Grey Market question

[ggoodroe]

OK...I may be confused...but here goes.

 

Is the real difference with US lenses and Grey Market lenses ONLY

service during the warranty period?

 

After the warranty...grey market AND US lenses can be repaired

stateside right?

 

Thanks for the answers...

 

George

St. Petersburg, FL USA

[ShunCheung]

This topic has already been discussed many times.

 

Nikon USA will not repair your gray-market lenses, even though you pay them money after the warranty period. Since gray-market products bypass their profit, that is Nikon USA's way to discourage people from buying them.

 

However, since Nikon USA typically charges so much for repair, you might as well have someone else repair your lenses, gray or not.

[Robert_Lai]

As Shun said, Nikon USA will NOT touch your gray market product, EVER. You'll have to find an independent repair shop to service it, and there are many of these Stateside.

[erickpro]

is there a place to consider or just about almost any place can do a decent job?

[ShunCheung]

See the following thread from April this year when my gray-market 200mm/f4 AF-D needed repair:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00BxJs

 

I know, I have referred to that thread a number of times already.

[Jerry_]

...you could e-mail (www.nikon.com) in Japan and find out if the repair shop in Tokyo will work on your item.

 

 

 

 

Or check Shutterbug magazine for repair shops that will work on Nikon equipment.

[2yellowdogs]

Calderon,

I have used Authorized Photo Service in Chicago for Nikon and other brand equipment. They're very reliable and (I thought) reasonable.

 

http://www.authorizedphoto.com/

[erickpro]

the AF/MF on my 80-200mm is also cracked but I don't think I'll ever repair it unless I had to pay no more than $100 USD

[joseph_smith3]

Go to Nikon USA web site. Click on Service, then click on List of Independent Service..What pops us is a list of Nikon Auth repair shops in the US. The one in Morton Grove IL is the same one reference above. I am assuming that these will service Nikon grey market products. If this is not correct, let us all know. http://www.nikonusa.com/fileuploads/pdfs/Nikon_repair_list.pdf

 

Joe Smith

[david_h._hartman]

I would shy away from buying very expensive gray market Nikon

lenses particularly G ED-IF AF-S VR types such as the 200~400/4.0G

ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor and probably the 70~200/2.8G ED-IF AF-S

VR also. If the price is close then Id still avoid gray

market also. When you get down into lower priced and some medium

priced Nikkors I agree Shun and Robert. I also recommend avoiding

gray market for DSLR(s) and the F5 and F6.<br>

<br>

I didnt always think this way. I used to avoid gray at all

costs but a couple of years ago I bought a used Nikon F3HP and

Nikon USA would not tell me if this used camera was gray or Nikon

USA. I tried four times. One customer service representative

said, No one in the company [Nikon USA] will divulge this

information over the phone. I was told that I would have to

bring the camera to the west or east coats Nikon repair center to

find out. As a 33 year loyal Nikon customer (at that time) I

found Nikon USA policy unconscionable.<br>

<br>

Im 35 years deep in the Nikon system. I would be very hard

for me to quit Nikon now. I sometimes wonder if I should be

recommending Nikon products knowing how anti-customer they are.<br>

<br>

Regards,<br>

<br>

Dave Hartman.

[ShunCheung]

As far as I am concerned, to buy gray-market lenses or not highly depends on the price spread. Nowadays, in some cases Nikon USA provides sufficient rebates such that a gray lens may actually be more expensive. However, in some cases buying gray can save you 30 to 40%. Those are rare but I think the 200mm/f4 AF-D macro was in that situation when I bought mine several years ago; it was like $1000 for gray and $1400 for the US version. When the spread is that big, IMO it is a no brainer to buy gray.

 

I wouldn't let that "unable to repair" claim from Nikon USA scare you. After using Nikon for 28 years and 20+ lenses, my experience is that maybe 10% or so lenses will ever require repair. If you can save 30% up front, essentially you get 1 free lens for every 3 you buy, or you get 3 free lenses for every 9 you buy. When 1 out of those 9 requires repair and you simply toss it into trash, you still gain 2 free lenses. Keep in mind that repair cost isn't exactly cheap, especially from Nikon USA. For lenses below $400 or so, once they are out of warranty, it is not at all worthwhile to repair them because it would be cheaper to replace rather than repair.