Buying a used d700 is this a smart idea?

[jon_seneca]

<p>I have a choice to buy a used d700 right now or wait 2 months to save more and get a new one. The used has around 10k actuations and looks to have been well taken care of and will save me around $500. I am a student who doesn't have piles of cash laying around and could use that extra towards a lens. on the other hand, what if something goes bad on the camera a few months after I get it can I send it in even though I'm not the original owner? Any feedback would be appreciated.</p>

[kiatchun_sin]

<p>My suggestion is to wait. D700 replacement is long due, and so many have been waiting for some time. It doesn't hurt to wait a little longer, unless you really need it urgently.</p>

[ArthurRichardson]

<p>I would buy a D700, but would consider waiting for the upgrade. Not that I would buy the upgrade, since that would undoubtedly be more expensive, but I would buy the D700 that will probably be discounted by then, save the cash and get the full warranty.</p>

<p>I have a D700 and you will not be disappointed by it. It's a very, very nice camera.</p>

[james_symington1]

<p>Hmmm - if you can't get some kind of warranty from whoever is selling it to you (if it is a private sale you won't of course) I would rightly hesitate. The only time I have ever had trouble from the very many cameras I have owned was my beloved D700 which died whilst sitting peacefully in a drawer. Faults with the D700 have been rare as far as I can tell and I was just unlucky - but thank heavens it was still under warranty (fried cicuit board - how and why nobody knows). After that experience I would not buy a relatively expensive DSLR that didn't have some warranty on it.</p>

[wpahnelas]

<p>10k clicks is not a whole lot. i've had mine for 2 years and it's got 88k clicks on it -- knock on wood! still going strong. there's always something later and greater coming down the pike, but the D700 is what it is. it'll no doubt be the best camera you've ever used, and do everything you could possibly want (except video, if you want that). people seem to have endless preoccupations regarding cameras, most of which have nothing to do with photography. if you decide to go with the D700 deal, don't look back.</p>

[jim_momary]

<p>As I understand things -<br>

Nikon warranties are NONtransferrable.<br>

You will qualify for no 'warranty' service.<br>

Further, if it is grey market (and let's say you are in the US) Nikon USA won't touch it for service, ever, as I understand it.<br>

Beyond that, it's like a used car ... pluses and minuses to save some $$$.<br>

Jim</p>

[benjaminm]

<p>D700 is a great camera. I don't see any need for a newer model (with the exception of 100% viewfinder). I'm not interested in video. So, even if the replacement comes out this year (I doubt about that), you can't be sure that the majority of D700 owners will sell their cameras, especially those with few clicks.</p>

[jon_seneca]

<p>There is no doubt that I am getting the d700, I could wait my whole life for the next best thing. The main questions I have are should I get used for $1900 without warranty or buy new for $2400 with warranty? and if i bought used can I still send it in for servicing without a reciept or documentation?</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>As Jim mentions above, Nikon won't service (for any amount of money) a camera that wasn't properly imported. You need to know if it's a grey market purchase or not. If the origiinal owner bought it "properly," then you can still have Nikon work on it. Otherwise, you'd have to turn to third-party service shops - which do exist. <br /><br />As for a plan: I think I'd wait a bit and let the D700's inevitable and imminent replacement push down the price on <em>new</em> (warranteed) units.</p>

[mark_sirota1]

<p>You can also keep waiting and watching. Refurbished D700s show up for $2000 every once in a while; I got one from B&H over a year ago at that price.</p>

[kiatchun_sin]

<p>Agree, when the replacement comes out, you'll have more options for D700. So wait a little if you're not in a hurry.</p>

[elliot1]

<p>You can buy an extended warranty for a refurbished D700 for about 10% of the purchase price. eBay's warranty company is pretty reliable based on my experience with them. They often offer 30% off sales (max. $50) which would bring the cost down to about $150 for a warranty. A 2nd year would be $98 additional.</p>

<p>On the other hand, if you have a credit card that doubles the manufacturer's warranty, you can get two years worth of warranty on a new body at no extra cost. I often buy used gear but would look for a new body on this one because the price difference is not so great. One repair in the first year could easily eat up the savings. The bottom line is you just never know. I have owned many Nikon DSLR bodies and taken a lot more than 10k shots on each of them and only one has needed service. I think most will agree that Nikon DSLRs are very reliable. But you never know...</p>

<p>To make things even more fun for you, consider that should you buy a new body, you can purchase a 3 year warranty for about $220.<br>

I would go for the new body just for the peace of mind and consider an extended warranty if you have any interest and can afford it.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>I was at a PhotoShop training seminar yesterday, and B&H was one of the sponsors. There was a rep from B&H on hand. Just like almost everybody else, she is expecting a D90 update prior to the Photokina, and the D700 probably won't be updated until November/December. Obviously none of that is for sure, but that would be my best guess at this point. (She also mentioned that B&H is having difficulty getting the D3S in stock.)</p>

<p>Earlier I thought the D700 would be updated before Photokina, but it looks like it'll be a few months later. If you read Thom Hogan's web site, it looks like Nikon is now developing their own sensors for all of their DSLRs, and they have been doing that for the D3, D700, and D3S anyway.</p>

<p>One obvious move is to put the D3S' sensor on the D700, but this delay probably indicates that Nikon will use a new sensor on the successor to the D700. Most likely it will have more than 12MP and adding 1080p video capture should be obvious.</p>

<p>As I have been saying for a few months, unless you have some shooting opportunites such that you cannot wait, it is not a good idea to buy a new D700 at clearly the tail end of its production cycle. I can only give you some educated guess on when and how it will be updated. At this point you might as well wait 2, 3 weeks until all pre-Photokina announcements are out.</p>

[jon_seneca]

<p>I am not interested in video on a still camera at this time and the new d700(if they even announce it) would not be available until february 2011 or so, hard to find, and at a $2700 price point. thank you guys for your input.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>The D700 was announced on July 1, 2008 and was available for sale later on that same month. I bought mine two months later in September when camera stores started giving discounts off the original $3000 price. The price went a bit further down by the end of 2008 but has been quite steady in the following 20 months or so, although Nikon lenses experienced some serious price increase in early 2009.</p>

<p>The items announced on August 19 are all supposed to be available in September. If Nikon has any further announcements, they should all be available within a few weeks. There may be some initial shortage, but some people will get them.</p>

[jon_seneca]

<p>ok I guess I will wait thanks to everyone who offered their opinions. Shun Cheung has convinced me to wait it out atleast until I have the money to buy new.</p>

[2dhouse]

<p>If you can, you should wait. I always prefer to buy new, deals are wonderful, but there's usually a reason. The replacement to the D700 should be out soon, and waiting will mean that you can rest easy warranty wise. <br>

Patience, I know the feeling, it'll be worth it!<br>

David Dvir</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Whatever Nikon announced prior to Photokina should be available fairly quickly, although there may be some shortage such that not everybody who wants one can get one immediately, and in some cases certain camera stores may jack up the price for a while to take advantage of the "hot" products.</p>

<p>But as I said, the best guess is that the update to the D700 will have to wait, perpahs till the end of the year.</p>

[albert_lee1]

<p>i bought a used one and it was in mint condition, i saved a ton of money like u will. i bought mine with 50k actuations, which is still not much, i dont see myself taking another 100,000 pictures that soon. get it, u won't regret it.</p>