Am a photographer who buys both new and used lenses and frequently has to deal with the subject of "Is it a US model?", because Nikon only allows US models on NPS and Nikon only works on US model in the USA.
An NPS member can quickly check on their gear list if a serial number is a US Model, if you are not am not sure how you would know aside from sending serial number to Nikon for work or having bought directly from Nikon and not a retail store.
For instance, I once purchased a lens from a gentleman on the for sale forum with excellent feedback, asked if lens was a US Model, and because he had bought it from B&H he said it was a US Model. It turns out B&H will sell non US Models in open box or used. Neither of us realized that at the time, sale was rescinded and funds & lens returned. It was a learning experience for both of us(Buyer & Seller).
Now whenever I am interested in buying a used lens on Fred Miranda my first question is, Is it a US Model and can you send me the serial number so I can make sure on NPS gear and not waste anyones times if it is not a US model. And it has not been a US model off & on.
Its has only happened once a Seller did not wish to send me the serial number the lens offered for sale. There is the old adage, "Buyer Beware". Have never had an encounter where the Seller of the Buyer was discourteous and always have a community feeling on the Fred Miranda site.
I believe the serial number of any lens or camera is valuable information on a For Sale listing. And it is a most important subject for a Nikon owner who has work/cleaning done on their equipment.
I agree 100%, I always look at the camera body serial number to know where it came from and what the service considerations are which also impact its value today as well as resell in the future.
I wasn’t aware that the lens serial number can be check but only if you are on NPS which I am not, just an enthusiast. I wonder if there is another way to check a lens.
Photosynthesis does not record Nikon marketing regions. Other than calling Nikon USA, some products have serial numbers that start with the string "US", and those are unambiguously supported by Nikon USA.
In the past they could tell you if it waws Nikon USA or not, but if not they did not know or give out the market region. I found out the hard way when sending in a product for service.
When Nikon changed the lens warranty to only 12 months whether it was a US model did not matter much. I had two expensive Nikon lens fail after less than two years of use and it cost me roughly $1000 and took Nikon 4 months to repair them.
rand1951 wrote:
Am a photographer who buys both new and used lenses and frequently has to deal with the subject of "Is it a US model?", because Nikon only allows US models on NPS and Nikon only works on US model in the USA.
An NPS member can quickly check on their gear list if a serial number is a US Model, if you are not am not sure how you would know aside from sending serial number to Nikon for work or having bought directly from Nikon and not a retail store.
For instance, I once purchased a lens from a gentleman on the for sale forum with excellent feedback, asked if lens was a US Model, and because he had bought it from B&H he said it was a US Model. It turns out B&H will sell non US Models in open box or used. Neither of us realized that at the time, sale was rescinded and funds & lens returned. It was a learning experience for both of us(Buyer & Seller).
Now whenever I am interested in buying a used lens on Fred Miranda my first question is, Is it a US Model and can you send me the serial number so I can make sure on NPS gear and not waste anyones times if it is not a US model. And it has not been a US model off & on.
Its has only happened once a Seller did not wish to send me the serial number the lens offered for sale. There is the old adage, "Buyer Beware". Have never had an encounter where the Seller of the Buyer was discourteous and always have a community feeling on the Fred Miranda site.
I believe the serial number of any lens or camera is valuable information on a For Sale listing. And it is a most important subject for a Nikon owner who has work/cleaning done on their equipment.
100% agree with your last sentence. The photographer should be able to give the Serial Number of the piece to make a determination.
Personally, I've never had a Non USA issue with Nikon. I would never buy glass or camera from any For Sale Forum on any forum. I do buy from B&H but I've never bought open box or used from B&H.
I completely understand that purchasing strategy, but I will say that I have only purchased new perhaps 10x in 30 years. The bulk of my gear over that period of time (20-30 bodies and probably close to 100 lenses) have been from forums and Ebay. The money saved over that stretch could easily pay for any repair or any replacement. I may have experienced 3-4 events like that. Just adding another take...nothing more.
If you do regular maintenance on you equipment you need too know if you can send it to Nikon for cleaning, that is a huge reason for knowing weather or not US model, also there is a different value, the grey market (non US model) sells for less and holds a lower used value.
I wonder if Nikon is then only company that does this
@rand1951 Historically, imported Mamiya equipment was limited in an even-more draconian way. The US trademark was owned by a different company (MAC) that would insist the name on imported items be filed off. That action was also imposed on returning to US airports. Shudder.
rand1951 wrote:
If you do regular maintenance on you equipment you need too know if you can send it to Nikon for cleaning, that is a huge reason for knowing weather or not US model, also there is a different value, the grey market (non US model) sells for less and holds a lower used value.
I wonder if Nikon is then only company that does this
rand
I have heard Canon doing the same in the US. In Europe, it is a mix bag for Canon, Nikon, and Sony gear as they typically rely on subcontractors. Typically, they will carry out the repair and then either charge you or the manufacturer.
When I moved to Spain, I read horror stories on the local Nikon forum about the local distributor, Finicon, rejecting grey market or even other Europe-bought gear. The one time I needed something, I used a third-party authorized repair shop instead of Finicon.
Olympus/ OM and Fujifilm have centralized support (Portugal and the UK respectively) so you always get support from the manufacturer, but in my personal experience they have been flexible. Olympus until 5-6 years ago, they even had a proper worldwide warranty.
