Buying used D800, what to look for?

I'm finally taking the plunge to 36mp, moving up from my D600s to a used D800 from Craigslist. I'll be looking at it later today. Price is $1,500. He's had it on Craigslist for a month, and he finally brought the price down to something I'm willing to pay.

Are there any known issues with the original D800 I should know about that I can test? I will check the auto-focus, shutter count, and do a dust check by shooting the sky at f22. I brought my Nikon 70-200mm 2.8 lens to the office to use for testing when the seller comes.

Thank you.

Just make sure EVERYTHING works to your satisfaction! All the buttons, wheels, etc. Check the serial number with Lenstag - Protect your camera equipment, images and help make the world safer for photography on iOS, Android and the web. to make sure it's legal and not stolen. If he has a sales receipt for the camera, so much the better. Hopefully it has a screen protector on it, but that's not a deal breaker.
Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

There weren't any known recurring issues with the D800 afaik. As long as you check the points above, shutter count and all round condition, you should be good to go. You'll love the D800, its a great body

Hunt Photo in Providence on N Main St. has a couple used under the glass if you strike out on c/l about the same price if not mistaken.....was in there yesterday.

​They warranty and ship.

Some early D800's had a left-focus error ... AF was not accurate using the left AF points and Nikon provided a fix.

Information about the Nikon D800 left sensor autofocus problem

There are several Nikon dealers that sell used D800s in pristine condition for $1500ish, and include a 6 month warranty... I think I'd exhaust those avenues before a casual sale on Craig's List...

I bought it. Thanks for all the advice. I'm looking forward to a long holiday to play with it and get all the settings the way I like.

BTW, I now prefer to buy in person. I did buy my second D600 body, used, from a reputable dealer online, and the sensor was filled with dust when it arrived. Too big a hassle to repack it and return it. I just cleaned it, and it works great, but from now on I want to hold it in my hand before buying. The dealer offered to send me a cleaning kit, at least, when I sent him the photo showing all the crud.

An early attempt on Day 2 with the new (to me) D800. Do you guys see any red lights or reflections in the tree? When I printed this, there was no red in the print, even though I see those reds on my screen.

How are you enjoying the new to you D800? I am seriously thinking of picking one up next year. I was thinking of holding out for the 810....but if I could get an 800 the difference could go to glass.

Deezey said:

How are you enjoying the new to you D800? I am seriously thinking of picking one up next year. I was thinking of holding out for the 810....but if I could get an 800 the difference could go to glass.

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This is based on only two days use, but if you already have a D610, you should hold off on getting a D800. Get your holy trinity of super glass and a great speedlight (or two) before you get a new body. The D800 is a terrific camera, but I'm hard pressed to see how it's going to do anything for me that my D600 couldn't do. It's the same Exspeed 3 processor, just more resolution. I know the dynamic range and high ISO performance and auto-focus is supposed to be better on the D800, plus a host of other features, but there are some strange design decisions. Giving up real estate for "QUAL" and ISO buttons, for example, instead of the D600s mode dial with U1 and U2 settings is one example. Still, the D800 is the first body I'm reaching for now, so let's hope I put it into use hard enough to really use its advantages.

Yeah. My glass collection is the main focus right now. But I like the idea of a second FF body just in case.

Deezey said:

How are you enjoying the new to you D800? I am seriously thinking of picking one up next year. I was thinking of holding out for the 810....but if I could get an 800 the difference could go to glass.

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Depends what you shoot. The IQ is probably negligible, or the same. ISO is better, very slightly more FPS. A few of other minor tweeks. For me the deciding factor in getting a D810 over the D800 is the faster AF, because i like to shoot fast moving things. If i didn't shoot fast action, there'd have been no reason to give up my D800 imo.

jaydean said:

Depends what you shoot. The IQ is probably negligible, or the same. ISO is better, very slightly more FPS. A few of other minor tweeks. For me the deciding factor in getting a D810 over the D800 is the faster AF, because i like to shoot fast moving things. If i didn't shoot fast action, there'd have been no reason to give up my D800 imo.

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You just have to weigh the options vs. new glass. The 800 is a great camera though!