is refurbished worth it?

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RichF

RichF

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I am toying with the idea of purchasing a Z6 iii. New is $2200, refurbished is $1800. Saving $400.

I have purchased refurbished lenses before, but never a body. If I get this camera there is a good chance I will have an IR conversion done on it so the warranty is not an issue.

Thoughts?
 
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Larry S said:
Gotta ask….If you’re going to do an IR conversion (which is really cool) would another older full frame “Z” work just as well….and cheaper… like a Z7..or Z7ii? Just curious.
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My thought exactly, unless the IR work includes a lot of high speed action photography requiring things like better subject detection and tracking I'd go with something like a Z6 or Z7 even the first generation for an IR conversion.

But towards the original question, I've purchased Nikon refurbs including a Z9 and have been very happy with their refurb and trade in programs.
 
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Between the Z7 and the Z7ii it's a no brainer. The Z7ii is cheaper for a better camera, $1,439.96 refurbished right now. The Z7 is out of production and more expensive.

I bought my Z7ii refurbished with the intention of doing IR conversion but it has been a fabulous studio camera and the IR conversion never happened.
 
RichF said:
I am toying with the idea of purchasing a Z6 iii. New is $2200, refurbished is $1800. Saving $400.

I have purchased refurbished lenses before, but never a body. If I get this camera there is a good chance I will have an IR conversion done on it so the warranty is not an issue.

Thoughts?
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Should put Nikon in the title if it is only about Nikon, otherwise, yes, Canon refurbished is really worth it.
 
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RichF said:
I am toying with the idea of purchasing a Z6 iii. New is $2200, refurbished is $1800. Saving $400.

I have purchased refurbished lenses before, but never a body. If I get this camera there is a good chance I will have an IR conversion done on it so the warranty is not an issue.

Thoughts?
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Generically, no.

For important work stuff (eg body), I buy new from my local, authorized dealer. If I want to experiment a little, I buy used from a couple of Japanese sellers I trust. The savings on refurbished aren't big enough for me to alleviate a nagging concern that it will fail on me during a paid-shoot.
 
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I've bought refurbished gear a couple of times. Once was a camera body that was a great deal. In my mind the key is the discount. You give up a warranty for a year and can put a price on alternate warranties. The camera is also a used camera and while it should be in good operating condition, the camera should reflect EX or LN pricing. KEH has a Z6iii with battery and USB cable for $2055, but they occasionally have coupons and deals with up to 10% off, so that's a net price of $1855.

Nikon provides a limited number of refurbished cameras to retailers. Sometimes there are some really good deals, so it's worthwhile to shop around. Just be sure it is refurbished by Nikon and not some other "renewed" or similar product.

Your deal is pretty good at $400 off but I'm seeing $300 off a new camera that has a one year warranty. Several shops have that deal. B&H has their Payboo card and some stores like Hunt's may not charge sales tax at all depending on where you live.
 
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RichF said:
Also thinking of a Z7 ii
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Hi Rich, First, congratulations again for your well deserved award…… When we lived in Rappahannock County, VA, I was friends with several local photographers, one is Ray Boc. About 12-15 years ago he had a dslr (810,750, whatever) converted to IR. We had a local gallery and Ray had prints on display for sale. I was gobsmacked at the dramatic landscapes he produced with IR. Try to find him, very knowledgeable on this …..
 
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I am apparently an outlier with respect to Nikon refurbished products. While I've had refurbed Nikon gear that was just fine, the only two peices of Nikon gear I've ever purchased that either quit working or never worked in the first place, were two Nikon refurbished items. Unless the refurbished item is offered at an insane price that is just too great to pass on, I'll do just that, pass on refurbished Nikon gear.
 
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I purchased my Z6 and 24-70 refurbished directly from Nikon USA. Both have been great. When I upgraded to my Z8 I would have gotten a refurbished one if they were available, but there were none available when I ordered in December.
 
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I have thought about it, buying a refurb. but always end up not making the move.

here are my thoughts just the same.

if it were only a couple of hundred dollars off from new (or sale price), get the new.
Today I see a refurb Z7ii at Nikon for $1400.00-ish, that might be worth it.

But, then I see a refurb Z8 for $3000.00 when it's on sale for $3400.00, get the new!
 
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S⊕TA said:
I have thought about it, buying a refurb. but always end up not making the move.

here are my thoughts just the same.

if it were only a couple of hundred dollars off from new (or sale price), get the new.
Today I see a refurb Z7ii at Nikon for $1400.00-ish, that might be worth it.

But, then I see a refurb Z8 for $3000.00 when it's on sale for $3400.00, get the new!
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Right now, this is the same case with the Z 600mm f/6.3 S, with a price difference of less than $100 between the new and refurbished lens.

I haven't looked further, but I'd bet that there are more instances like this. As they say, caveat emptor!
 
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RichF said:
I am toying with the idea of purchasing a Z6 iii. New is $2200, refurbished is $1800. Saving $400.

I have purchased refurbished lenses before, but never a body. If I get this camera there is a good chance I will have an IR conversion done on it so the warranty is not an issue.

Thoughts?
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FWIW, I think it is worthwhile going for it, if ...
  • the seller is a serious and re-knowned seller of refurbished goods and thus provides some sort of warranty plus a decent return policy and
  • the price difference is big enough to be relevant for your budget.
If I have the choice fot getting better equipment for the purpose or buy new I usually got for second hand and ideally buying refurbished fromn a professional reseller.
To me it is always important to consider buying used - if possible and available - because the item simply has been already produced and changing the owner doesn't need additional resources - apart from the things needed during refurbishment and shipping of course.
 
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RichF said:
I ended up getting a refurb Z7 II, 10% of normal refurbished price. You can expect the Z7 III in the next few months :LOL:
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I like that idea. It's a good high resolution camera and ideal for IR conversion. Tony Sweet uses a converted D850 for IR and it has similar resolution.

Now of course is the decision around which IR conversion you are planning - a full spectrum conversion or something different. And are you planning to use internal filters that can be changed or convert to a single IR wavelength?
 
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My plan is Full Spectrum Conversion by Kolari and using their Drop In Filters as recommended by Vincent Versace. That makes it reversible with a Hot Mirror Filter and convertible to any wavelength IR or UV.
 
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