advertisement


Grey imports

Alex S

Alex S

carbon based lifeform
To continue my cheapskate theme(s), I'll probably not be buying a grey D900 but what about a grey 55-200 VR for £135 instead of a black one for about £240? I know I'll get no support from Nikon, I guess what I'm asking is, how reliable are Nikon's plastic lenses and what do they normally cost to repair?
 
Hi Alex, I have never broken one, and I have bought in the UK and Hong Kong. Incidentally some of the Hong Kong shops supply "worldwide" warranties.
 
A friend of mine took an Nikkor 18-55 to the arctic and it literally fell apart in less than a month. The 18-200 VR he replaced it with survived intact. I had a look at it at the weekend and it looked more solid than the 18-55, despite them both being 'plastic'.
 
I'm not sure repairing plastic lenses is a viable option. When I had my Canon set up, the AF motor died in my 'cheap' plastic 80-200 lens, probably due to dust in the mechanism after taking it to Oulton Park. I was told it would be cheaper to buy a replacement rather than have it repaired.

My Nikon 18-200 VR seems much more solid and better sealed than my old Canon plastic lenses and has given me no problems in 2 years of use. It is significantly more expensive than the old Canon lens and the Nikon 55-200 VR lens though, so is possibly not directly comparable.
 
Alex,

Nikon UK may be different, but Nikon Canada will not touch a grey import even at the customer's expense.

Chances are you'll be fine, unless you go to the Arctic in which case caveat emptor applies.

Joe
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top