Thanksgiving 2024 Nikon rebate update

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MrFotoFool

MrFotoFool

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Nikon USA rebates continue with a couple of changes. Disappointing is that the Plena no longer has a rebate (it was $200 off recently). However, change for the better is that 600PF and 800PF have improved from their previous $500 rebates to a current $800 instant rebate! First time ever a new 600PF is below $4K.
 
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Be sure to use Steve's affliate links to buy! Here's the one for BH: https://bhpho.to/461XgHx

Notable new lowest ever prices:
Z9 $500 off $5000
Z6iii $300 off $2200

Z 600mm f/6.3 $4000 - ok hmm I'd like this lens haha
Z 70-200mm f/2.8 $2200
Z 14-24mm f/2.8 $2000
Z 50mm f/1.2 $1800

Cheers, and Happy Thanksgiving to those that Celebreat!

[edit: thx to whoever moved my thread/post to this thread - somehow I missed it before starting a new one]
 
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I only started using this 600PF seriously in the past few days. I havent had time to examine the images etc. As much as I'd like to get it, I will have to pass, crap.. The cost of the lens is the price of another trip for me. Maybe another time.
 
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Having looked at the prices above what members in the USA can afford and what US in the UK can afford as "hobby" photographers, there is no way could we afford to pay those prices, even converted from Dollars to Pounds. For professionals they might seem reasonable, but at least well out of my price bracket.
So I am wondering if the average person as a hobby photographer actually afford/ pay those prices in the USA? just curious
 
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realspeed said:
Having looked at the prices above what members in the USA can afford and what US in the UK can afford as "hobby" photographers, there is no way could we afford to pay those prices, even converted from Dollars to Pounds. For professionals they might seem reasonable, but at least well out of my price bracket.
So I am wondering if the average person as a hobby photographer actually afford/ pay those prices in the USA? just curious
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Don't think one can generalize for the "average" person. Yes we pay those prices and it is crazy how much people spend on their cameras/lenses. However in the US (assume same in Europe) most hobbies are "extravagant". I have friends who are avid wine drinkers, others play golf, have boats, buy expensive cars, etc. And the amount of money they spend on their hobbies easily rivals what I spend on photography. Some of us (myself included) have worked and saved for years and now in retirement have been able to enjoy and practice our hobbies, whatever they are. I am sure the "average" person looks at us like we are crazy.
PS. There are many hobby photographers in the US who stick with used gear and pay much less and get amazing pics. And some hobby photographers from Europe seem to be able to afford the more expensive Nikon lenses. While I was out photographing the owl I met a British doctor who was visiting the US and he had a Nikon Z9 with the Z 400mm f/2.8 TC.
 
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realspeed said:
Having looked at the prices above what members in the USA can afford and what US in the UK can afford as "hobby" photographers, there is no way could we afford to pay those prices, even converted from Dollars to Pounds. For professionals they might seem reasonable, but at least well out of my price bracket.
So I am wondering if the average person as a hobby photographer actually afford/ pay those prices in the USA? just curious
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Some folks drive their original 1965 Volkswagen Beetle so they can afford camera gear.
It’s all about priorities.
 
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I buy cars as minimally as possible to save money amongst a lot of other frugal habits to redirect money into the things I really enjoy. No fancy clothes, cars or keep up with the joneses status purchases. Only as much house as I needed etc. I’m very cheap in some ways. And it’s only been recently that I could afford multi thousand dollar lenses and cameras. I ran much less expensive gear for the past 20 years.

It’s all about prioritization of where the money goes and getting into work that can afford this stuff. I am very aware that I’m lucky to have those avenues as options in the first place.
 
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For me, there is a gulf of difference between camera gear, and things like quality wines, good golf gear, pleasure boats, and expensive cars - the latter are all for personal experience/enjoyment, while camera gear is a tool to create *your* art - your vision - to share with others. Sure you can share wine by the glass, rounds of golf, boating outings, and joy rides with others, but what part of those are your personal creations?

This is similar to the "nice camera"/"you must have a nice camera" comments - it's just like saying "nice car" - which you or anyone can buy in a store, and then you have it, and thus have equal status? The person that makes that comment is trying to be complementary - but are they complementing your bank account? Your spending patterns? Which is why those comments rub me the wrong way, since I don't think like that (not fond of status seekers; I like people that do things/create things). But I've learned to reply "If you'd like to see what I do with it go to dave stargazer dot com" - because, with camera gear, they are also saying they are curious what you do with that tool. There is no equivalent for the other items (unless you're youtubing your drive up Pikes Peak or something - but then you need a camera for that ;). "Nice car" leads to "thank you" or occasionally "want a ride?" but that's it other than your own personal experience driving it.

And that is my point here - these very expensive, highly technical, precise, demanding pieces of equipment are tools for creation. And in the pursuit of bringing your visualizations to life, the right/best tools are important. And so some of us sacrifice in some areas to get the tools we need to create stuff.

Tools, books, education (which can include travel) - almost always worth the price of admission, and worth scrimping and saving to try and help realize your vision to share with the world.

A story by Dave haha - Cheers!

...Dave...
 
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ricardo00 said:
Don't think one can generalize for the "average" person. Yes we pay those prices and it is crazy how much people spend on their cameras/lenses. However in the US (assume same in Europe) most hobbies are "extravagant". I have friends who are avid wine drinkers, others play golf, have boats, buy expensive cars, etc. And the amount of money they spend on their hobbies easily rivals what I spend on photography. Some of us (myself included) have worked and saved for years and now in retirement have been able to enjoy and practice our hobbies, whatever they are. I am sure the "average" person looks at us like we are crazy.
PS. There are many hobby photographers in the US who stick with used gear and pay much less and get amazing pics. And some hobby photographers from Europe seem to be able to afford the more expensive Nikon lenses. While I was out photographing the owl I met a British doctor who was visiting the US and he had a Nikon Z9 with the Z 400mm f/2.8 TC.
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Talk about boats.

In my ever- present negotiations with She Who Must Be Obeyed I recall a situation in the past. At the time I had a Hasselblad C/M with a couple lenses. Yes, film era. The Hassy C/M was an incredible camera and also very intimidating to a non-professional. Everything completely manual, incredibly sharp optics, no autofocus. With images that detailed a tiny error in focus would become glaringly obvious. Plus you could not review the image until you got the film developed. Reminds me why I so much prefer digital cameras.

So when I wanted a boat I got permission from She Who Must Be Obeyed to get the boat but I had to give up the Hasselblad.

The boat was a lot of fun for a long time but eventually I got exhausted from all the constant maintenance. For those who have not had the experience of boat ownership, you don't own a boat you marry it. You then have a large list of maintenance obligations you have to meet and you have to show it a lot of attention.

Anyway we had fun with the boat for quite a while, SHE does not know how to sail so I got to be Captain Bligh when aboard because I Knew What To Do. I was Lord and Master for brief periods. It was WONDERFUL.

Eventually the boat marriage failed and the boat and I got divorced.

Now I am back to photography in a big way and negotiations with She Who Must Be Obeyed on my GAS continue. I am getting a lot more out of the photography this time because of the huge advances of technology. Photography is FUN.

The marriage with She Who Must Be Obeyed continues unabated and with no end in sight. While I chafe at the restrictions Lord knows I am not safe on my own and I need to be controlled.:giggle::giggle::giggle::giggle::giggle:
 
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realspeed said:
Having looked at the prices above what members in the USA can afford and what US in the UK can afford as "hobby" photographers, there is no way could we afford to pay those prices, even converted from Dollars to Pounds. For professionals they might seem reasonable, but at least well out of my price bracket.
So I am wondering if the average person as a hobby photographer actually afford/ pay those prices in the USA? just curious
Click to expand...

Worth noting the USA stock market has been a rocket ship relative to the European market for a long time now. It’s created a massive amount of wealth, particularly for retirees.
 
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wotan1 said:
Talk about boats.

In my ever- present negotiations with She Who Must Be Obeyed I recall a situation in the past. At the time I had a Hasselblad C/M with a couple lenses. Yes, film era. The Hassy C/M was an incredible camera and also very intimidating to a non-professional. Everything completely manual, incredibly sharp optics, no autofocus. With images that detailed a tiny error in focus would become glaringly obvious. Plus you could not review the image until you got the film developed. Reminds me why I so much prefer digital cameras.

So when I wanted a boat I got permission from She Who Must Be Obeyed to get the boat but I had to give up the Hasselblad.

The boat was a lot of fun for a long time but eventually I got exhausted from all the constant maintenance. For those who have not had the experience of boat ownership, you don't own a boat you marry it. You then have a large list of maintenance obligations you have to meet and you have to show it a lot of attention.

Anyway we had fun with the boat for quite a while, SHE does not know how to sail so I got to be Captain Bligh when aboard because I Knew What To Do. I was Lord and Master for brief periods. It was WONDERFUL.

Eventually the boat marriage failed and the boat and I got divorced.

Now I am back to photography in a big way and negotiations with She Who Must Be Obeyed on my GAS continue. I am getting a lot more out of the photography this time because of the huge advances of technology. Photography is FUN.

The marriage with She Who Must Be Obeyed continues unabated and with no end in sight. While I chafe at the restrictions Lord knows I am not safe on my own and I need to be controlled.:giggle::giggle::giggle::giggle::giggle:
Click to expand...
I grew up on an island and dad/brother are in commercial fishing. While helping my dad scrape/paint (lobster boat) his boat one spring, a process that takes 2-3 weeks each year, I totaled up the time he spent just doing that one maintenance task and it was just over a year of his life he had spent scraping/painting the boat. Just one task. It's at least a bit easier with fiberglass now (that one was wood) but you still have to gelcoat a large portion of the boat each year and repair fiberglass as those boats take a beating.

That part of my life removed any desire to own a boat. My brother spends a good chunk of time on maintenance to keep his running well each year.

One of my uncles owned a Hinkley sailboat for a while, beautiful boat, lots of wood. A TON of maintenance. He had a good run with it but eventually the maintenance drove him nuts.
 
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wotan1 said:
The marriage with She Who Must Be Obeyed continues unabated and with no end in sight. While I chafe at the restrictions Lord knows I am not safe on my own and I need to be controlled.:giggle::giggle::giggle::giggle::giggle:
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…The next “sit-down” with the ‘war-department’ outlining the family budget needs to include “photography upgrades”. In your defense you can challenge recent expenditures on appliances, new roof, landscaping, etc… See if that works out there in Washington. It doesn’t here..😕
 
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Larry S. said:
…The next “sit-down” with the ‘war-department’ outlining the family budget needs to include “photography upgrades”. In your defense you can challenge recent expenditures on appliances, new roof, landscaping, etc… See if that works out there in Washington. It doesn’t here..😕
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Yeah good luck with that. I have already been informed dog pampering takes priority over "photography upgrades".
 
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Lee R said:
I grew up on an island and dad/brother are in commercial fishing. While helping my dad scrape/paint (lobster boat) his boat one spring, a process that takes 2-3 weeks each year, I totaled up the time he spent just doing that one maintenance task and it was just over a year of his life he had spent scraping/painting the boat. Just one task. It's at least a bit easier with fiberglass now (that one was wood) but you still have to gelcoat a large portion of the boat each year and repair fiberglass as those boats take a beating.

That part of my life removed any desire to own a boat. My brother spends a good chunk of time on maintenance to keep his running well each year.

One of my uncles owned a Hinkley sailboat for a while, beautiful boat, lots of wood. A TON of maintenance. He had a good run with it but eventually the maintenance drove him nuts.
Click to expand...
Ah, boats. I was cured of the wooden boat disease very early in my boating career.

Really the only way around it is to have obscene amounts of money and pay someone else to do the work for you. Then the boat is too big and complicated to operate you have to also hire a crew to run it for you.

A couple years ago Seattle was a visited by a massively tall sailboat. I read up on it and the owner spent something like $6 million just on appearance upgrades. Fancy paint job, interior remodeling stuff like that. You know those are only good for a couple years and you have to do them all over again. And that did not pay for the crew.

It does not stop if you do not use it. Unless you have somethitng small enough to trailer and park in a garage you have to pay moorage. The only way out of that is to put it on blocks into dry storage but that costs more than moorage.
 
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