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D300 Question

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pmharriss

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I'm a Canon guy - but I've run across a very clean D300, MB-D10 Vertical Grip, 18-200mm f3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor, extra battery, 2 4G CF cards, manuals, software, standard accessories. Seller was initially asking 2395 - I've got him down to 1395 plus tax -

Is this a good deal?
 
but it is hard to say without seeing the condition of the lens and camera.
--
Anthony Beach
 
How many actuations on the D300? I would want to see some pics from it and if they look good and as you say the gear is in great shape then it sounds like a very good deal.

Ray
 
Being unfamiliar with Nikons, is there any quick way to determine the number of acutations?
 
There's nothing "instant". You will have to download a program such as OPanda into your computer, learn how it works, take a picture with the D300 and then download the picture into your computer. You then drag the picture into the OPanda progra. THe OPanda program will tell you the number of shutter actuations (along with most everything else you ever wanted to know. It's a free download here:
http://www.opanda.com/en/iexif/index.html
truview
 
I would be curious (suspicious?) why the seller has so willingly come all the way down to the tune of one thousand bucks from his original asking price...

Realistically, with the accessories you've listed, and the number of clicks being allowable, the asking should be in the neighborhood of $1800-$1900 IMHO.
Regards, Jim
pmharriss said:
I'm a Canon guy - but I've run across a very clean D300, MB-D10 Vertical Grip, 18-200mm f3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor, extra battery, 2 4G CF cards, manuals, software, standard accessories. Seller was initially asking 2395 - I've got him down to 1395 plus tax -

Is this a good deal?
Click to expand...
--



Odds N' Ends album here:
http://www.pbase.com/jimh/inbox&page=all
Z album here: http://www.pbase.com/jimh/marilyn_the_car&page=all
 
It's not from a private seller - it's a pawn shop, and I don't believe they know what they have. My best guess is that they took the camera on pawn, and the owner never paid, so they probably have 500.00 in it. Pawn shops always buy very low and mark up significantly, with a lot of fat in their pricing. So he's probably still making a couple of hundred dollars on the deal. I, not really needing the camera, offered 1000 for the body, grip, and lens. They countered with "best offer" of 1395.
 
If a seller gives you $1000 discount in one flat minute I'd be very suspitious. You know how they say...

If it sounds too good to be true, it is too good to be true...

Better to wait, save money and get it from a real shop, or a reputable dealer who you can trust, which won't give you 40% discount in one go, but you will get what you expect.
--
My Nikon 16-85mm album:
http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/1336313410/albums/16-85

My blog:
http://www.olyflyer.blogspot.com/
 
olyflyer said:
If a seller gives you $1000 discount in one flat minute I'd be very suspitious. You know how they say...

If it sounds too good to be true, it is too good to be true...

Better to wait, save money and get it from a real shop, or a reputable dealer who you can trust, which won't give you 40% discount in one go, but you will get what you expect.
--
My Nikon 16-85mm album:
http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/1336313410/albums/16-85

My blog:
http://www.olyflyer.blogspot.com/
Click to expand...
Like I said, it's a pawn shop, and the risk is mine. Camera and all are there at the shop for inspection - my responsibility is to determine whether the camera is in good condition - and I don't believe, in this particular situation, that the old adage about being too good to be true holds. I'm guessing that the shop has less than 500 in the camera - so their concern is their margin and speed of sale. Were it an internet sale, with no ability to physically inspect the merchandise, I'd agree.

So it does sound like this is a deal worth making even if I already have a camera?
 
pmharriss said:
Like I said, it's a pawn shop, and the risk is mine. Camera and all are there at the shop for inspection - my responsibility is to determine whether the camera is in good condition - and I don't believe, in this particular situation, that the old adage about being too good to be true holds. I'm guessing that the shop has less than 500 in the camera - so their concern is their margin and speed of sale. Were it an internet sale, with no ability to physically inspect the merchandise, I'd agree.

So it does sound like this is a deal worth making even if I already have a camera?
Click to expand...
Sounds pretty good for you. Even if the D300 were to require $500 in service and you ended up selling the lens, you should be able to justify the expense, and I would call that close to a worse case scenario.
--
Anthony Beach
 
Even if you get burned on the camera, you should be able to ebay-off the lens and grip for close to $500. You might even be able to sell the camera for "parts/repair" for another $100. If you feel you can live with the balance of the loss, go for it.
--
truview
 
I would be very careful and ask myself why the original owner never returned for his camera,

He could of course be short of money,or he new something about the camera that made it not worth redeeming.

Bill
 
Or it might be stollen.
--
Best regards
 
Hi,

Assuming that everything is working, it sounds like a very good deal.

A few things to consider, which may effect the price are:
  • What make/model are the CF Cards?
  • What make is the extra battery?
  • Is the grip a Nikon?
If they are 'cheap-brand' CF cards or if the battery and grip are 3rd party, then it is going to drop the price a little, and may offer some room for 'haggling' ;)

Good luck. Regards,

Gary
 
Gary_Scotland said:
Hi,

Assuming that everything is working, it sounds like a very good deal.

A few things to consider, which may effect the price are:
  • What make/model are the CF Cards?
  • What make is the extra battery?
  • Is the grip a Nikon?
If they are 'cheap-brand' CF cards or if the battery and grip are 3rd party, then it is going to drop the price a little, and may offer some room for 'haggling' ;)

Good luck. Regards,

Gary
Click to expand...
Thanks, everyone - the CF cards are Sandisk Extreme III's, the spare battery is Nikon, and the grip is a MB-D10

It seems like a pretty good deal!
 
uhhh...yes. am curious as to why he'd accept such a low price though?
pmharriss said:
I'm a Canon guy - but I've run across a very clean D300, MB-D10 Vertical Grip, 18-200mm f3.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor, extra battery, 2 4G CF cards, manuals, software, standard accessories. Seller was initially asking 2395 - I've got him down to 1395 plus tax -

Is this a good deal?
Click to expand...
 
My experience is that pawn shops are pretty savvy about the stuff they buy. I've seen deals on used junk photo gear before but not on current gear. For $1395 it's an amazing deal. Almost too amazing. Sometimes the serial #s of stolen cameras are reported to the distributor, it might be worth a call to Nikon to see if this one has been reported to them. No-one wants to buy stolen camera equipment. Aside from the morality aspect there's the unfortunate consequences of being caught with stolen gear. Whether it's bought knowingly or not there's no legal defense.

I hope it turns out to be legit and a great deal for you but I'd be wary of this.
 
Pherto said:
My experience is that pawn shops are pretty savvy about the stuff they buy. I've seen deals on used junk photo gear before but not on current gear. For $1395 it's an amazing deal. Almost too amazing. Sometimes the serial #s of stolen cameras are reported to the distributor, it might be worth a call to Nikon to see if this one has been reported to them. No-one wants to buy stolen camera equipment. Aside from the morality aspect there's the unfortunate consequences of being caught with stolen gear. Whether it's bought knowingly or not there's no legal defense.

I hope it turns out to be legit and a great deal for you but I'd be wary of this.
Click to expand...
That's the main thing I've been concerned about - stolen items. I think that's a good idea to see if I can pull the serial number and see if there is any way to identify it as illegitimate. One thing that seemed to justify its legitimacy is that it was all in a case - miscellaneous items, manuals, software, etc., and maybe it's just me, but I don't tend to keep anything in my case except the actual camera/lenses/flash/battery/memory. I wouldn't think a thief would be able to assemble all of the various items in my home that would make up this group of items very quickly. Manuals, chargers, etc. are in different places...

But I will check - I don't like the karma of stolen items.
 
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