Buy D800E and lens etc in China

Hi I am a Brit living in china at the moment, I am a beginner I am afraid, but for personal reasons I want to become a professional photographer asap (I have no choice at my age), anyway not go any further...... I want to buy the D800E and have seen at least 3-4 websites which seem to sell the camera very cheaply, and seem to be shall we say of dubious reputation,
So I have found a dealer in Beijing, who is selling this camera and a lens I would like to buy...
D800E $2408 and the lens I would like is the Nikon 105mm micro vr afs IF ED and that is selling for $732 prices are estimated due to currency conversion from Yuan to US Dollar...
I am hoping to visit the camera shop tomorrow morning and have a look.
Some of the things i would like to ask,
1st are these prices reasonable?
what dangers in buying from China do you know of?
e.g do i need to be aware of grey import in other words is it a copy? How can tell if the equipment are copies or second hand??
regarding the D800E i have read there has been problems with left side focussing etc!! Is there a way if i look at the serial number to check if its a fake etc??.
As a beginner into photography, my question is ,what about buying expensive lens, but as i say i don't want to mess around and regret buying cheaper equipment.. later down the line!!
Buying good new lens some people have said that they have kept the lens for years and years and to sell some of the lens you can get back almost, and sometimes even more what you paid for in the first place........Is this true or am i just being naive??
thank you for your kind advice and opinions..

It is always a good practice to know what type of product support they offer in China just like if you were to buy a car.

At this point, there is no assurance that you'll have a trouble-free or non-defective camera if you will, with units sold overseas or in your homeland.

Buying Nikon products in China may or may not affect the resale value. In the U.S. for example, second hand buyers prefer to buy Nikon USA products since they know that they can have it serviced with any of the Nikon service centers that are in the U.S.

My workhorse as a pro are the D800E and Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens. Good luck with your plans. There are definitely a lot of homework that you need to do.

Thank you Glenn for your advice,
For some reason in Beijing maybe its my limited knowledge of Beijing, but to try and find a "Nikon" service centre is quite difficult!! Well according to searching on the internet, my wife believes Nikon does have one, not found one yet, but guess there must be!!

Yeagh your dead right service (customer support) is important VERY important.. I'm not sure if i would get that here.... but I will have a look around wuksong i think its called that.. My wife knows about 2 huge photographic places in Beijing, but I could be going into the lions den LOL the company i may buy the camera and lens from, I hope has good customer support we will see.

To be honest yeagh i have Lots and Lots to learn....I don't think I will ever stop learning......the advice I have read is good lenses are more important than the body....But in my case i don't have time to spend time and graduating to a high end camera over many years etc so I am just going for it, I used to be an electrical engineer for over 20 years, but at my age its hard to get back into the game, so I have no choice in my mind, Especially here in Bejing the only jobs going is English teacher, lol I have 8 years of electrical qualifications and mechanical engineering, but certainly not a degree level...it seems to me if you haven't got a degree you don't work in china unless you know someone to help you, which i don't!!!

So i am trying to do something I love to do, and hopefully can start a business, its Sh## or bust for me!!........I think its going to be extremely hard for me, but i have to try.. It would be great to have a career you love to do, and work for yourself!! That's my goal!!
i have tried to teach myself web design, and photoshop too and have my own website.. Its not too bad, but needs to be redesigned more specifically for photography using dreamweaver. http://www.mazzphotography.com

Sorry back on subject!!


The 24-70mm lens you have is really great but for me is out my ability to pay for that at present!! Maybe later?? The 105mm i read is a good lens and want to use it for primarily for portraits, i hope this will be a good lens for this..?

Sorry for long messages i need to more succinct..

The Nikon 105mm f2.8 VR is good for head shoulders shot. Not so good for group shots unless if you are shooting outdoors. Prime lenses should be a good start such as the 50mm and 85mm f1.8G which has similar price range for both compared to the 105mm VR lens.

You website looks pretty good to me. Definitely much better than what I have with Zenfolio but I am doing good with my sales.

stevebob,

You could always contact Nikon concerning the prevalence of counterfeits if you're worried about that. Nikon should be able to tell you if there are service centers in your region, as well.

As far as lenses go, I think that if you're looking for one portrait lens in the 105 mm range, you must at least explore the Nikkor 105 DC (Defocus Control) option. I don't own one, but if I were going into the portrait business, I'd likely own two. The only photographer I would take my kids to for portraits uses them for some settings and says that they are her "money" lenses for 35 mm format. You do have to learn how to use them to utilize their best features. Used properly, a Nikkor DC lens can produce bokeh that is wonderful. I don't understand why Nikon never offered this feature in an 85 mm lens.
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Good luck with your purchases and your jump into the professional photography business.

WM

Nikon China do have a website, have a look, there's a link on there to contact them

尼康映像仪器销售(中国)有限公司

Thank you Very much for your help and I will check out all the suggestions you guys make here, I have to make small steps in the learning process, but have to walk quickly!!..

I'm starting to think the 85mm maybe better for me, as a start, the 85mm 1.8g its made in china I believe but ive heard its pretty good and reasonably priced.

I am tempted to go for workhorse lens Nikon 24-70mm like Glen mentioned which he uses... I have read that many professional use the 24-70mm because it covers a good range, that is a very useful lens, and covers a lot of scenarios, the only problem is price, for me, I was thinking the Tamron 24-70mm...Obviously I want to get good gear, but I guess I have to face reality.. and not over stretch myself.. But if I can only get a good foundation with minimal number of good lenses......... maybe a 85mm and the 24-70mm..
That is a good point about the DC I will look into that too..
Thank guys for your help...

Steve- for most pros, you can get sharp images with great image quality if you have these two essential lenses (Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 and Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VRII or f4 VRIII). You still need to invest on a SB 910 plus batteries, tripods and all of the other great gadgets. Take it slow, do a lot of research and buy your equipment right the first time. If you don't have the cash yet, save for it and buy the rest around April when Nikon offers rebates.

Hi Steve - welcome to Nikonites!

I'm curious why, if you're a beginner, you think you need the d800e (besides getting a good price for one)? Are you convinced you need a full frame camera to do pro level photography? What type of work would you be doing? Potentially you could buy FX lenses and use them on a DX body if you rather invest in glass now.

Glenn cheers I think we are on the same page..I think I will go for the Nikon 24-70mm, and later the 70-200mm it makes sense to me.. As you say that's what I want to buy the equipment Right first time!!really appreciate your your guidance and obvious vast experience..
I already have a Yongnuo 568E which does HSS and ITTL which is not a bad flash, it hasn't got master control, though.and the ability to have external battery supply. But I got it for around $128 but I do need another flash and stands, I have a tripod I bought about 15 years ago but Not and expensive one..it seems alright to me..(for now)

I am going to get Yongnuo 622N wireless triggers soon too which i think are just as good as the pocket wizards I have heard about.. I'm trying to buy some things on a budget, but the 2 things I do not want to compromise are the camera, and lens..which is obvious I suppose.!

jdeg said:

Hi Steve - welcome to Nikonites!

I'm curious why, if you're a beginner, you think you need the d800e (besides getting a good price for one)? Are you convinced you need a full frame camera to do pro level photography? What type of work would you be doing? Potentially you could buy FX lenses and use them on a DX body if you rather invest in glass now.

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Well i fell in love with the D800E and i believe it to be future proof for some time to come and as you say if i can get a good deal then why not?.
I am SOOO impressed with some of the fantastic photography that can be achieved by professionals like Glen, that its something for me to aspire too if i can, and i believe getting good equipment is the only way i can come close to the pro's..

Yes your right John I could buy fx lens on a DX body, but that would not take the lens to its full potential. I really do not want to go that route, I feel that I would regret it in the long run...So I am trying to buy equipment which, i will not be changing for a very long time, and just want to get quality equipment first time around!!

So thinking about the big picure pardon the pun!! If my pictures are rubbish I can only blame myself, not the equipment!! The kind of work i want to do is really to be honest anything!! But Portraits, Weddings etc seem to be good start.. i am trying to be able to keep all things possible!!


I could drown myself..i know.. but I have nothing to lose, I am not going to go into personal things. But just enough to say "this is it for me".

thank you for your question..!

stevebob,

I don't think that you'll ever be unhappy buying the best equipment available. I know I never have. I do know that I've regretted buying something that is a step down, or more, from what I really wanted. For example, I really wanted the 70-200 2.8 AF-S VR that you're looking into, but "settled" for the 80-200 2.8D instead. Well after using a friends 70-200 2.8 VR, I'm now planning to purchase that one later. I could've saved the cost of the 80-200 by going with what I wanted in the first place. Was the 80-200 a mistake? Photographly, no. Financially, yes. At least for me.
In the end, however, I am the weak link in my photographs, and I can't blame a bad shot on my equipment.

Whiskeyman said:

stevebob,

I don't think that you'll ever be unhappy buying the best equipment available. I know I never have. I do know that I've regretted buying something that is a step down, or more, from what I really wanted. For example, I really wanted the 70-200 2.8 AF-S VR that you're looking into, but "settled" for the 80-200 2.8D instead. Well after using a friends 70-200 2.8 VR, I'm now planning to purchase that one later. I could've saved the cost of the 80-200 by going with what I wanted in the first place. Was the 80-200 a mistake? Photographly, no. Financially, yes. At least for me.
In the end, however, I am the weak link in my photographs, and I can't blame a bad shot on my equipment.

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This is the similar mistake that I experienced several years ago. However, it was between the Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VRI vs VRII. After shooting the VRI for a while, it was not giving me super sharp images around the corners when used with my D700 at the time. The VRII solved that issue.

Since I just started my studio set-up, the Nikon 70-200mm f4 VRIII will probably be sufficient for my use since the strobes gives me the lighting that I needed to shoot at 1/160, f8, ISO 100!

stevebobb said:

Glenn cheers I think we are on the same page..I think I will go for the Nikon 24-70mm, and later the 70-200mm it makes sense to me.. As you say that's what I want to buy the equipment Right first time!!really appreciate your your guidance and obvious vast experience..
I already have a Yongnuo 568E which does HSS and ITTL which is not a bad flash, it hasn't got master control, though.and the ability to have external battery supply. But I got it for around $128 but I do need another flash and stands, I have a tripod I bought about 15 years ago but Not and expensive one..it seems alright to me..(for now)

I am going to get Yongnuo 622N wireless triggers soon too which i think are just as good as the pocket wizards I have heard about.. I'm trying to buy some things on a budget, but the 2 things I do not want to compromise are the camera, and lens..which is obvious I suppose.!

Click to expand...

I am not that well experienced as a pro since the only difference to me between an advanced amateur and a pro is that the pro charges $ for his/her work. It is nice to get some of your expenses back especially whenever the customers starts ordering your products.

Is your work going to be for outdoors / indoors, weddings or studio type?

Whiskeyman said:

stevebob,

I don't think that you'll ever be unhappy buying the best equipment available. I know I never have. I do know that I've regretted buying something that is a step down, or more, from what I really wanted. For example, I really wanted the 70-200 2.8 AF-S VR that you're looking into, but "settled" for the 80-200 2.8D instead. Well after using a friends 70-200 2.8 VR, I'm now planning to purchase that one later. I could've saved the cost of the 80-200 by going with what I wanted in the first place. Was the 80-200 a mistake? Photographly, no. Financially, yes. At least for me.
In the end, however, I am the weak link in my photographs, and I can't blame a bad shot on my equipment.

Click to expand...

Thank you WM that's how i feel... I am still looking for a reasonable deal... will keep you guys informed on what i buy. and i will give a link to a few of the images, once i have got the gear, hopefully it wont be too long..

I have the D800 and a 24-70mm lens. I absolutely love it but one caveat: invest in a very sturdy, wide, cushioned strap! The strap that comes with the body is not adequate. This combination is very heavy and if you carry it around all day, you will certainly feel it. The images are well worth it though! The D800E and the 24-70mm F2.8 lens are two of Nikon's finest products. Good Luck!

In addition, you may wish to add a good wrist strap.

WM

Celticman said:

I have the D800 and a 24-70mm lens. I absolutely love it but one caveat: invest in a very sturdy, wide, cushioned strap! The strap that comes with the body is not adequate. This combination is very heavy and if you carry it around all day, you will certainly feel it. The images are well worth it though! The D800E and the 24-70mm F2.8 lens are two of Nikon's finest products. Good Luck!

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Yes that is a good idea, I never realised how heavy lens can be, a few days ago I found a Nikon 70-200 f2.8 second hand Vr In mint condition at least it seemed that way to me...he wanted $1433 is that a good lens and is the price reasonable? I know its not as good as the vr mk11, But the shop is just 1 min walk from where I live, its only small unit and he only sells second hand stuff.. Wow and it heavy!! Quality seemed excellent to me!! Yeagh GOOD strap and hand strap is a very good idea.. I am taking my time, it looks like the D800E body only is going for about $3014 doesn't seem to be any bargains here for that camera? I am trying to avoid import tax if I buy abroad (outside of china)

70-200mm f2.8 VRI can be purchased as low as $1,300. There is one advertised lens on one of the forum that I subscribed to but the savings that I get from buying other used equipment from that forum is worth it IMO.

gqtuazon said:

70-200mm f2.8 VRI can be purchased as low as $1,300. There is one advertised lens on one of the forum that I subscribed to but the savings that I get from buying other used equipment from that forum is worth it IMO.

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Hi Glenn, thank you, that gives me an idea of what they are going for, as I say the vr1 I have seen is in very good condition, seems new to me, its going for $1430 approx. and maybe I might be able to knock him down more?

Yes I don't know my away around this website yet, regarding the advertising forum, so thank you for pointing that out.

The cheapest I have seen the D800E is $2970 (NEW)this is from reputable camera shops in Beijing..

The Tamron 24-70 lens f2.8 VC I like and can buy for $1110 (NEW)..I know its not Nikon but the Tamron seems a good lens and the VC is useful when using video.. Whereas the Nikon 24-70 f2.8 is $1713 (NEW), a difference of approx. $603 quite substantial amount.

I have seen many reviews now about the D800E and lens, and the Tamron seems pretty good lens, compared to the Nikon, I want to buy Nikon but, its $603 more and Very little difference in quality, AND it has VC.. But I don't know what the second hand value would be for a Tamron? Whereas I suppose the Nikon has better second hand value?? But again its $600 more and doesn't have VC or VR.

The other lens I want to buy is the Nikon 50mm f1.8G this seems to be a good buy or maybe the 85mm f1.8G? Still not sure on that one yet whether to have the 50 or 85mm?

The D800E seems to be a good camera, and worth the money, watching all the reviews they compared the D800E to the Canon 5mk3 and the Canon came out better I think overall, as apparently the new firmware upgrade the canon can now have full uncompressed video out, I believe? But the Nikon has a pop up flash which I like, if ever I wanted to take the D800E out socially with friends and family I don't need to carry around an external flash, little things like that, I like..
But I like the Nikon D800E, due to the 36mp and the possibilities that comes with that size, its been compared with medium formats, and has faired quite well with cameras that are twice the price.. Also some the D800E is in some ways better than the D4 Which is way beyond my pocket!! I guess you just have to balance things up in your mind.

I have been pondering about different cameras too D600, D7000, even D7100 but I keep coming back to the D800E, I handled it in the shop for the first time last week, it seemed huge to me first impression, but when I looked through the viewfinder with the Nikon 24-70 it looked amazing!! I like the way the buttons are set out on the camera..
There was one thing that surprised me that a review said the exposure button (+-) wore out in 3 weeks? Which means its cheap ink or something on the button?? Do you know have you had that problem??
The large files in opinion is not too much of an issue, ok so it takes longer to process, but the wait will be worth it!! Faster computers and Larger hard drives are getting cheaper all the time... One day I want to invest in SSD drives but not yet!!