Does it start at zero or say under 100 count?
In my experience you have to closely examine exactly what you're buying because "refurbished" can mean different things depending on who you're buying from. That being said, I'll buy a factory refurb, from reputable dealer, without hesitation. Reputable dealers making my short list are Amazon, B&H and Adorama. I'm sure there are many other perfectly reputable dealers but I've rarely really needed to go outside those three. Willingness to work with me should a refund or exchange need to happen is one of my primary considerations when deciding who to make a major purchase from.

What you're typically giving up when buying refurbished gear is the full manufacturer warranty and the fancy packaging. My D850 was bought as a factory refurb and came with a 90-day Nikon warranty. Everything was packed in a white Nikon box with all the accessories inside rubber-banded in bubble wrap... Crude, but effective, I guess. Adorama didn't charge sales tax, shipped it for free and the shutter count was eight (which seems oddly low but I'm not complaining). So in essence I traded nine-months of Nikon warranty, and the Nikon gold box, for a very significant cost-savings. I now have two more months to stress test the ever-loving daylights out this body looking for anything that might require warranty repair.
 

PapaST

Senior Member
In my experience you have to closely examine exactly what you're buying because "refurbished" can mean different things depending on who you're buying from. That being said, I'll buy a factory refurb, from reputable dealer, without hesitation. Reputable dealers making my short list are Amazon, B&H and Adorama. I'm sure there are many other perfectly reputable dealers but I've rarely really needed to go outside those three. Willingness to work with me should a refund or exchange need to happen is one of my primary considerations when deciding who to make a major purchase from.

What you're typically giving up when buying refurbished gear is the full manufacturer warranty and the fancy packaging. My D850 was bought as a factory refurb and came with a 90-day Nikon warranty. Everything was packed in a white Nikon box with all the accessories inside rubber-banded in bubble wrap... Crude, but effective, I guess. Adorama didn't charge sales tax, shipped it for free and the shutter count was eight (which seems oddly low but I'm not complaining). So in essence I traded nine-months of Nikon warranty, and the Nikon gold box, for a very significant cost-savings. I now have two more months to stress test the ever-loving daylights out this body looking for anything that might require warranty repair.

I've had a terrific experience with Amazon and their "Amazon Refreshed" items. So much so that I'm starting to look for other Amazon refreshed items just to save some $$$. Their return policy has always been fast and simple.
 

nikonpup

Senior Member
CCC.jpgcheck with b&h on this camera
 

arshuter

Senior Member
I found a nice used 7200 at B&H but when I called the person I talked to could tell me anything more about it than what I read on the website. Why can't they get the shutter actuations? After all they are a camera shop. I don't mind buying a used but I don't want 100,000 count.
 

nickt

Senior Member
Personally, I think I would avoid a 'used' body from a shop via mail order. I might consider one off ebay before I did that. At least on ebay I can size up the buyer by scrutinizing his listing and judge if he is a camera buff or just some guy selling a camera he found. But I really don't know what I would do. I've bought used lenses on ebay. Never bought a used body. Only new or factory refurbs. On the plus side, you do get the benefit of an easy return when buying a used from a big place and probably a 90 day warranty. I'm betting B&H pays $200-$300 for used d7200's and sells them for $500+. You will pretty much never get a shutter count out of these big shops. I don't know why.
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Personally, I think I would avoid a 'used' body from a shop via mail order. ...
Agreed. Too many good deals on refurbs that come with a warranty, etc. to fool around with used gear you can't handle/inspect in person.

Adorama (who didn't charge sales tax on my D850) has D7200 factory refurbs going for $679, with free shipping, as I type this... I don't even need a DX body and I'm tempted by that deal! LOL!!
 

arshuter

Senior Member
I found a local D7100 for $550. She is trying to get the shutter on for me right now but says it's very low less than 200 as a guess.
Also found another with 11014 clicks for $385.
 
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