Please HELP !!! Nikon D4 high shutter count 358.000 actuation !!

Hello everyone,

just wonder if someone could advice me if is it worth to buy a nikon d4 with 385.000 actuations for 1300 euros. it has only small cosmetics and just one part (below) unglued..

Please I really need your advice.

Many thanks in advance.

 

Paola ;)

Buying an obviously heavily used camera always carries some risk. The price appears OK given the shutter count - but how much does a shutter replacement cost where you live? Factoring that in, does the price still appeal to you? The shutter may fail tomorrow or run another 100,000 clicks or even more. Also take into account that the shutter is not the only (mechanical) part that can fail because of heavy use.

anyone ?? please

Dieter already gave you good advice. Have you called Nikon in your country to get a repair cost estimate for a shutter replacement? If not, do that and then you will know if it is a good idea to buy this D4 or another (that may cost more but have seen less use).

Just me but I wouldn't. Its heavily used and I would guess professionally. I found a D4 for a little more money but very low use and if it is something you are going to count on I'd say this is likely not it.

 

Rick H.

In the US, D4 shutter replacement is probably within $500. 450 Euros is within the ballpark.

 

The D4's shutter is rated to 400K actuations. One with 385K could potentially last another 100K, 200K or more, but it also could fail just about any time. Are you willing to use a D4 that can fail any minute? It maybe ok if you never shoot anything critical and can go back to reshoot. Otherwise, I wouldn't use such an unreliable camera. If you indeed buy this camera, I would immediately get the shutter replaced and factor the cost into the overall cost.

 

But I would check whether other parts are holding up for such a heavily used camera.

Thanks guys for you advice... it's very kind of you ... The owner of D4 just told me that he can drop the price off to 1000 euro so maybe a good deal ?? it has not hard cosmetics and he told me the camera work perfectly ... I have had to use it for wedding (as second shooter) I need a reliable camera and have heard some pro photographer that use a nikon d4 with above 500k actuations for wedding .. please tell me

thanks

please up

I'd probably buy at that price if I were in the market, but I'm speaking for me.

 

I'd personally consider a camera with that shutter count to be a ticking time bomb. I've known anecdotally of pro level Nikon SLRs from the F5 and D2 series to have over 1 million actuations on the original shutter, but they're probably the exception rather than the rule. The 500,000 count rating is a guideline, not a hard and fast rule.

 

I say all of that BECAUSE I have other bodies I could use if I bought it and it died shortly after.

 

I would not wander into using it as a wedding as my main camera without knowing anything about it, especially not with a shutter count that high. As others have said, there are other parts that can wear out. In the past, one common failure point on high shutter count bodies was the AF motor(the 1 million D2H I mentioned above also claimed to have had two AF motor replacements). With many of the "staple" lenses now being AF-S, the in-body AF motor gets used a lot less for many photographers, but there are still plenty of other things to wear out(there's a second motor that drives all of the other mechanical functions).

 

BTW, I bought my D800 relatively inexpensively due to a high shutter count for that model(158K). I had an unrelated mechanical failure shortly after buying it, and the shop fortunately took care of that problem. While it was apart, I opted to have the shutter replaced at my own expense since it didn't add that much to the tab and I viewed it as refreshing the camera for another 100K+.

 

Were I in your situation, I'd STRONGLY consider either buying a lower end, lower mileage body in your price range, or otherwise renting a camera for your immediate needs even if you go ahead and buy the D4.

For weddings? I'm not a pro wedding shooter, but you can get a relatively low-mileage D800 for that kind of money, and I'd prefer the resolution and dynamic range. The D4 is a great low-light, high-speed camera, but it's a big body to be carrying around all day at a wedding. It does hold up remarkably well as light drops off, and does better at low ISO than a D5, but it wouldn't be my first choice for wedding shooting.

 

Do you have an XQD card?

drop the price off to 1000 euro so maybe a good deal

Certainly a good price - whether it is a good deal is something you'll find out if you buy it. If it works fine and proves reliable, then it was a good deal. If it fails, needs a shutter replacement and/or worse, then it wasn't. No one can tell you what will happen; the potential risk in buying something that heavily used is all yours. It's a ticking time bomb that may go off any time - tomorrow, next week, next month or next year; no one can tell you when.

 

Since you intend to use the camera professionally, it can be expected to see continuous heavy use. It failing during a wedding shoot should not be the end of the world as you do have a backup camera (you do, don't you?).

 

450 Euros is within the ballpark.

I would call to verify - using a US price to gauge what the cost in Europe might be could prove to be bit off the mark.

 

But I would check whether other parts are holding up for such a heavily used camera.

Kinda hard to do, isn't it? How do you look at an AF motor or the mechanism of the mirror and determine how many more life they have left?

Kinda hard to do, isn't it? How do you look at an AF motor or the mechanism of the mirror and determine how many more life they have left?

At least to me, the AF motor is a non-issue since most of my lenses are AF-S. But visually I would inspect the body to see how bad the wear is; whether there are impact damages or not. I know some pros really abuse their cameras.

 

I am skeptical why the seller is so eager to drop the price from 1300 to 1000 Euros. Unusually low prices frequently have some catches.

 

A D4 (or D3 and D5) is a heavy camera to carry around all day during a wedding, especially if you have some 24-70mm/f2.8 or 70-200mm/f2.8 on it. 10 years ago I had a loaner D3 for testing. Since I was taking pictures of the D3 itself for review, I didn't put a strap on it, and I used it at a wedding. Since I was holding it most of the day, I developed shoulder pain in the next few days.

 

I, for one, would not use a D4 with close to 400K shutter actuations to shoot a wedding. At a minimum, I would replace the shutter first before using it for critical photography.

Edited October 25, 2017 by ShunCheung

how many more life

Oh boy, sorry for that attack on the English language ;)

 

But visually I would inspect the body to see how bad the wear is; whether there are impact damages or not.

She already has that covered:

t has only small cosmetics and just one part (below) unglued..

 

I am skeptical why the seller is so eager to drop the price from 1300 to 1000 Euros. Unusually low prices frequently have some catches.

Possible. Or just realizing that something that heavily used is a tough sell and whatever can be had is better than nothing at all.

 

Just found a 385K clicks D4 on ebay Germany - asking price Euro 1500. Most D4 bodies go for $2k+.

 

I bought my D800 relatively inexpensively due to a high shutter count for that model(158K)

Mine was 120K clicks. Kept only for a few months and then traded in (with a lot of other stuff) for a very low mileage D810.

For weddings? I'm not a pro wedding shooter, but you can get a relatively low-mileage D800 for that kind of money, and I'd prefer the resolution and dynamic range. The D4 is a great low-light, high-speed camera, but it's a big body to be carrying around all day at a wedding. It does hold up remarkably well as light drops off, and does better at low ISO than a D5, but it wouldn't be my first choice for wedding shooting.

 

Do you have an XQD card?

Yes I have 1 32 gb XQD card. I like pro body and weight is no problem for me ;) .. but why thicking time bomb..I mean if nikon d4 is rated/tested for 400k actuation does it mean all other component can reach it quite without a problem ?? isn't it? Of course if it has not handle too bad.

Thanks

.I mean if nikon d4 is rated/tested for 400k actuation does it mean all other component can reach it quite without a problem ??

 

As we've been saying, a shutter RATING is not a GUARANTEE that it will reach that like. Maybe you'll get a million out of it, maybe it will go at 386K.

 

What we are saying is that you at 97% of the shutter's rated life. I wouldn't take the camera on vacation with me(as my only camera), much less to an event where I was getting paid for the camera's operation.

 

If I were buying, I'd sent it off to Nikon immediately for a CLA and shutter replacement. I'd then use it with reasonable confidence, but not without first sending it off for service.

 

You seemed determined to buy the camera, so I doubt what we're saying will ultimately change your mind. Still, I'll leave you with a quote you from the movie Dirty Harry. "You have to ask yourself one thing-'Do I feel lucky today?'"

As we've been saying, a shutter RATING is not a GUARANTEE that it will reach that like. Maybe you'll get a million out of it, maybe it will go at 386K.

 

What we are saying is that you at 97% of the shutter's rated life. I wouldn't take the camera on vacation with me(as my only camera), much less to an event where I was getting paid for the camera's operation.

Got it :)

Thank you

 

If I were buying, I'd sent it off to Nikon immediately for a CLA and shutter replacement. I'd then use it with reasonable confidence, but not without first sending it off for service.

 

You seemed determined to buy the camera, so I doubt what we're saying will ultimately change your mind. Still, I'll leave you with a quote you from the movie Dirty Harry. "You have to ask yourself one thing-'Do I feel lucky today?'"

thank you very much .. I really appreciate

Paola ;)

I have a D4 with 382,000 actuations here - I bought it (new) when they first came out. Still chugging along fine, very clean, and I'll probably replace the shutter soon.

 

As the service rep said to me a while ago when I had some work done on it, they're a completely different beast and are built like tanks, for heavy use. They also give these a thorough going over and cleaning whenever they service them, so I'm sure they'd be eager to point out any other issues they could work on - for a price! And on a camera like this the service costs are somewhat higher than on a consumer level camera.

 

I'd be less concerned with other parts going on this, though than with, say, a consumer level camera. I believe shutter replacement here in Canada runs around $500 for this model. I've considered selling it because of the weight, mostly, but its speed and low light performance make it a keeper for me, particularly since I can't financially justify going to a D5 at this point.

quote

I have had to use it for wedding (as second shooter) I need a reliable camera

end quote.

 

Based on this one statement, NO.

 

Unless you do send it to Nikon for a full overhaul and shutter replacement.

If you do not send it in for overhaul and shutter replacement, you are gambling that it will not fail on you during a wedding.

Note: Paoladima posted her question over 6 months ago and hasn't re-visited the site since. So I'm really not sure why this thread has been resurrected.

 

OK. The D4 is a well-built camera. I'm sure everyone already knows/knew that!

oops, I gotta look at the post dates