gray market D300 worth it?

my father will be going on a business trip to Korea in a week or so...

I've been waiting for the D400 for some time now (I currently owned a d80 for almost 2 years now)

However I know the release won't be till summer (if according to most speculations)

I know the D300 is already a great body and had received the approval of many ratings.

Well, I come from more of a cinematography background and so I do wish and hope for a video mode, however i could wait forever... and still use my excellent d80 in the mean time...

But I also know when the D400 comes out D300 prices should fall another hundred or so... (currently $1499 from most places like bh photovideo)

Back to the main point. Because of dollar/Krn Won exchange rate these days,
a brand new D300 body only over there will cost me about $1300

Now i know i won't get US warranty support of that product once its brought over...

So... should I take up on the deal? what's the worst that can happen...

If i saved $200 by doing so and i need a repair on some parts... will it even out.

What does the 5 year US warranty cover and doesn't it still require me to co-pay some labor or other charges?

any input would be greatly appreciated.
thanks

--
photography is built through communities.
thanks for the support!

My understanding is that Nikon USA won't work on the camera if it's grey market - even if you were willing to pay for the service. Before you buy one overseas, I'd check around to see what your options are for third party service on your camera.

Alan

ARClark said:

My understanding is that Nikon USA won't work on the camera if it's
grey market - even if you were willing to pay for the service.

Click to expand...

You're right, Nikon USA will not touch a 'grey' D300. To buy a grey market D300 and only save a couple of hundred $$$ doesn't seem worth it to me. Even a small repair can cost that much. You can buy a refurb D300 at Adorama and elsewhere. I think the warranty is shorter though. There isn't a co-pay on Nikon warranty work. You have to pay in cases where the user is responsible for the problem. Nikon's warranty is not 5 years.

Staytru said:

So... should I take up on the deal? what's the worst that can happen...

Click to expand...

No. As you said what's the worst that can happen? With any item you buy you can get a lemon. If you get one of those annoying, hard to diagnose, intermittent problems you can't get Nikon to replace the body, you're stuck with it and paying every time you send it in to be repaired. A grey market item will also have a lower resale value.

Another thing to consider is import duty. You might want to check if there is any payable on items brought in from Korea.

If you live in the US and buy a lens imported by NikonUSA you'll get a five year warranty. That's a lens. A camera gets a one year warranty. You can buy an extended warranty that gets you a couple more years.

D300 bodies have shown themselves to be pretty reliable. Officially, NikonUSA won't touch one if it's gray market. Supposedly if you live in another part of the world, buy a camera there and come to the US, it won't be considered gray market. Good luck if you try that.
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--Bob

staytru said:

What does the 5 year US warranty cover and doesn't it still require
me to co-pay some labor or other charges?

Click to expand...

body bought in u.s. is only covered for 1 year.

lens bought in u.s. is covered by 5 years.

"a penny saved is not a penny earned." buy a u.s. model in the u.s.

go to nikonusa.com and read the warranty info.

thank you everyone for all your knowledge and input.

I guess i'll just have to go about skipping a couple more meals and

buy an official warrantied body here in the US ;]

peace of mind is well worth the extra i guess...

now... to wait a couple months for d400 release;

then time for more contemplation of either a reduced price in d300

or ... wait another 6 months after that for d400 R&D inflation bubble to start fizzling and bring the market price down...
--
photography is built through communities.
thanks for the support!

If your father buys a Nikon in Korea from an authorized Korean Nikon dealer it is not a gray market camera. Where he then travels with the camera after purchase does not matter. If he registers the camera properly as an authorized Korean purchase, I believe Nikon USA would perform repairs here, in or out of warranty, as a reciprocal arrangement with the other country's authorized importer/dealer. Check with Nikon USA to be sure, but I think this is correct.

If you want to take videos buy a video camera. The D90 is poor compared to any decent video camera and the D400 is unlikely to be that much better.

--
Bluenose

My brand new D300 had to be exchanged because of two large clusters of hot pixels I found when I tested it on arrival.

My D70 had to be repaired about 1.5 years after I bought it (after 1 yr warranty period).

My CoolPix 5700 had to be sent in for a warranty repair.

Too much can go wrong with camera bodies, especially one as complex as D300. Not a place I would recommend taking the risk of gray market for relatively small savings.

--
http://www.pbase.com/luxun54/galleries

Well said!