cc_chang2 Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 <p>I currently own a D-80. I love to photograph my one-yr old who is now very "active," if you know what I mean, and I like to capture him in action. Well he is "in action" almost all the time so there is no other way of taking pictures of him. Most of the photos are taken indoors with available light. Even though I have several outstanding fast lenses: Nikon 35/1.8 and Sigma 50/1.4, the D-80 seems unable to AF track anything that moves, and I frequently need to shoot at ISO 1000 - 1600, which is over the comfort zone of D-80. </p> <p>For these reasons, I have decided to get a D-300, used preferably, because I do not want to spend too much now and am expecting to buy a new pro level camera that has a variangle screen. "Pro" means that a camera can AF without the need of owning a lot of AFS lenses and this rules out D5000. I saw on a local ad that someone is selling one, a USA model not a grey one, with 9,000 clicks for $1,250. If I shop around on the Internet, I can find brand new grey market D-300 for $1,329. The difference of $100 is not meaningful for me financially, but I worry getting a grey market model may make it difficult to get help from Nikon USA (for firmware update, repair, recall, etc), and for selling it in the future. However, it is nonetheless a new one. What would by do then? </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughes Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 <p>you are much better off buying used over Grey Market, now someone more knowledgeable might correct me but I believe Nikon USA Will not even look at a grey market camera let alone fix it. I bought my D300 used from Samy's camera for only $1250 dollars and I was amazed to find that it had 900 actuations only when I checked. In my opinion a low mileage used is the way to go remember it's only new once.<br> Steve</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two23 Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 <p>Deal sounds OK if it includes manual, charger, and battery. The box would be nice to have also. I've found the D300 will do OK at ISO 1600, where my D80 did not.<br> Kent in SD</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farski Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 <p>I have a second hand D300 that has been trouble free. Just FYI (Steve, too) there's really no way to know how many actuations a camera has had; sometimes when you send them in for service the counter gets reset, sometimes the shutter is replaced (which isn't a bad thing, but you could buy a very beat up camera with 0 shutter actuations and have problems elsewhere), etc.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgelfand Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 <p>You can purchase a D300 "Refurbished by Nikon U.S.A." from Adorama for $1399.</p> <p>As we get closer to the Holiday Season and as the new D300s becomes available, that price should drop.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgelfand Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 <p>Duplicate deleted.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_newell2 Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 <p>Agree with Brooks. The warranty is 90 days, not a year, but by definition it's hopefully already had its failures worked out of it.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc_chang2 Posted August 8, 2009 Author Share Posted August 8, 2009 <p>You guys are right about Adorama in terms of the refurbished D-300. For $200 more, I will get 90 days warranty from Nikon and get a camera in like new conditions. Do think the price will go down more? Does Adorama sell refurbished D-300 on a regular basis?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wedding-photography-denver Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 <p>I would buy a used D300 and I expect them to be selling around 1k or less by Sept.</p> <p>Grey market is fine IF the dealer is trustworthy and will do the warranty repairs for you. Nikon won't touch them in or out of warranty AFAIK.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnw63 Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 <p>Unless you have AIS lenses you need to use, I'd think a new D90 would be a better buy.</p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonysvision Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 <p>I purchased a Nikon-refurbished D300 through B&H about a month ago. It arrived with the body and all packaging appearing as new, and only a few hundred actuations. The cost was $1,350 and it came with Nikon's 90-day warranty. That makes it eligible for a Mack 3-year or 5-year extended warranty, at about $90 or $130, respectively. I purchased one, as I'd been able to use the Mack warranty I had with my first digicam - a Fuji S2 - when it went "black" to cover the $550 repair cost. I would recommend the D300 for photographing children - the 6-frames-per-second mode has already provided images I would not have been able to obtain otherwise. The camera is a bit heftier than the D80 which it replaced, but I like its solid feel.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_newell2 Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 <p>Blazing AF, too. It's a great camera for anything moving fast.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now