Buying a 2nd hand D300 - the pitfalls ??

[JezUK]

Hi,

I'm looking at buying a used D300 and have rattled it down to 2 used cameras I'm looking to buy 1 of.

One is 2 months old (around 200 pics) and has most of it's 2 years warranty left, the other is 18months old (3000-4000pics).

Both items have their virtues, which I don't feel is necessary to go deeply into here (the older one basically comes with more kit, like a speedlite and an 18-200 lens, the newer one doesn't so I'd have to source the lens or maybe just buy it new).

I want to keep the final sum that I pay to be as little as I can get away with as all this stuff is much more than I ever wanted to pay for a camera, so the older camera works out as better value. But the owner of the newer camera, whilst extremely nice, decent and fair, did mention to be wary of buying a camera thats near the end of it's warranty period as, should anything go wrong internally, in his experience to fix it could mean trashing the camera as the repair costs on Dslrs are very high.

Just wondering what other people think ??

Please, could someone advise me ??

Many thanks,

Jez

[parisian]

Repair costs are indeed massively high on any digital cameras but can I ask, if the whole deal is so much more than you budgeted for why are you even asking the question?
If it is a financial stretch then that will detract from your enjoyment of the camera. Find a dealer who offers at least a 6 month warranty and look through his stock. Even older models are still damn good cameras and will allow you more choice when looking at lenses.
Enjoy photography but within your budget.

[JezUK]

Hi and thanks for the reply.

Oh, I'll forget how much the kit cost once I'm using it. I know it'll give me a lot of pleasure (I've missed so many good photo opportunities of children, walking adventures etc). I'm not averse to paying for top gear, it's just that times have moved on (my top gear, 35mm film, is in storage) and it's only now hitting me that I've really outgrown the simple digital cameras I've been using.

And the camera more 'in my budget' is about £150 cheaper, so I might as well get the D300 which be vastly superior.

Anyway, seems like it may be better to get the newer one then ?

But you make a valid point and I appreciate that. Thank you.

[AlexMonro]

I would expect a D300 to last considerably more than 4,000 shots unless it had been severely abused - I think I heard somewhere that the design life is something like 100,000 shots.

I think the main issue is whether the extras with the older camera are things that you would actually want to buy for yourself.

[Barney]

But the owner of the newer camera, whilst extremely nice, decent and fair, did mention to be wary of buying a camera thats near the end of it's warranty period as, should anything go wrong internally, in his experience to fix it could mean trashing the camera as the repair costs on Dslrs are very high.

He's talking rubbish. Firstly, Nikon warranties are not transferable, so it doesn't matter how long is left, it won't benefit you. Secondly, if electrical goods are going to fail, it's far more likely that they'll fail within the first few months of use. After that, thery're pretty robust so you've as much chance of the newer camera failing on you as the older one.

[JezUK]

I don't think he's registered the camera, so why wouldnt' the warranty be valid still ??

[Barney]

I don't think he's registered the camera, so why wouldnt' the warranty be valid still ??

Err, the fact that it's non-transferable?

It doesn't matter if the camera's been registered or not, that doesn't alter the fact. Most warrenty scheme require you to have evidence of purchase. If you're prepared to risk being able to get away with it should you try to claim against it, so be it, but I'd say that it was a greater risk than the one you'd be taking on the older camera.

[Roger_Provins]

Unless there is a very sound reason I'd be slightly suspicious of a dSLR having only been used for 200 shots in two months.

[JezUK]

I wasn't suspicious at all, the gentleman seemed very decent and gave very sound reasons.

Anyway, not looking as it's going to be a 2nd hand one at this rate.....

[El_Sid]

I own 3 secondhand DSLRs - albeit they were purchased from commercial dealers and came with the dealers warranty (3/6 months) - and I have had no problems so far. The oldest (an EOS D30) is somewhere around 7/8 years old (probably - I've never checked it's absolute age) and is still going strong. As was said earlier the electronics either fail very quickly or they'll last... Mechanically I'd say that digital SLR's are no more or less prone to failure than their film counterparts - lets face it they share most of the same mechanisms.

DSLR's - particularly those in the price/user bracket of the D300 - are rather more robustly made than the average compact and IMO far less likely to fail prematurely than consumer models or the average comapct. Yes, there is slightly more risk buying used but it's far less than you worrying about...

[nspur]

I own two secondhand DSLRs. The Fuji S2 Pro (body only) was from a wedding 'tog and was the equivalent of a Volvo with 120,000 miles on the clock but well looked after. At £150 with a battery grip it's a gem. The Olympus E-330 was hardly used in mint condition and cost double with the original kit lens.

I would say go for a well-used piece of kit if no warranty or buy from a dealer with a warranty.

[JezUK]

Bought with 2year warranty today - a D300.

To correct NorthernNikon, I asked the Nikon Dealer I purchased from if, I were to sell this kit, would the guarantee be transferable to the new owner ?? He said YES.

Though, now that I have registered my new camera to quality for the 2 years warranty, I have learnt that had I bought the used 2month old camera, I would not have benifited from 2 years warranty but would have gotten just the standard one year Nikon cover. This is because registration, to qualify for 2 years, would needed to have been done within 30 days from date of purchase.

On reflection, yes I could have bought from eBay, used, but felt that it was simply too dodgy - people selling on eBay say sometimes that they bought their camera new, when quite often they themselves have bought it 2nd hand, or at times, maybe via grey import etc so I felt it wasn't worth the risk. Though there was one or two business seller's claiming that they were selling brand new UK spec'd D300 for £900.....insisted wasn't refurbished but feedback suggested otherwise.....

Also took a look at the D90 but didn't like the feel (and thats before looking at the spec).....and the D700 was too big, too heavy and of course too expensive.....

So there you go !!

Thank you to all for your advice - it all helped me to make the final decision which I made today (and am very happy with !).

Regards,

Jez

[Barney]

To correct NorthernNikon, I asked the Nikon Dealer I purchased from if, I were to sell this kit, would the guarantee be transferable to the new owner ?? He said YES.

You're dealer's mistaken/waffling/lying. To quote Nikon, "The warranty card is issued only at the time of original purchase; it is non transferable."

See here.

Either way, you'll enjoy the D300, tis a fine and dandy camera.

[JezUK]

Oh it's an awesome camera, I'm a beginner really but this thing is amazing. I've been playing with the exposure (spot adjustable) - awesome !

Re warranties, these things all boil down to the fine print, just telling you what he said, not sure I believed him myself, but I'd overdosed on questions/haggling and spent way too much time for my own health in a Camera shop (it's been a long time since I'd been in one, and things seemed frighteningly similar to 20+ years ago !).

Learning (belatedly) about the DX frame w/h 'ratio'.....

.....I like it

[AlexMonro]

.....I like it

That's the important thing!

Have fun, and don't forget to post some results in the Appraisal Gallery...

[JezUK]

This could get addictive....

Went to Legoland today with my son, took 150pics very effortlessly, and have just viewed them on the PC 10pm this evening......

hmmmmmm........I have a lot to learn about everything pretty much !

But I love this camera, it's like at long last (in my very long but very sporadic and very patchy attempts at being an amateur photographer) I can finally have a good crack at trying to be creative now (as I never got on well at all with film camera's and that's where my attempts at being an amateur ended really).

Sounds silly, but trying to get my head around how 'easy' it is to just hold the shutter release button and see what pops out - there's bound to be at least one good photo among the 1000's (though I'm not sure that's how it's meant to be done) !!!!

[Paddysnapper]

Both Northern Nikon and myself have been around Nikon Cameras for long enought to totally assure you that warrantys are NOT transferable in any way!

[Nod]

If you can get the retailer to give you a letter stating that a second hand camera comes with the balance of it's original warranty, they will have to honour it but it'll be the retailer's warranty rather than Nikon's. Of course, if an original owner sells the camera to a friend, there's aothing to stop the original owner claiming on the warranty should the camera fail...

[JezUK]

Okay guys, I believe you !

It's not relevant anymore anyway as I bought brand new in the end, but thanks for the advice / pointer to Nikon website etc etc.

Jez

[hech54]

Okay guys, I believe you !

Don't take it personally. It's not really YOU we are venting apon after all.