I have an opportunity to pick up a AF-S Nikkor 600mm f/4D IF-ED lens from a friend of a good friend who has said it just stopped working when he was doing a shoot in Florida last year.
From the photos I am receiving (IM on vacation in Wisconsin and he is back home in the Denver area so I haven't seen it in person yet), this thing looks in pristine condition on the outside.
He was quoted directly from Nikon that they can completely fix it for around $3500.
Nikon says it has "Impact Damage" to it but honestly from the photos I don't know who the heck was looking at it and saying that was the case as it doesn't look like it has a scratch on it? My buddy (who I trust) says he takes excellent care of his gear.
We have agreed on a price of $1800 knowing that at least Nikon can fix it but I need to look at it in person to confirm what I see as again it doesn't look at all like impact damage.
IM pondering several things...
A.) I know it's damaged but do I take the chance knowing this could be a hell of a deal and become my long glass (I shoot sports) for pretty much everything I need?
B.) Where are other places that could give me estimates that might actually cost less than what Nikon wants?
C.) Where the heck do I find some sample shots of this lens because IM hearing it's sharp wide open and also stopped down but everything I see through my searches are from the VR versions of the lens?
D.) Figuring this is a friend of a good friend I shouldn't be screwed if the thing becomes the largest paperweight in history, right?
E.) If it does take a puke I probably sell it for the same price as I paid for it as someone else will probably take it off my hands for a good deal.
F.) I have no idea what F should be so help me out into what I might miss thinking about the deal?
How did Nikon come up with the quote? Did they actually inspect the lens, or did they just give a generic estimate over the phone/internet? If they did inspect the lens, what was their actual diagnosis? Did they spell out what they are going to repair/replace? If they did, maybe you can call APS with that info and see what they quote you to do the same repair.
Also, find out how much a similar lens sold on eBay for parts. That would be your low number. Remember that if you buy this lens, you need to ship it insured to Nikon and back. Include, just in case, 2 trips to Nikon for repairs.
Good luck.
PS. What sports are you shooting? Is 600mm appropriate, or is it just NAS talking?
I wouldn't touch that thing with a 10 foot pole unless the lens has been inspected by the repair shop in person and you get a pretty accurate quote that puts your total cost well under $4000. Anything higher than that is too much for that era lens. If you can live without AF, you can get a lens that is just as good for $2500 in nice condition.
The Nikon repair quote is probably the typical "make it too expensive for them and we'll sell another new one" quote. Wouldn't put much weight on that number.
All 600 f4.0 are sharp wide open. That's the type of lens you're dealing with. Most actually lose some sharpness as you stop down, but make up for it in less vignetting.
"Impact damage" is Nikon's standard catch phrase for 99% of all repairs. Send it to one of the authorized repair centers for an estimate rather than to Nikon directly.
Authorized Photo Service in Illinois - 800-406-2046
Precision Camera Repaid in CT - 800-665-6575
APR fixed my 300 AF-S f4 in about 2-3 business days.
FWIW - This lens is every bit as capable as the VR version.
I would not buy damaged gear from a friend or a friend of a friend. Great way to ruin relationships. What happens when the deal goes south? Better to be pissed off at strangers than friends. Plus, if you are thinking this may be a "good deal"...it may turn out to be...but it also may turn out to be a nightmare. Do yourself a favor and move on. Life is too short to spend on aggravation.
Owner probably doesnt have spare 3500 USD for which Nikon most likely want them to rip off.
I would probably try to send those lens to different Nikon center. Impact damage is really their excuse for almost anything. Unfortunately truth is that AF-S motors like to suddenly die. Dunno if thats worth those 3500 USD?
I dont know, but isnt LensRentals capable of looking at that lens? Might be worth a try.. They seem more trustworthy than any Nikon service.
The only way I would contemplate the trade would be for the seller to send to Nikon and get a **FIRM** cost of repair, in writing (which they do automatically). I would want to see the Nikon email providing the cost estimate.
Be aware that once they get inside - the cost of repair could go up (true for any repair facility). Most of the time, the costs I have experienced have gone down from the original quote.
After all is said and done, you would have to set up some purchase price lower than original **If** the cost of repairs go up.
I was actually able to get the inital price down to $1650 not $1800 so I'm off to a better start.
He does have a documented estimate total from Nikon that puts the cost at no more than $3404.62 to fully repair the lens. And yes Nikon has opened it up and looked inside. The silent wave motor and the glass encoder are broken inside the lens.
Even if I wasn't to get it fixed I know that having a hell of a MF long lens for my video work at this price was going to be a great deal. The glass on it from what I have seen is flawless but like I say when I get back from my vacation I will inspect it further.
I know that this cost is far higher than the other two lenses I have taken the risk and purchase price on before, but the more that I look at it for the initial cost I just am feeling it's a decent deal.
That's a tough call. As was mentioned, I'd want to send it to someone like Authorized Photo Repair to get a "for sure" estimate. However, keep in mind that if you do that before you buy it and share the estimate with the seller he might back out if the repair turns out to be really cheap.
By the same token, you could buy it and discover it is beyond repair too.
So, I guess what you have to ask yourself is, "Are you feeling lucky?"
Steve Perry wrote:
So, I guess what you have to ask yourself is, "Are you feeling lucky?"
Punk...?
In all seriousness, I feel this is an opportunity to get a lens that is going to work for me for a very nice price. Lke I say, If it can't be repaired then I will use it for a MF lens as I am doing more video work.
At the price that I was able to get this lens down too for the initial purchase price I plan on picking it up.
I am probably going to see about getting quotes from the other lens repair companies also as I figure (hopefully) it will be less expensive than the Nikon quote to fix it.
So after getting back from my New Orleans trip this week I pulled the trigger on the deal and purchased the lens.
I just sent it into California NPS yesterday and it should be there by Tuesday and hopefully I will be able to get it back by next Saturday so I can shoot the opening night for the Outlaws here in Denver.
When I got it I can honestly say that it has been well taken care of for a 15+ year old lens.
So how long of a warranty does it have when it comes back considering it's original warranty expired years ago?
Good luck, hope everything goes as expected and you have enough money left to buy a weightlifting belt--so you can carry that thing around without throwing your back out.
And the hits just keep on coming. More great news!
So I sent in the lens to get it repaired last Thursday and I got an email from Nikon today stating that they had received my lens and the quote was exactly as the person who sold it to me stated.
With taxes and such it came out to just over $3500 ($3516.62 to be exact) and I knew this going into the repair.
But I called them today and asked the question about if I'm a NPS member don't I get a discount on the repair costs?
After being on hold for a brief 4 min listening to the horrible porn (yes it sounded like bad porn music), ok elevator music. The gentleman came back and said. "Yes Mr. such and such, because you are an NPS member I can extend to you a 20% discount on the repair".
Ka-Ching!!!
So this took another $700+ off of the repair for me.
So lets take a tally on things for the moment.
Price paid for lens in broken condition $1500
Price quoted initially for repair from Nikon, $3516.62
NPS member discount 20% ($703.32 off of repair).
Total final price for lens after repairs paid $4313.30 (includes 6 month warranty)
Being an NPS member...Priceless!
So after all is said and done I initially was looking at a price of about $5,000+ and change to get this all fixed up and repaired. So tomorrow I am going to pay for the repairs and I should see it in about a week because one of the parts needs to be ordered which should be in by Friday. So needless to say this has actually turned out to be a pretty good situation for me.
As soon as I get the new baby back I plan on going out and take some photos of the local swans we have on the pond out back in the next county! Then I will take movies of me doing the happy dance for about an hour afterwards.
Ross
BTW...I actually was able to talk the seller down to $1500 instead of the initial $1650 after I looked at the lens in person.
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