Is now a decent time to buy a Z8? New vs used?

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Ever

Ever

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I'm feeling ready to upgrade from my first wildlife camera (D500) to the Z8. I had a birthday this week and have proverbial buy-in from the SO :)

Is now a decent time to buy? Meaning are there any foreseeable discounts / shifts in the market that would make it worth waiting another few months?

Also, a word on buying new vs used. I usually prefer to buy second-hand and have the patience to wait for a deal. However the price seems to be holding steady. Buying "Like New" on MPB is only $100 off buying new direct from Nikon. And I've had search alerts on Craigslist for a long time and don't see much action. Furthermore, I've seen some recommendations here that suggest buying a nice camera is worth considering buying new to get the manufacturer warranty - as if there's a decent likelihood of needing the coverage? Finally, 0% financing for 12 months is enticing. I can afford to buy it outright but wouldn't mind using someone else's money. I'd take the steps to ensure I didn't miss a payment.

Thanks for any guidance when it comes to timing for the purchase, as well as considerations for new vs used.
 
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My only thought on used is make sure it's not an early Z8 that may have the strap connector issue. I would think a check of early serial numbers may say which ones had issues. I don't know those numbers myself.
Vinny (y)
 
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As stated by MrFotoFool, now is a great time to buy a new one. FYI, just be aware that NIkon has been putting refurbs on sale for $3200. Mine came with a shutter count of 5 and in new condition. The downside is that it only comes with a 3-month warranty.
 
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In general, there is no singular time that's better to buy than another.

Right now the Z8 has been out for awhile, prices have dropped significantly, but something better is likely around the corner. If you wait until it releases, Z8 prices will no doubt be even lower. Or you could pickup whatever body replaces it.

My mantra has always been to buy whenever it is financially reasonable to do so. I don't try to "time the market" for camera gear. In general it's a depreciating asset, and especially when the cycle for something new comes out.

My personal preference is always to avoid buying new whenever possible. But again, that's a decision for you to make. I've seen used Z8s as cheap as $2500, which I think is a pretty good deal. If I had a use for one, I'd be fine buying one at that price and this time.
 
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The replacement will not be out soon. Imagine 3-4 years So yes it is a good time - early in the life cycle but deals are appearing. New vs used. I would always opt for new, especially when Nikon is offer $500 off. Go for it
 
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I recently bought a Z8. Was waiting in the Z6iii, but could not resist the $500 discount on the Z8. Like you, I did not find used to be much less than the sale price.

Two weeks after in purchased the Z8, the Z6iii was announced. 😆 But, am so glad that I have the Z8.
 
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At the end of June I took advantage of Nikon Australia’s EOFY Sale to make a significant purchase: 20% off.

Your post has prompted me to revisit their website: full price again!
 
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My D500 was my daily driver since the day it was released. I bought a Z8 w/ Z24-140 f/4 in February. As great as the D500 was and still is, the Z8 is a big upgrade. I saved $300 on the Z8. The $500 off is the best deal I have seen and given the Z6III $2,500 price point, I would not expect the Z8 to go lower until it was discontinued. The other thing I did was buy the kit direct from Nikon (brand new not refurbished) and took advantage of 0% interest for 24 months. It cost me nothing extra and was much less painful on my bank account. If Nikon is still offering that deal, you just need to make sure that your credit is very good when you apply and that you set up automatic monthly payments so you never miss one and trigger the penalties and interest. Oh...I almost forgot. Happy birthday!
 
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Ever said:
I'm feeling ready to upgrade from my first wildlife camera (D500) to the Z8. I had a birthday this week and have proverbial buy-in from the SO :)

Is now a decent time to buy? Meaning are there any foreseeable discounts / shifts in the market that would make it worth waiting another few months?

Also, a word on buying new vs used. I usually prefer to buy second-hand and have the patience to wait for a deal. However the price seems to be holding steady. Buying "Like New" on MPB is only $100 off buying new direct from Nikon. And I've had search alerts on Craigslist for a long time and don't see much action. Furthermore, I've seen some recommendations here that suggest buying a nice camera is worth considering buying new to get the manufacturer warranty - as if there's a decent likelihood of needing the coverage? Finally, 0% financing for 12 months is enticing. I can afford to buy it outright but wouldn't mind using someone else's money. I'd take the steps to ensure I didn't miss a payment.

Thanks for any guidance when it comes to timing for the purchase, as well as considerations for new vs used.
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Congrats !!!

I can't speak for your region but here in Germany / Europe the price differences are not big enough to rectify buying used.
Nikon itsself caused some confusion in the market, because of the discount the give on the Z8. which led rto the situaton that used cameras offered by dealers became more expensive than the new ones from Nikon.

Something I observe that if Z8 are offered used that they usually have very few shutter counts, so there must be numerous persons returning or trading Z8's because it doesn't suit them for whatever reason. It is a totally different story compared with the days where I tried to get my first pro bodies years ago and you regularly saw bodies offered with 100k, 200k or even 400k shots taken. To me this is a kind of contradiction, because in times of people shooting 20 fps producing GB or even TB of data - sometimes per day !

I checked here and many of the bigger dealers actually have it in stock. No knowlegde about Nikon US versus Nikon Europe thoough ...

As the only crticial parts involving risk of mechanical damage is the IBIS and the sensor protection on the Z8 but not a mechanical shutter anymore, I thing the risk of buyinig used is much less critical than in DSLR times.

BTW:

I don't know you shoot and on what level, but as you come from 20+ MP DX anyway, would it be a serious option go the Z6 III path instead ???

I am actually checking seriously whether or not to take the step back and get two Z6 III instead of a second Z8. I want to get back to having two bodies that have to be identical for me and I am asking myself for what and how often I really need these 45+ MP. Luckily, other more job-related reasons forced me to do something about my IT infrastructure some time ago. So the demand created by post processing 45+MP monster files was outweighed by the other requirements., but with my old infrastructure I most likely would have run into trouble sooner or later.

And being a long time DSLR shooter on the one hand I find the possibilities that the EVF gives you very appealing, but on the other hand I still have the feeling of looking at computer game from the 90s compared with the AVFs in cameras like my old D850 and D4s.

All the best and good luck with your decision :)
 
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B and H has new ones in stock for $3500 and used for $3,000. You can also get a Payboo card and avoid sales tax and finance for a year.

I always buy used or refurbished. The best deal you’ll likely find will be a peer to peer sale on FredMiranda, but there won’t be a warranty. Some people are more comfortable with that than others. It generally doesn’t bother me much.
 
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Consider the trade up program if you're thinking of selling the D500. I just got a Z8 from Nikon with $500 off and depending on what the rate the condition on my D500 that should be at least another $575. So far very painless.
 
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groob said:
B and H has new ones in stock for $3500 and used for $3,000. You can also get a Payboo card and avoid sales tax and finance for a year.

I always buy used or refurbished. The best deal you’ll likely find will be a peer to peer sale on FredMiranda, but there won’t be a warranty. Some people are more comfortable with that than others. It generally doesn’t bother me much.
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Payboo is no sales tax OR 12 months 0% financing but not both. My local dealer can do 12 months at 0% so if you want to go that route I would encourage you to try and support your local camera shop as they are few and far between. Unfortunately my local shop could not match Nikon’s 24 months at 0% which needed.


As for new v. used or refurbished, that all depends on your risk tolerance balanced against the money saved. If refurbished be very careful to note what entity did the refurbishment. Was it Nikon or some third party who may or may not be reliable. One thing that I do not like about Nikon refurbished is it only includes a 90 day warranty as opposed to a year for new. For me, if you claim the product has been restored to new factory standards, it should carry the same warranty. This is how Apple does it. But that’s my risk tolerance which admittedly is pretty low. My own personal general experience in the used market has not been very good either. Yours may differ.

Regardless of what you decide, the Z8 is an outstanding camera. Just be prepared for a more computer resource intensive experience to chew through those big RAW files.
 
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Thanks again for the rich discussion and suggestions.

Circling back to say I pulled the trigger on the Z8 yesterday from Nikon. Opted for both trade-in and 0% financing (12-mo).

We'll see how they grade the D500, but regardless, their estimations were higher than MPB's grade-for-grade, and that was nice to see.

Up next: acquire an FTZ and 1.4 TC, and read all the things about Z8 setup. And play in nature, of course 😎
 
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Ever said:
Thanks again for the rich discussion and suggestions.

Circling back to say I pulled the trigger on the Z8 yesterday from Nikon. Opted for both trade-in and 0% financing (12-mo).

We'll see how they grade the D500, but regardless, their estimations were higher than MPB's grade-for-grade, and that was nice to see.

Up next: acquire an FTZ and 1.4 TC, and read all the things about Z8 setup. And play in nature, of course 😎
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Despite my concurring thoughts and ideas that I shared I wish minimum the fun i had up to now with the Z8. And regarding camera setup I guess you know already where to look.
@Steve is doing a fantastic job not only, but especially in terms of camera setup. Not everybody has the privilege to have friend that live for about 40 years with a camera in his face and that you can ask. But even my setup is now closer to @Steve 's recommendation with a few modifiaction to make it fit for me. There is so much to think about.
If you get tips from someone who needs to take a Z9 simply because he has hands like frying pans you most likely can't reach the right button you'd need.
If you use two bodies that don't allow to be configured the same way, you might no be able to use the optimum for body A on body B.
If the advisor has so much more routine compared to yourself, the recommendations might not be intuitive enough for you.
The good news is hat the Z8 is so flexible in terms of cusomisation, that you'll find the right way for you.

All the best and may the light be with you :D
 
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The only time that Nikon discounts a camera is when it is approaching its end of life and going to go out of production. The discount is to encourage people to buy the currently shipping cameras and not wait for the new model.

There are outfits that sell gray market cameras as new ones and my concern would be having Nikon honor the warranty or agree to make a needed repair. I have no concerns with buying a lightly used camera from its current owner who has listed it at a place like the fredmiranda buy sell website. One gets to see the camera and often the seller is the original owner and can provide the invoice for their purchase from a Nikon authorized dealers. The sellers post pictures of the camera and with DSLR models they provide the shutter count.

It surprised me at first to see a Nikon pro camera with less than 5,000 shutter activations being listed for sale but it is not at all rare.
 
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Calson said:
The only time that Nikon discounts a camera is when it is approaching its end of life and going to go out of production. The discount is to encourage people to buy the currently shipping cameras and not wait for the new model.

There are outfits that sell gray market cameras as new ones and my concern would be having Nikon honor the warranty or agree to make a needed repair. I have no concerns with buying a lightly used camera from its current owner who has listed it at a place like the fredmiranda buy sell website. One gets to see the camera and often the seller is the original owner and can provide the invoice for their purchase from a Nikon authorized dealers. The sellers post pictures of the camera and with DSLR models they provide the shutter count.

It surprised me at first to see a Nikon pro camera with less than 5,000 shutter activations being listed for sale but it is not at all rare.
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Nikon discounts for many reasons. The Z8 was discounted in February when I bought it and now again. It is not due for replacement yet. Remember Nikon is a Japanese company. It sets prices worldwide at release. Then it adjust prices worldwide through sales in part based on the country’s currency value to the yen. Keeping inventory lean is another reason for discounts along with seasonal sales and efforts to boost quarterly sales.
 
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