Refurbished D810?

Just got my new reurbished D810. Put a brand new SD card in, then a brand new CF card in and got an Error on the CF card. Tried 3 other CF cards, got errors on all. Any ideas?

Could you be a little more specific about the error when you insert a CF card into that refurb D810? Do you get an Err message on the top LCD as soon as you insert a CF card? Do you get an opportunity to format that CF card inside the camera. If you don't even get a chance to do that, can you format the CF card on your computer first and then insert it.

 

If you have the same issue with three different CF cards, maybe something is still wrong with that camera. What is the size of those CF cards? The D810 is new enough that any 16G, 32G and 64G CF card should work fine on it.

 

Otherwise, without a CF card inside, does that D810 work with an SD card? Can you take pictures and videos with an SD card only inside?

 

Not sure you can find a 4th and 5th CF card to test that D810 with. I have never bought a refurb Nikon DSLR, but I have very bad experiences with refurb lenses from Nikon USA, purchased from either Adorama and B&H. Three out of three were still defective and I sent all of them back. However, apparently my bad luck with refurb lenses is not typical as plenty of people are happy with theirs.

Edited June 3, 2020 by ShunCheung

I'd send the camera back for a refund.

Get ERR on LCD. Try to format anyway but will not. Cannot format memory card. Card may be defective. Insert another card.

Yeah will be sending it back. The whole thing started 3+ weeks ago when I bought a used D800E from B&H. The camera they sent me had a 3/4" crack in the front above lens mount where screw is. Easy to see it was caused by front impact from previous owner. Notified them of it immediately. I actually ordered the D810 a day before B&H even refunded my money from the 800E. I am done with it, was not meant to be.

I prefer to buy used, high-dollar items from reliable sources (like B&H and Adorama) for exactly this reason. Always have been well treated by these sellers. Less happy with Ebay and Amazon for used/refurbished items. Person-to-person you pays your money and takes your chances.

I definitely prefer B&H and Adorama. In each one of my three cases of still defective Nikon refurb lenses, they paid for return shipping and promptly gave me a refund.

 

Derek, while you still have that D810 in your pocession, could you shine a flashlight into the CF card slot? I wonder whether any one of those connection pins is bent.

Shun, that was the first thing I did. Everything looked good.

Thanks Derek. It sounds like you have pretty thoroughly checked that D810. It is time to ship it back to B&H.

 

I am a bit surprised by your used D800E experience. I assume B&H would at least do some checking and testing; they shouldn't miss a major crack unless it was described in the condition of the camera.

I agree.

Shun, that was the first thing I did. Everything looked good.

Thanks Derek. It sounds like you have pretty thoroughly checked that D810. It is time to ship it back to B&H.

 

I am a bit surprised by your used D800E experience. I assume B&H would at least do some checking and testing; they shouldn't miss a major crack unless it was described in the condition of the camera.

Derek, B&H should take care if for you. My returns of new and used items have always been honored. I have returned a well used, not refurbed, camera to Adorama many years ago that was just too beaten up for my taste but was otherwise functioning fine. They took it back without batting an eye. I am surprised that the refurb is busted. If you buy another used body you might ask their staff to go over it for you prior to shipping. KEH has gone over gear for me when I have asked about it. Good hunting.

Could you be a little more specific about the error when you insert a CF card into that refurb D810? Do you get an Err message on the top LCD as soon as you insert a CF card? Do you get an opportunity to format that CF card inside the camera. If you don't even get a chance to do that, can you format the CF card on your computer first and then insert it.

 

If you have the same issue with three different CF cards, maybe something is still wrong with that camera. What is the size of those CF cards? The D810 is new enough that any 16G, 32G and 64G CF card should work fine on it.

 

Otherwise, without a CF card inside, does that D810 work with an SD card? Can you take pictures and videos with an SD card only inside?

 

Not sure you can find a 4th and 5th CF card to test that D810 with. I have never bought a refurb Nikon DSLR, but I have very bad experiences with refurb lenses from Nikon USA, purchased from either Adorama and B&H. Three out of three were still defective and I sent all of them back. However, apparently my bad luck with refurb lenses is not typical as plenty of people are happy with theirs.

 

I haven't bought any refurbished but people said the refurbished are inspected much more carefully than new. I really don't believe that. Also if a camera happened to have some problems new it's likely have problems even after they attempted to fix it.

Derek, B&H should take care if for you. My returns of new and used items have always been honored. I have returned a well used, not refurbed, camera to Adorama many years ago that was just too beaten up for my taste but was otherwise functioning fine. They took it back without batting an eye. I am surprised that the refurb is busted. If you buy another used body you might ask their staff to go over it for you prior to shipping. KEH has gone over gear for me when I have asked about it. Good hunting.

 

B&H has wonderful customer service. I had an RMA 2 hours after posting here. I had looked into KEH but they will not tell you how many shutter actuation's the body has on it. There is no way I am paying $900.00 for a D800 with 200,000. shots on it. They say it does not matter, I think it does.

I haven't bought any refurbished but people said the refurbished are inspected much more carefully than new. I really don't believe that. Also if a camera happened to have some problems new it's likely have problems even after they attempted to fix it.

There are many ways a camera or lens can become refurbished. In the past two years, I have dropped a 200-500mm lens and my D5 (because the 500mm PF's tripod foot came apart). There were cracks on both items. In both cases Nikon USA did a good job fixing them, and they are pretty much as good as new after the repair.

 

Some refurb items could be demo units in trade shows, Nikon rep demo items, evaluation items (e.g. Nikon USA used to send me quite a few DSLRs and lenses for testing and review) .... A lot of those units could be in fine shape, but they are no longer new.

 

However, I don't believe all refurbished items are carefully checked. Years ago, a friend of mine bought a refurb 70-300 AF-S VR from B&H. When it arrived, that lens rattled with something loose inside. Neither AF nor manual focus worked at all. There is no way that any inspection would miss a major failure like that. (I understand that B&H does not check items, new or refurb, from Nikon USA, but if you assume Nikon USA would inspect all refurb items before they ship them out, think again.)

B&H is second from the top of my list, Excellent! Roberts Camera Used Photo Pro is my #1. You might want to check them out.

eBay is not bad at all. Why? Because any seller with good feedback would describe the good and bad, in most cases illustrate the fault in photos. If you are a novice buyer, deal only with sellers that have a 100% feedback profile (look at "feedback as a seller"). If you are an experienced buyer, you can venture out of the safety zone a little bit and may get some really good deals. If you get scammed, eBay would help you out or may even reimburse 100%. Roberts Camera, Keh, Adorama, and sometimes B&H also sell at eBay. Currently there is a 5% buyer discount (eBay Bucks), so it's a good time to buy more expensive items. Edited June 5, 2020 by Mary Doo

There are many ways a camera or lens can become refurbished. In the past two years, I have dropped a 200-500mm lens and my D5 (because the 500mm PF's tripod foot came apart). There were cracks on both items. In both cases Nikon USA did a good job fixing them, and they are pretty much as good as new after the repair.

 

Some refurb items could be demo units in trade shows, Nikon rep demo items, evaluation items (e.g. Nikon USA used to send me quite a few DSLRs and lenses for testing and review) .... A lot of those units could be in fine shape, but they are no longer new.

hedHowever, I don't believe all refurbished items are carefully checked. Years ago, a friend of mine bought a refurb 70-300 AF-S VR from B&H. When it arrived, that lens rattled with something loose inside. Neither AF nor manual focus worked at all. There is no way that any inspection would miss a major failure like that. (I understand that B&H does not check items, new or refurb, from Nikon USA, but if you assume Nikon USA would inspect all refurb items before they ship them out, think again.)

 

Many of the refurbished are just returned from demo or just because someone changed their mind. These should be fine. But what I think that is refurbished are not inspected very well and often not by a tech.

My California Nikon rep told me that Nikon refurbishing is done in at the Nikon Long Island facility, that returns from trade shows and reps are usually not carefully evaluated, that the complete checkout only occurs when the camera is sent by the official dealer to Nikon for refurbishing, hence refurb purchase should only be done from the major dealers (B&H, Adorama) preferably those near the Long Island Nikon facility. I have several refurbished Nikon lenses that are perfect. Hence, there is no risk to buy a refurb Nikon product since returns and exchanges are easy, albeit a nuisance.