HELP...D3100 --> D7000(?)

[wizzard0003]

I bought mine new...

Bottom line, refurbished is a used camera... Whether it was used for 10 clicks
or 10 thousand clicks is neither here nor there... Factory refurbished simply
means an authorized agent of the factory gave it a quick inspection to determine
that it 'seems' to be working, cleaned it and repackaged it; usually with all the
original accessories that you would get with a new one... They include a warranty
and sell it for a lower price than new...

 

[jdag]

I believe Best Buy is still offering the D7000 with the 18-140 lens for $900. You'd get the new camera and can easily sell the lens.

 

[dragioniii]

William-
I'm still wondering if refurbished is better choice than basically used?
I think at least with a refurbished unit, it does have a 90 day warranty from Nikon...some others offer one year.

I'm just undecided what to do regarding keeping it or exchanging it.

John-
I know about the sale @ BBY and wish I could afford it, but a bit out of my price range at this moment.
If I could, I would keep the lens and sell my 18-105mm instead.



I have another issue that maybe I can find some answers for...

I'm currently listing my D3100, 18-55mm & 55-200mm on Craigslist and here are the listings:
Nikon D3100 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera w/ Battery Grip
Nikon AF-S 18-55mm VR & 55-200mm VR Kit Lens

I want to know your opinion and if the pricing is good or not.

I have been offered $400 for everything...is that too low to accept?

Need advice ASAP!

 

[jdag]

I know about the sale @ BBY and wish I could afford it, but a bit out of my price range at this moment.
If I could, I would keep the lens and sell my 18-105mm instead.

I thought you were planing to spend about $600.

The BBY sale at $900 would be about $970 with tax depending where you live.

The 18-140 would fetch you $375-$400 I would think.

 

[dragioniii]

I thought you were planing to spend about $600.

The BBY sale at $900 would be about $970 with tax depending where you live.

The 18-140 would fetch you $375-$400 I would think.

I "wanted" to buy it!
I ended up buying a refurbished D7000 from Beach Camera for $630 shipped overnight.
The only issue I'm worried about is the high 10K shutter count.
I have 45 day return policy & 90 days warranty from Nikon.

 

[jdag]

I "wanted" to buy it!
I ended up buying a refurbished D7000 from Beach Camera for $630 shipped overnight.
The only issue I'm worried about is the high 10K shutter count.
I have 45 day return policy & 90 days warranty from Nikon.

Right...I saw that you were concerned about over 10,000 clicks.

So get the BBY deal, sell the 18-140, and return the refurb to Beach. You'll net out virtually equal (depending on what you get for the 18-140) and get a brand new camera with full warranty.

 

[dragioniii]

Right...I saw that you were concerned about over 10,000 clicks.

So get the BBY deal, sell the 18-140, and return the refurb to Beach. You'll net out virtually equal (depending on what you get for the 18-140) and get a brand new camera with full warranty.

Unfortunately, I don't have the extra funds to buy it...plus it's been a horror trying to sell my D3100 & lenses on Craigslist.

I just got off the phone with Beach Camera CSR and he just advised me that i have 45 day return policy and there isn't anything that they can do about the high shutter count...only to return it if I'm not satisfied.

 

[Mr. G]

I have bought 3 or 4 refurb Nikon DSLR's over the years and the highest shutter count I received was 300. Usually they are nearer to 0. 10K is nothing for the camera but does seems high for a refurb (IMHO).

 

[dragioniii]

I have bought 3 or 4 refurb Nikon DSLR's over the years and the highest shutter count I received was 300. Usually they are nearer to 0. 10K is nothing for the camera but does seems high for a refurb (IMHO).

Thanks for your comment.

I've been researching and it seems that having over 10K shutter counts is actually a plus, because if the shutter was to fail, it would be around 10K shots.
So far, so good.

I haven't got the chance to really use the D7000, but have been snapping test photos here and there.
I'm still sort of a "newbie" around the D7000 and kind of learning as I go...somewhat different then the D3100.
If I was more familiar with the D7000, then it would be a lot easier to determine what types of issues it may have.

Can someone advise me on what "specific" things I should look for...
I would need them explained to me step by step, since I'm unfamiliar with the D7000.
I'm been "slowly" going through the manual, but its over 300 pages!

I have my settings pretty much set, but some helpful set up advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mr. G]

Thanks for your comment.

If I was more familiar with the D7000, then it would be a lot easier to determine what types of issues it may have.

Can someone advise me on what "specific" things I should look for...
I would need them explained to me step by step, since I'm unfamiliar with the D7000.
I'm been "slowly" going through the manual, but its over 300 pages!

I have my settings pretty much set, but some helpful set up advice would be greatly appreciated.

Take a large fine jpeg photo of the sky at f22 and scroll around it at 100% checking for the cleanliness of the sensor. Take a large fine jpeg photo with the lens cap on and scroll around it at 100 or 200% looking for hot pixels.

Test aperture and shutter priority settings to make sure the camera set values change when you change the user set values. Set up auto ISO and make sure the camera adjusts the ISO according to the available light (do this in manual mode). Test your lenses for reasonable focus accuracy. Make sure every button and menu setting does exactly what it is supposed to do. Test it with a separate flash in the hot shoe. Turn stabilization on and off (if you have it on your lenses) and take test shots at a speed where its function will be noticeable. Take a lot of different photos (thousands if you can) within the first 60 days to see if any warranty issues arise.

Most of all enjoy the camera. I have one, it is a great camera that will keep on going,,,,and going,,,,,and going.

 

[dragioniii]

Thanks Mr. G for the helpful advice/guidance.
Tough to get a clear sky now here in Boston, MA, but I'll be taking your advice on testing the aperture & shutter priority settings...etc.

So far, I haven't experienced any major issues...focus seems to be correct on 18-105mm, 50mm f/1.8 & 35mm f/1.8.
On and off camera flash seems to be good.

Still trying to get more familiar with all the functions of the D7000, so testing them all will be take some time.


Keep the advice coming!

 

[Harry Lavo]

I've taken about 20 pics and they are all without issue.
I'm going to give it a test for about 2 weeks and determine from there.
Physically, it is in pristine condition.
I just think that 10K is very high compared to my D3100 which has just have over 4K.

How much shutter count was on yours when you bought it?

This D7100 is refurbished, because it carries the 90 warranty from Nikon...a card with serial & warranty is included from Nikon.
Just thought that refurbished would be closer to new then used.

I think testing it is wise. I have bought two refurbished Nikon's and the count was below 2000, but 10,000 isn't terrible on this camera, which is rated at 150,000 shutter clicks. You said you only put 4K on the 3100 .... at that rate this camera should last you your entire lifetime. Assuming nothing shows up in two weeks of intensive use, I wouldn't worry about it. It is one heck of a camera for $630.

 

[dragioniii]

Clicking away...so far so good!
Only concern at this moment is the focusing issues that haunts the D7000...not sure if mine's affected by it.
I do own a tripod, but it is built for a light camcorder and don't trust it to be stable with the D7000.
Any advice on how to test for focus issues without a tripod and doing it hand held and what methods/steps to take.

Just picked up a mint condition Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8G for $300 on Craigslist.

 

[Kill n time]

Lens fine tune with out tripod ?? You should be OK with your Camcorder Pod.

 

[dragioniii]

Lens fine tune with out tripod ?? You should be OK with your Camcorder Pod.

Thanks!
I'll have to test it first...wasn't to confident with my D3100 on it, so will be extremely cautious with the D7000.
My Sony HD Camcorder is so small & light compared to the Nikons.

 

[Diggedy]

I made the same upgrade and didn't regret it one bit
Watch out for the aftermarket grips though, I had one and I found the weight of the camera sometimes pulled the contacts apart and it would cause the camera to lose power. It may have been a one off as I use an aftermarket one on my D600 without issue but I ended up buying a genuine one for the D7k.

 

[dragioniii]

I made the same upgrade and didn't regret it one bit
Watch out for the aftermarket grips though, I had one and I found the weight of the camera sometimes pulled the contacts apart and it would cause the camera to lose power. It may have been a one off as I use an aftermarket one on my D600 without issue but I ended up buying a genuine one for the D7k.

Congrats!

I do have the Neewer/Meike aftermarket battery grip and it has no issues...everything works as it should.
I did purchased a used Meike grip from eBay and it was sold as "like new", but the shutter button was faulty. The half press was fine, but required to press down hard to take the shot and ended up failing after a week.
Returned and received a refund.



I'm at lost right now and a bit confused...maybe regret purchasing the D7000 instead of the D7100.
I'm filling my head with all these post on how much better/improvements the D7100 is compared to the D7000...

24-megapixel sensor offers 50% increase in resolution, omit the OLPF (optical low pass filter), 7fps in the new 1.3x ‘crop’ mode, better video, 3.2 LCD, better weather sealing, 51-point AF system with 15 cross-type sensors and the mode dial now has a locking button and the ‘i’ button on the back of the camera for easy reach...etc.

I paid $619 for my refurbished D7000 and I have recently purchased the NikonAF-S 85mm f/1.8G ($300) & AF 50mm f/1.8D ($90)...both used.

Was this the right decision or should I have purchased the D7100 refurbished for $939?
Would the D7100 improvements be justified over the D7000?
I've purchased over $1200 on "new 2 me" gear in the past couple of months.Would the purchase of the D7100 have been a wiser choice?

Advise and/or suggestions will be helpful...please.

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*I know this was "MY" decision and I'm the "ONLY" one that can make it....

 

[Diggedy]

I bought my D7k long before the D7100 was released so fortunately I didnt need to have this inner struggle

Keep in mind that yes, the D7100 is better than the D7000, but its also $300 more. The D600 is also better than the D7100, but again, it costs more. Unless your going to get the top of the range model, theres always going to be something better and in a years time, your newest model may have a replacement.

If I was to consider a D7100, I would stump up the extra and get a D600. The extra megapixels of the D7100 are great if you crop a lot, other than that they just eat up space on your memory card.

My personal opinion is stick with what you got. I believe spending the extra on lenses in this case was the wiser move.

 

[dragioniii]

I bought my D7k long before the D7100 was released so fortunately I didnt need to have this inner struggle

Keep in mind that yes, the D7100 is better than the D7000, but its also $300 more. The D600 is also better than the D7100, but again, it costs more. Unless your going to get the top of the range model, theres always going to be something better and in a years time, your newest model may have a replacement.

If I was to consider a D7100, I would stump up the extra and get a D600. The extra megapixels of the D7100 are great if you crop a lot, other than that they just eat up space on your memory card.

My personal opinion is stick with what you got. I believe spending the extra on lenses in this case was the wiser move.

Thanks Rich for bringing me down to Earth...

If my pockets weren't empty, I would have considered going with the D610, but since I'm only a hobbyist I'm sticking with D7 for now.

I wasn't planning to spend more than $650 at the time of purchasing the D7000.
Just that for the amount I spent, I could be owning the D7100 instead.
The only loss for me is the better AF in the D7100.

Glad I did get the 85mm 1.8G & 50mm 1.8D!