Advice on D7000 upgrade...used or new?

[gravybutton]

I have a well-loved D40 with a bad ccd sensor (red dot/line) and am considering upgrading to a D7000. Looking for some advice from those of you with more gear and experience than I...

Right now, I can get a brand new D7000 (body only), with all the original peripherals, for $700... OR I can get an excellent-condition used one off of craigslist for $500, with 50K shutter activations (from a "semi-pro"/wedding/portrait photographer).

Is it worth the extra $200 to get one with less use and a warranty??

 

[Randy]

YES, especially off CL

another option is to check FM for a low mileage used one

 

[Kill n time]

Spend the extra 2 bills, IMO..

 

[jdag]

Best Buy currently has the D7000 with 18-140 lens for $899. Sell the lens if you want.

 

[dragioniii]

If you haven't yet decided...I would highly recommend buying the D7000 refurbished.
http://www.adorama.com/INKD7000R.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/757708-REF/Nikon_25468B_Refurbished_D7000_DSLR_Camera.html

Bought mine from Beach Camera for $619 and received the D7000 as if it was brand new...except for the shutter count being over 10k
I hear that this isn't typical...most are much lower.

So far, enjoying the upgrade from my D3100...with the savings from buying new, I picked up a few nice lenses!

 

[Iscariot]

If it were me and I had the cash I'd drop the extra 200 and get the new one.

 

[dragioniii]

If it were me and I had the cash I'd drop the extra 200 and get the new one.

That $200 can be either a Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.8G, AF 50mm f/1.8D or add a bit more an AF-S 50mm f/1.8G.

 

[Pa]

50k shutter clicks is quite a bit. I would seek something with a bit less use.

 

[trenchmonkey]

We've had 7 over the last 2 yrs of rodeo ~200,000 clicks. New or refurbed
is definitely the way to go. An expert on the care and feeding (ie: settings)
on the D7K's I'd only buy used if the price was under $500 AND from a
low mile guy I totally trusted on the Cafe/FM. Just sayin'...

 

[Jeff Lee]

+1 for the Monkey.

 

[MacNikon]

Well, folks, I'm new to this forum and thought I'd share my Nikon purchasing experience. Tonight, I won an auction on eBay for a used Nikon D7000 w/18-105mm lens for $635.01 (can't leave out the penny!). The seller says he rarely used it (he put a pic--hopefully the last pic taken--through a shutter count program on the internet and stated in the listing that it had "800+" clicks on it. Hopefully, that doesn't mean 8000!). Obviously I haven't received it yet, but the pics of the camera didn't look like it had been through the spin cycle of a washing machine, so I'm hopeful. He said he'd pack all accessories and the camera in their original boxes for shipment. From what I've read, the D7000 is a great camera, so hopefully we'll have a productive and satisfying partnership for a long while. So, to the OP, there are deals out there to be had, but you might need to be patient. Happy hunting!

 

[Jeff Lee]

MacNikon hat camera is still new even at 8K (150K avg shutter life). I've had mine since they came out and its a fine camera. Good luck with yours.

 

[MacNikon]

Hi again, everyone. I received the D7000 today and if I didn't know better, I'd think it was brand new. I took a couple of shots and uploaded the last one to myshuttercount.com, which gave me a shutter count of 830. Yes! Not sure yet if I'm experiencing focusing problems, I need to do further testing. But, so far, so good. Now, I'm thinking of buying the Sigma 18-250mm macro HSM OS lens for it as, from what I've seen, has gotten good reviews for the most part.

Happy shooting!

 

[crashton]

MacNikon I'm glad your D7000 turned out to be a good one. Enjoy your new camera, I really like mine.

 

[dragioniii]

Congrats MacNikon!
Looks like you landed a real great deal.
I purchased mine factory refurbished and it had a count over 10K and I dwelled over it...even considered doing a return.
I finally got over that and now enjoying the D7000 without any 2nd thoughts!
The way I feel about the higher shutter count is that it has been "tested" without any issues...if any, it would have surfaced within the first 10K.

Since you already have the AF-S 18-105mm, maybe consider going with a fast prime lens (35mm f/1.8, 50mm f1.8 or 85mm f1.8) or for more reach the AF-S 70-300mm VR.
Just a suggestion

 

[Jeff Lee]

Mac:

I have the 0s Macro (as well as some very nice Nikkor glass). I got it for a travel lens and actually it's very good. Here's a sample on my D7000:

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

 

[MacNikon]

Nice pic, Jeff! I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on that lens.