I just bought a refurbished D800 from a very reputable dealer but I just found ot it has 10k actuation. Should I be worried even though I know the D800 is rated at 200k?? I'm sort of less hesitant of exchanging because I've tested it numerous times for left focus problem and it doesn't seem to have it. Should I just disregard the high actuation? Its a fantastic body by the way!
From one point of view that is one reason when I looked used I have never considered refurb. Yes they come with a warranty but never an clear identification about total mileage, I often found that odd. Unlike used cars where milage is always shown and priced into the final sales price.
OTAH for a camera that can do 200K what is 5% usage..
Thus I've always considered both and gone the used route, CL local or FM and so far, knock on wood had good look; meet the buyer ( that often says a lot), test the camera and get to see how many shots.
My other thought 10K is a lot for some casual or pro to shot then return, sound like border unethical return, fully within Nikon's though to sell as "refurb"
It's the luck of the draw. You drew a higher count. I have 3 refurbs, and they came with 6, 28 and 1300 clicks on the shutter.
The shutter is rated far beyond what you are likely to use as a hobbyist. However, anything can fail at any time. Will it fail? In all probability, no. But it does happen.
It's the gamble you take for the lower price, I guess. Got a shorter warranty to find out that it is working as intended.
If the rest of the body looks clean, why bother? You can put 10k clicks on a body in a weekend of shooting HDR time lapses or stitched panoramas with focal stacking and HDR, but other than the shutter getting a little workout, the body sits on a tripod, not seeing any wear.
Meanwhile, somebody can shoot video for days and days and really wear the body and electronics, and it won't show a lot of clicks.
For D800 I won't even think about it. I will return it immediately. If you decide to keep it, you better check for AF issue. It could end up being a very bumpy road ahead. I hope you get more than 90 days warranty. First trip to Nikon may take up to 90 days.
okafoja wrote:
For D800 I won't even think about it. I will return it immediately. If you decide to keep it, you better check for AF issue. It could end up being a very bumpy road ahead. I hope you get more than 90 days warranty. First trip to Nikon may take up to 90 days.
If it is a refurb, the AF has almost certainly been addressed. If they fix it, there will be additional warranty associated with that work.
If you mind clicks, don't buy a refurb. 10K isn't much on that shutter. I'd check the AF and if it is good, keep it and enjoy.
M635_Guy wrote:
If it is a refurb, the AF has almost certainly been addressed. If they fix it, there will be additional warranty associated with that work.
If you mind clicks, don't buy a refurb. 10K isn't much on that shutter. I'd check the AF and if it is good, keep it and enjoy.
That's a very funny statement about AF and refurb. Sorry I won't touch a refurbish D800 unless it has one year or more warranty. 90 days is not even enough to prove to Nikon you have issue.
I too worry about clicks, but I don't think I have taken 10K shots in my whole life. My D700 had 12K clicks when I got it in October, and I bet I haven't put 1K on it since I have owned it.
With that said, shutter ratings are just a guideline so to speak. There are stories of D3's and such going for 400K or more before failing, and some that have had 60K and failing. I know I will NEVER EVER reach close to what the D700 is rated for.
okafoja wrote:
For D800 I won't even think about it. I will return it immediately. If you decide to keep it, you better check for AF issue. It could end up being a very bumpy road ahead. I hope you get more than 90 days warranty. First trip to Nikon may take up to 90 days.
It does have a year of warranty and I've tested the AF especially the left focus issue several times and it doesn't seem to have it. Majority of the suggestions is to keep it and I think I will do just that. I can't gamble on getting different body with AF issues.
Manufactuers' shutter lives are educated guesses. The one thing that's certain is that the shutter in your camera will not go bad at 200k actuations. It will go bad at more, maybe a lot more, or less, maybe a lot less. I wouldn't worry about 5% shutter actuations on a used camera when the percentage is based on a guess to start with.
