Buying a used Nikon D500

[Tzeny]

Hello everyone,

I found a used D500 for 580 dollars. The seller lives in the same city as me, and claims the camera is fully functional. It has a shutter count of 371000.

Normally I would not be able to afford such top of the line camera for a long while, but this seems like a good opportunity.

I plan on testing the camera for myself, and taking it to a local service shop. My question is, besides the shutter (which will cost ~100$ from what I've seen to change at a shop), what else could break down after so much use? I will be seeing the camera for myself tomorrow, what particular things should I be looking for?

Thank you!

 

[jcdeboever]

You never really know with electronics. Check all the shutter speeds. Look inside the mirror box to see if it's clean. Look at the mount for obvious damage, check to make sure the lens is solid and no wiggle. Check the tripod mount. Check that the card slots read and write. Take a shot of an all white background and preview the image, zoom in and look for spots. If you see spots, the sensor needs cleaning. Check focus accuracy on something wide open.

 

[Tzeny]

You never really know with electronics. Check all the shutter speeds. Look inside the mirror box to see if it's clean. Look at the mount for obvious damage, check to make sure the lens is solid and no wiggle. Check the tripod mount. Check that the card slots read and write. Take a shot of an all white background and preview the image, zoom in and look for spots. If you see spots, the sensor needs cleaning. Check focus accuracy on something wide open.

Thank you, I will check all these things.

 

[Warhorse]

I bought my D500 refurbished by Nikon, directly from Nikon. I did check the shutter count when it was first delivered to me, and much to my amazement found it to be ~637,000!
I immediately called Nikon, and was told that it was a used camera after all, that it would be repaired free under their 90 warranty if anything failed. So far it is working perfectly, and by the way, this camera looked brand new, no visible wear anywhere on it.
So, based on this information, I would not worry about purchasing this camera. I paid ~$1,200 for mine.

 

[pendennis]

Keep in mind, that if the camera is not a "USA" version, Nikon will not touch it as to repairs, and the local service shops can't repair, since Nikon controls the parts supply. The local shop can probably do a check-up/out and a sensor clean, but that's about it.

The Nikon USA cameras have serial numbers starting with "3".

You may very well "luck out" and get many years of service. But, with electronics, the camera could die when you flip the switch.

 

[Strodav]

That's a high shutter count. Most Nikon's are supposedly good for 200,000 actuations, then it's time to think about sending it in to have the shutter rebuilt IF it's a USA camera. If it's grey market, you'll have a tough time getting it serviced.

 

[Tzeny]

I bought my D500 refurbished by Nikon, directly from Nikon. I did check the shutter count when it was first delivered to me, and much to my amazement found it to be ~637,000!
I immediately called Nikon, and was told that it was a used camera after all, that it would be repaired free under their 90 warranty if anything failed. So far it is working perfectly, and by the way, this camera looked brand new, no visible wear anywhere on it.
So, based on this information, I would not worry about purchasing this camera. I paid ~$1,200 for mine.

That's amazing. I wonder if they had to change and components.

Keep in mind, that if the camera is not a "USA" version, Nikon will not touch it as to repairs, and the local service shops can't repair, since Nikon controls the parts supply. The local shop can probably do a check-up/out and a sensor clean, but that's about it.

The Nikon USA cameras have serial numbers starting with "3".

You may very well "luck out" and get many years of service. But, with electronics, the camera could die when you flip the switch.

I will look at the version tomorrow, but here in Romania I already got two quotes from 2 service centers for the shutter. 233 usd.

That's a high shutter count. Most Nikon's are supposedly good for 200,000 actuations, then it's time to think about sending it in to have the shutter rebuilt IF it's a USA camera. If it's grey market, you'll have a tough time getting it serviced.

I will check that.

Thank you!