Nikon D200 cheap, what am i missing?

[RonFrank]

Ron - I know how the scam works... I'm from NY originally remember??

I was not aware you are from NY! Well, IMO you've improved you living situation a LOT. I often envy you on cold nights in CO when you are in FL!

 

[vladimir]

It's worth making the distinction between legitimate dealers like B&H Photo and Adorama--both safe places to order from--and these shady operators.

I ordered a Nikon Coolscan from one of the fly-by-nighters in Brooklyn a few years back. They did try to sell me all sorts of over-priced extraneous garbage, but they eventually, after a few weeks of foot-dragging, sent the Coolscan. I don't lose sleep over Nikon warranties; I've yet to have a problem with a Nikon product.

 

[HowardE]

It's worth making the distinction between legitimate dealers like B&H Photo and Adorama--both safe places to order from--and these shady operators.

I ordered a Nikon Coolscan from one of the fly-by-nighters in Brooklyn a few years back. They did try to sell me all sorts of over-priced extraneous garbage, but they eventually, after a few weeks of foot-dragging, sent the Coolscan. I don't lose sleep over Nikon warranties; I've yet to have a problem with a Nikon product.

There's a big difference between B&H and/or Adorama which offer good deals for a D200, but not something as unbelievable as $599. There is no need to make a distinction. If the deal seems to good to be true... it probably is. That's the point.

 

[Warren_L]

Once I've found few good dealers, I generally stick to them since I know that I can trust them. I may not necessarily get the absolute lowest prices all the time, but I would gladly have that knowing I don't have to worry about getting screwed in the end. B&H, Adorama, and Cameta are the ones I've had no problems with.

 

[IslandFrog]

Was there a Nikon USA warranty form in the box? Is it valid?

I do not remember a Warranty form in the box, so I would have to say no.

What kind of lenses did you get?

The Lenses were Sigma lenses. One was a 28mm to 70mm, and the other was a 70mm to 300mm. Lens mfg was not specified on the package that I purchased, so I was ok with the Sigma's.

 

[HowardE]

The Lenses were Sigma lenses. One was a 28mm to 70mm, and the other was a 70mm to 300mm. Lens mfg was not specified on the package that I purchased, so I was ok with the Sigma's.

Do you mind sharing what you paid for the lenses? Also which lens specifically... There are 2 models of each lens. (The letters EX or not??)

Thanks.

No warranty either huh.

Also - If you don't mind.. could you share the package name you got? Like the "presidential package"

 

[RonFrank]

I don't lose sleep over Nikon warranties; I've yet to have a problem with a Nikon product.

I USED to feel the same way, but digital and advanced technologies like VR have changed all that. While overall I think Nikon quality control is very good, look at the track record of both Nikon and Canon over their digital lines. Banding issues in many models of both Nikon and Canon, backfocus issues, battery issues, AF compatibility issues between Sigma lenses and Nikon camera's are just a few of the problems I can think of that have resulted in a LOT of warranty work. This is not just in one body, the issues have been with Canon D30's, Canon 1D's, Nikon D1's lineup, and in fact most of the models that have been released right up to.. Yes the D200.

Without a warranty, if you get a D200, and it has banding issues, you either need to trust the retailer to exchange it for a new body, or to get them to fix it under THEIR warranty. Nikon is NOT going to fix a non-USA camera in the USA under warranty if at all. Repairs are expensive a reported on average of over $500 per repair if the consumer must pay.

Nikon also does not sell a lot of the high end electronic parts for things like VR lenses to NON-Authorized service centers. Buy Grey lenses, and you take a chance that it will be difficult to have repaired even if you are willing to pay.

At this time, I will not buy a Grey DSLR. I would consider Grey lenses IF the cost savings is significant, but not even then if they use VR technology.

To be fair, I have owned a LOT of Nikon gear over the past 25 years, including the D1x, and the D200. To date I've had two lenses repaired.. period. Both lenses were over 10 years old, and professionally used before needing repair which in both cases was minor. My DSLR's have not needed anything, but I certainly can not say that is true for a LOT of DSLR consumers.

 

[Rooster]

D200 prices are dropping like a rock B&H currently has it listed for $1,349.95.

 

[rjsimp]

I would not discount having the Nikon warranty.. I had to send my D200 in for a major shutter/aperture issue. If you had the aperture set to anything other than wide open, it would sometimes error out and would screw your dive up. Anyhow, after sending it in, Nikon appears to have fixed it free of charge and they had to replace significant components to fix the problem. I'm sure it would have been expensive to fix without a warranty.

 

[IslandFrog]

Do you mind sharing what you paid for the lenses? Also which lens specifically... There are 2 models of each lens. (The letters EX or not??)

Thanks.

No warranty either huh.

Also - If you don't mind.. could you share the package name you got? Like the "presidential package"

Hey Howarde! Sorry I had not checked the board in a while to reply to this. I don't remember which lens models they are (and I am not home right now so I can't check). The package I believe was the Platinum.

I likely made a bad choice over all, but compared to what I have seen for a similar package here in my local electronics stores, other than the warranty, I feel that I at least got lucky and got what I paid for... In the future I will follow the advice I have gleaned from here and work with Adorama or B&H.

I will try to get the actual lens models to you when I get a chance...