11 replies to this topic

[james]

Ritz put the lens up for sale today at:

http://www.ritzcamer...ductId=13076201

Price $1249 - OUCH!!!!!

The lady told me they expected their first shipment April 8th - we'll see....

If you are going to order the lens, please use the link on our homepage to get to their site. Then do a search for Nikon DX and it will come up. It helps support Wetpixel.

Cheers
James

[james]

Wow, this is nuts! The more I think about this the more nuts it seems to me!

I could get an S2 and the the DX lens for $2400 + $1249 = $3649 (little more than my insurance check)

Or,

I could get a Kodak 14n and use the 18-35 I already have for $4,500 (Price at Tallyns)

That's a $900 difference to get a FF camera with 14 megapixels!!!!!!!!

Not that I can really afford the Kodak and it's not available, and no one has posted a review yet...

But what the *)(%^F&^% was Nikon thinking with this price?????

Cheers
James

[scottyb]

I had a feeling that baby would cost some dough. They haven't built an AFS lens for less than or anywhere near $1K yet.

How does that cliche go? LOL

I hope the price comes down. I'm sure you will have to pay full retail for a while.

[marriard]

I had a feeling that baby would cost some dough. They haven't built an AFS lens for less than or anywhere near $1K yet.

How does that cliche go? LOL

I hope the price comes down. I'm sure you will have to pay full retail for a while.

Gray market here I come (as soon as there is one). From experience i should be able to get one for $800 or so....

You are right though - if I was starting from scratch I'd probably go Kodak14n and stay with my current lenses. However, the 14N is STILL not shipping, and there isn't even a hint of a housing yet, so I think I'll stick with my S2 for probably at least the rest of this year...

Also what the hell are you paying $2,400 for a S2 anyway - you shouldn't be paying more than $2,100 at the moment.

M

[wetpixel]

If you wait a bit, the S2 HAS to come down. They can't possibly price it that high when the Canon EOS 10D is $1499.

[james]

Hi Paul,

I am going to stick with the S2 and get the 12-24DX I think. But I can always change my mind.

If you can recommend a good RELIABLE place to get an S2 for less than the $2,400, I'm there.

Cheers
James

[scorpio_fish]

Gray market here I come (as soon as there is one). From experience i should be able to get one for $800 or so....

Be careful. The two Nikon things not to buy gray are digital cameras and AF-S lenses. Nikon will not service them at any price. Price differentials between gray and US are sometimes as low as $100. But then again, I think the street price will drop on the lens once the pipeline is full. I believe list is $1299.

[james]

For an item where service is important such as a digital camera or lens - gray market is not an option for me. But I see your point though....

Cheers
James

[scottyb]

Funny thing about this. If you buy a Nikon USA product and return it to your dealer, they will send it to a Nikon Authorized Service Center I have been told that they farm out their warranty work. I was told this is certainly true for Nikonos cameras and lenses and I believe it probably holds true for others as well.

If you buy a gray market lens or camera, it is the same product that bypassed import quotas. Most reputable dealers (B&H, Helix, etc.), offer warranties that they too will have you send the camera to a repair center, often times the same repair center. I have been told this by other photographers, does anybody know anything different?

I will always buy factory authorized if the price is reasonably close, but would not hesitate to buy a gray market from one of the above, if the price difference is significant (20%+).

[tshepherd]

That is indeed how it is done. I think the difference is that the gray market item service gets paid for by the dealer who has offered you the warranty, rather than having the cost absorbed by the manufacturer. It stands to reason that dealers like B&H who offer both types of products use the same service centers.

I don't have any photo gear that is gray market, but I do have a watch that my wife bought me under this arrangement. It's been no trouble, but I also haven't had to have it serviced either. Maybe that's the key, only buy stuff that doesn't necessarily require servicing on a regular basis.

[scottyb]

I had a bad experience after sending a Nikonos V body to Nikon for an annual. 4 weeks later I received it and the first time I tried to use it, there was some minor corosion on the film advance shaft that they did not bother to repair or mention. I also own a gray market Nik V body that I bought form B&H. I now send them both to Southern Nikonos and have had them turned around in less than a week. UPS ground is one day to Houston for me.

IMO, with any product, warranties only cover the period when nothing should go wrong anyway and do not weigh heavily with me. When I purchased my last vehicle, the salesman asked if I wanted to buy a 100 K mile warranty. I said "yes, if it would cover the second 100 K miles".

Back to the topic, I would definitely purchase a 12-24 DX, gray market, if it is available in time from one of the reputable dealers.

[scorpio_fish]

Funny thing about this. If you buy a Nikon USA product and return it to your dealer, they will send it to a Nikon Authorized Service Center I have been told that they farm out their warranty work.

Yes and no. No to digital and AF-S lenses. I have a Nikon Authorized Service Center in my area. They won't touch the digitals and AF-S lenses. They have to go to Nikon's Torance, CA facility. This may change over time. Last time I was in the local place, the tech was in Japan for training on digital SLR's.