i think i'm going to keep my eyes peeled for a mint 200-400vr around here (missed one on the canon forum that sold for $4400) and will also think about the sigma 150-500os in the meantime. thanks for all the advice and great images.
Don't do "meantime" unless "meantime" means a few years. Gets very expensive to lose $200 or $300 on each turnaround. If you buy a lens to use for 3-4 years, then lose $1,000 on it, that's great... but if you lose $300 or more in 3-4 months, yeeouch.
Yeah, better to buy the lens that you know you need rather than buying one, selling it at a loss and then buying another one, selling it, then actually buying the one you meant to buy.
my experience with buying/selling lenses is that if they are bought 'well' in mint used condition, they tend to hold their value very well. for example if i buy a sigma 150-500os used, i would expect to be able to sell it a year later and lose $100 max if the new nikon 100-500vr comes along. the new nikon will likely be twice as expensive as the sigma so won't hurt the sigma's value imo.
what i wouldn't do is buy the 200-400mm thinking i would sell it later...even losing 10% is a lot of money...if i am able to find a mint one at a good price in the used market it would be a keeper--period.
seriously lusting for that 100-400 f4, but hey, it is way out of my price range. In _my_ meantime, the 80-400vr will have to do, and its pretty cool when everything is right for it
it's a funny thing...i thought i was done and i still don't have it (nor have i sent $$). there's a guy over on the canon forums with tremendous feedback (some here too) who listed his entire nikon kit for sale about a month ago. he has most of the top lenses and bodies and for personal reasons had to sell it...the kit included a mint 200-400. so i pm'd him to make sure the lens was sold since it was a month ago, and he told me that he had gotten busy with his personal stuff and hadn't sold anything yet. so i pm'd him and said i wanted it and that i wanted to talk to him on the phone to get 'comfortable' even with his stellar feedback....plus he only takes usps money order or cashier's check for payment on all his deals. so i spoke to him and we had a really good conversation so i said we're all done, please send me your full contact info and i'll get the funds out...this was last friday and i never got the info. i called him on sunday morning and he apologized and said he'd get contact info to me later. still nothing....left him a vm message monday morning and i haven't heard back from him, and left him a last pm today just saying i'm still interested, hoping everything is ok and that if he still wants to sell me the lens to pm, email or call me and we'll get it done.
strangest thing i've ever experienced in hundreds of internet transactions. i am presuming he's got stuff going on and that has taken priority and if it weren't for his stellar feedback i'd have given up, but in this case i'm just going to wait and see what happens. all i need is a 1 minute email with address and home phone but if he's got higher priorities right now i understand. if it's not meant to be it's not meant to be. the ball is in his court from here....
so no i don't have it yet....and am thinking if this deal falls through i may look at the sigma 150-500 again even though it's not in the same league as the nikon 200-400.
it's already listed in the b/s forum, and i have one offer here and one hopefully interested guy locally....just thought i'd cross sell it a tad.....
and yes, pix will be posted at some point after i get it and figure out how to use it. my wife and i are going to the sacramento wildlife refuge to check out the birds in early december, that's always a good place to use a long lens.
that part's easy...getting my wife ok with the purchase was not....well actually she was great about it and really didn't object too much as long as i sell some other stuff to partially fund it.
This is one of my favorite lenses regardless of the brand. If for whatever reasons you want to sell it in the future, you will not loose that much money. Actually, if you buy a used but a mint one, you may break even or even sell it for more .
cohenfive wrote:
it's already listed in the b/s forum, and i have one offer here and one hopefully interested guy locally....just thought i'd cross sell it a tad.....
and yes, pix will be posted at some point after i get it and figure out how to use it. my wife and i are going to the sacramento wildlife refuge to check out the birds in early december, that's always a good place to use a long lens.
I just bought a 200-400 on the b/s forum. It was NIB never even opened, full warranty, shipped for $5300 canadian dollars (about $4900 US). Wow what a deal.
congrats on the purchase, i'm excited for mine. the one i'm getting is mint used with some extras and is also a good deal..only way i'd do it....
i think the days of breaking even or even making a profit may be gone. with nikon raising lens prices, the people who bought lenses at the old prices can come out great, but at the newer, higher prices it may prove to more difficult i believe.
Do put in some time practicing with that lens before you go to Sacramento, because the pro long lenses are not just heavier... they're longer, and that significantly affects the energy/strength drain on your arm. Much harder to hold steady at first. I'd also seriously suggest that you start working with a pair of 10-lb barbells to get your shoulder muscles and triceps ready. No more than 10 pounds in each hand, just work your way into as many reps as you can... tone and condition are your best friends.
i'm not that worried about strength--pretty avid mtn biker here. but i will be practicing how to hold the thing steadily...looking forward to getting stronger!
