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Factory Refurb


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7 replies to this topic

#1
DecentExposure

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Could some of you give me some pros and cons of purchasing factory refurbished cameras and lenses?



#2
Adam

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The pro is that you pay less (sometimes a lot less) for the same gear.  There are unfortunately more cons, of which the most notable is the lack of a standard warranty.  Most refurbs only come with a 90-day warranty.  Cosmetic damage "which does not impact functionality" is also possible with refurbs, and you may not receive the original box and manuals.

 

I once bought a refurbished teleconverter, and even though the glass was fine, the barrel had lots of scratches, with the bare metal being visible in certain spots.  I went ahead and returned the item and paid a little extra for a brand new one.

 

Personally I therefore prefer to shop second-hand whenever buying new isn't an option, because you at least get to see photos of the actual item.  Oftentimes, used gear can be in pristine condition.



#3
Tony

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From my own experience with refurbished gear, approximately three years ago I purchased a refurbished Canon EOS Rebel t5 with kit lens and have had 

 

no problems with performance and reliability.  The gear was purchased online directly from Canon and came with a one year warranty.  Still purrs like a 

 

kitten today.  The plus side with Canon is that they do honor their warranties.  Hope this helps.

 

TT



#4
fallout666

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you have this to look at. your get lens cheaper then what cost. but on back end you lose your 3yr warranty. is that something your will to lose. i gotten 2 used lenses for great price. did not care if had warranty or not since both lenses where great buy and no issue with them. 



#5
PebblzNnutz

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So far I have bought 3 refurbished Nikon items. The first was a D750 that I bought in 2015 that came looking new and had very low shutter count that I could live with. The only problems it exhibited a few times was that it froze while taking photos. A shutdown or battery removal fixed them each time. Other than that, it worked flawlessly until I stupidly drowned it earlier this spring. In sea water of all things. My 2nd refurb was a 200-500 5.6 lens that was a lemon from the get go. It could only autofocus at distances up to about 150 yards. From 150 yards to infinity it just hunted and wouldn't lock on to anything unless I manually focussed it to past infinity and only then it would lock focus. During my testing I also found that the tripod foot somehow got loose even though the screw was on tight. I ended up sending it back to the Nikon authorized seller for a refund as they didn't have another refurb in stock even though I could've sent it in to Nikon under it's 90 day warranty. Now my 3rd refurb, a D7200 from Adorama, is currently waiting for me to pick it up at our local PO. I'll let you know how it is afterI use it for a while. My next Nikon body will also be a refurb, hopefully later this fall, either another D750 or a D500. The reason for buying refurbs for me are the lower prices than the new models and if you buy them from reputable dealers like Adorama or B&HPhoto, you can send them back for any reason for a refund.



#6
DecentExposure

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Thanks for all of your replies. It helps in the decision making process.



#7
fallout666

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it also comes down to price of the lens too. i would not buy one that over 8k since will want the warranty on them since cost for them. 



#8
stevev

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I bought a z mount 50 f/1.8S refurbished from Nikon.  At the time the savings were significant.  I felt confident that since Nikon refurbished the lens, it would be better than a "used" lens at around the same price.  The lens is working flawlessly as far as I can tell, and based on that, I would strongly consider buying refurbished again.  P.S. Since then a new, f/1.2S has been introduced and NIkon has lowered the f/1.8 by $100.