NPS Members Get Newest Nikon DSLRs First

<p>Am I the only one on this forum that gets a little upset when I hear about NPS members jumping to the front of the line to get the newest Nikon DSLRs and lenses first. In many recent Nikon posts, it is mentioned that Nikon's regular customer orders will be fulfilled after the NPS orders are completed. I am an advanced amateur and pay the same amount of money for my Nikon equipment that the pros pay (maybe more) yet I am treated like a second class customer by Nikon. For the record, I was lucky to be able to purchase a D800 from a local camera store when they first appeared but I know so many other serious amateurs that will have to wait months or even longer until the demand from professionals has been met. I have no problem with professionals, I just think cameras should be supplied to customers on a first-come, first served basis.</p>

Huh, I didn't realize that was an NPS benefit. I'm going to have to call NPS and jump in front of the line for a D800.

 

 

Michael, speaking for myself, I don't want to be first in line for Nikon DSLRs. I'll let you and others beta-test the D800

variants and get the bugs worked out before I buy a pair late this year or early next year.

<p>Life is not always equal. It, to my knowledge, has not been a <strong>* Note</strong> on the B+H Photo web site or others, that there is a way <strong>to be first</strong> for anything...</p>

<p>Please continue using the Nikon digital body you have...it may be that a newer body may not improve one's images all that much. Take more computer disk space to store the files, yes. Better photography? It would depend on who is holding the newest model camera, I guess.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Eric, I was at my local camera store this morning and a sales person explained (to someone else) that NPS members do have priority; they can immediately jump to the front of the waiting list.</p>

<p>I actually think that is a good policy, which favors pros who need the equipment to make a living. A pro-pro policy helps Nikon to establish as a serious brand. And I am not an NPS member since I have a day job. The thing is that some NPS members maybe abusing such privilege. Some pros are reporting that they are getting their 3rd or 4th D4 bodies while a lot of people are still waiting for their 1st. I wonder whether there is some limit e.g. an NPS member only has such privilege for two units of each equipment model.</p>

<p>Our existing D3, D700, D300/D300S and D7000 are still working fine. I really don't think it is a major issue that we need to wait a few more weeks.</p>

Shun, I guarantee that the number of NPS members buying bodies represents a very small fraction of the number of

bodies being sold to institutional buyers, like newspapers, where the real priority selling happens. I don't know many NPS

members- it isn't a club that gets together for drinks- and none who would be dicks and brag about abusing NPS benefits.

<p>Yeesh, Michael. Next you'll complain that DP Review and other media sites shouldn't get early access to new models either. Nikon, like any business, will do what they think serves them best. It has nothing to do with equality, which never exists in the real world anyway. The very existence of something like NPS implies that not everyone is equal. Get used to it.</p>

<p>(I should add that I'm not an NPS member either.)</p>

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<p>that is a good policy, which favors pros who need the equipment to make a living.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Its a good idea to keep pros who buy lots cameras satisfied but I doubt their pre-existing cameras stop working when a new model comes out ;)</p>

<p>Michael,<br>

Six responses so far, this one makes seven and yes, in answer to your question, it does look like you are the only one on this forum who is a little upset.<br>

Personally, I don't have an issue with it. It may be a little frustrating if some members are getting to buy 3 or 4 bodies though.<br>

My local camera store received 4 D800's only at the initial delivery and they all went to NPS members. The next shipment of these is as yet unknown. These will be allocated to more NPS members, then to those customers who have pre-paid, then to those who have paid a deposit and finally to "walk-ins". They don't even know when they will have a camera to actually display/demonstrate.<br>

If I buy one, I suspect it'll be available sometime in July/August. Yes, I could pre-pay and jump up the queue, but having never owned/used anything with the Nikon name on it, I'm hesitant to layout $3000. without the opportunity to at least fondle it first!</p>

<p>I hate inequality in many things. This one doesn't bother me. It also doesn't bother me that Roger Federer gets his tennis rackets for free while I paid for mine. He can do things with a tennis racket that I can't, and I realize that his use of a tennis racket is good for the manufacturer. Arriving at the hospital for some tests not long ago, I didn't mind having a guy with chest pain getting in ahead of me. It made sense for him to go first.</p>

<p>Having pros who buy a lot of Nikon equipment get new models ahead of the rest of us seems fine. Aside from everything else, it's a good way for Nikon to discover defects in their products, almost a form of beta-testing. NPS members shoot a lot, so they will run into problems sooner than many of us, and when one of them reports a problem, Nikon knows that it's very likely a defect, and not user error.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Its a good idea to keep pros who buy lots cameras satisfied but I doubt their pre-existing cameras stop working when a new model comes out ;)</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Take the D4 as an example, clearly it will be showcased in London during the Olympics in late July to early August. By shipping a lot of D4 to pro sports photographers who will be using them in London makes a lot of sense. Now in March/April, they'll have the next 3 months or so to get familiar with their new D4 and discover any defects. Should they need repair, there is still plenty of time to get them fixed.</p>

<p>Obviously a lot of D3 and D3S are still working fine and capturing great images, but if any pros shows up in London with a D3, you might think they were still in Beijing for the 2008 summer games. Moreover, video capture will be a big part in London, and you need a D4. Video on the D3S is pretty much a joke.</p>

<p>While we are on this topic, somehow Canon has further delayed the shipment of the 1DX, which was announced back in October, 2011. It looks like Canon will ship the 1DX in June, just a month prior to the Olympics and 8 months after the original announcement. Clearly Canon is having serious problems or they wouldn't put themselves in such a situation. I hope Canon will recover. Having those two brands (and maybe more) competiting against each other is good for us customers/photographers.</p>

What? The privileged few are moving to the head of the line - that could never happen! ;-)

<p>I also see no problem with this, i'd say let the pro's sort out the "child deseases"<br /> with the new models :-) , and i'll wait patiently 'till alll neccesary improvemens, problems etc. have surfaced... , prices start dropping because its not new models anymore..., software for the new formats is updated etc.<br>

Then i will decide wether a new model will serve my need and whishes..</p>

<p>I'd be shocked if Nikon didn't satisfy NPS demand first. :-/</p>

<p> </p>

<p><em>Am I the only one on this forum that gets a little upset when I hear about NPS members jumping to the front of the line to get the newest Nikon DSLRs and lenses first. </em></p>

<p>Perhaps you are; I do not see a problem with this. If Nikon wanted to, they could give a different price to each customer on a negotiation basis. They can choose whom they sell the products to, when, and at what price. You have the right to buy one when it is made available for your consideration, if you have the money, and you also have the right to buy another product, perhaps from another manufacturer if Nikon's terms and availability do not please you.</p>

<p><em>I know so many other serious amateurs that will have to wait months or even longer until the demand from professionals has been met.</em></p>

<p>There are many more amateurs than NPS members that are going to buy the D800. Besides, the world is not going to end in 2012 and the D800 isn't some life-changing experience.</p>

<blockquote>

<p ><a name="00aGrl"></a><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=375598">Eric Friedemann</a> <a href="../member-status-icons"><img title="Frequent poster" src="../v3graphics/member-status-icons/1roll.gif" alt="" /></a>, Apr 14, 2012; 07:24 p.m.</p>

</blockquote>

 

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<p>I don't know many NPS members- it isn't a club that gets together for drinks- and none who would be dicks and brag about abusing NPS benefits.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I only know one, and he does brag about it. I can't remember the guy's name though, so I can't out him here ;) He's not what we would think of as a pro anyway ... he's a 'serious amatuer' with a ton of money to burn.</p>

<p>I could have the math wrong, but I think NPS membership requires at least two professional bodies (recent single digit models only), and three pro lenses. I seem to recall a yearly fee as well. Members get to buy stuff faster, and anything that they send in for repair gets done quicker too. I'm not aware of any discounts.</p>

<p>I don't see the problem here. Nikon has created a service that only minimally affects their supply line, and they get to take more money from pros for doing very little. Since most of these pros have plenty of cameras, getting one back from service quicker isn't even that big of a deal. It's almost like an NPS member pays extra money to say that they are an NPS member. It's a Boy Scout badge.</p>

 

<p>NPS members also are required to show a certain amount of published work to prove they're really professionals. It's not enough to buy a certain amount of gear.</p>

<p>I never knew National Park Service employees were such excellent, deserving photographers! ; )</p>

<p>Well, I'm perfectly happy letting those who want to be first in line (or even those who are) for new technology to do so while I expectantly await their results.<br>

<br /> Better them than me to discover these types of problems:<br>

<br /> <a href="http://www.petapixel.com/2012/04/13/canon-confirms-light-leak-issue-in-the-5d-mark-iii/">Canon Confirms “Light Leak” Issue in the 5D Mark III</a></p>

<p>Here is the NPS Membership Link.</p>

<p>http://www.nikonpro.com/AboutNPS.aspx</p>

<p>Okay, a couple of things. First, I would never brag about being a member to any group. I don't want anyone to think I'm special, I'm not. Not anymore than anyone else, and they aren't any more special than me.</p>

<p>But let's put the shoe on the other foot. What if you are a hard working professional and a new tool comes out that is going to help you make a better living so you can send your kids to college. You are having a hard time justifying the cost but, alas, you make the decision to get the new tool. But they're backordered. Then you see the guy down the street has one that he uses on the weekend for his hobby. You lose the next job to your competitor because he has the better tool. Your kids go to community college, marry down, and you will never be able to retire.</p>

<i>You lose the next job to your competitor because he has the better tool. </i><P>

Looks like the camera companies' marketing people are earning their pay.

<p>There is one thing that hasn't been mentioned yet. If you are replacing an entire outfit, you'd best sell off your old (e.g., D3s, D3x) before it plummets in price, and that means you'd better have the replacement right there if you aren't planning an indefinite vacation. It's the only way to make economic sense out of buying high-end Nikon bodies for professional use.</p>

<blockquote>

<p><a name="00aHA1"></a><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=752671">Jim Stamates</a> , Apr 15, 2012; 11:26 p.m.<br>

Your kids go to community college, marry down, and you will never be able to retire</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Jim, that is an INCREDIBLY ignorant statement, on all sorts of levels. So many that I only have time to address the three most important.<br>

1) There are no 'highly respected' 4 year colleges for commercial photography in the US that I know of. Commercial photography is taught by places like Hallmark, which don't even give you an associate's degree. Accredited colleges teach fine art photography, which is not nearly as revelant as you think. The Yale MFA ("the best") doesn't even go into commercial photography.</p>

<p>2) Community colleges are held to the same requirements of teaching as any other state schools. The community college where *I* teach is actually better than most state schools, because we live in a beautiful area where a LOT of respected professors choose to retire. There are departments that have more PhDs per capita than most any state schools.</p>

<p>2a) In other words, your kids would probably end up with a better education than you did.</p>

<p>3) If you can never retire, that's your fault for not saving when you had the money. That's how the self-employment system works.</p>

<p>I'd tell you to 'go do your homework', but frankly I think you need a pretty serious outlook overhaul.</p>

 

<p><em>If you are replacing an entire outfit, you'd best sell off your old (e.g., D3s, D3x) before it plummets in price, and that means you'd better have the replacement right there if you aren't planning an indefinite vacation.</em> </p>

<p>This won't work since the plummeting of the price occurs before the camera becomes available; mere rumors can be enough. In any case any serious shooter needs 1-2 backups and it doesn't make economic sense to have them all of the same generation IMO (that if anything is costly). </p>

<p>Michael--it may be the REASON you were able to purchase your D800 when it first came out was that a working pro (NPS member) ordered an extra camera body and did not take delivery. The store was then able to sell it off the shelf. Good luck with your photography and don't give the pros too hard a time.</p>