New or refurbished?

[480sparky]

I literally just bought a refurbished D5100 from Adorama about three weeks ago and couldn't be more happy. It's in perfect condition (with less than 200 clicks) and I got it for cheap. All-in-all, D5100, 18-55 VR, 55-200mm VR and warranty for ~$600. That's pretty ridiculous! And, I love my camera, much better than the D3100 I had.

so do they tell you how many clicks does the camera has ? I mean how they know ? nobody counts clicks pls pardon my ignorance, i am a newbie

Nikon cameras record each click of the shutter. The 'shutter count' is analogous to the odometer of a car.

 

[DarkShadow]

Take a jpeg and upload it here for your shutter count. Check shutter count online - My Shutter Count.com

 

[BluePhoton]

I literally just bought a refurbished D5100 from Adorama about three weeks ago and couldn't be more happy. It's in perfect condition (with less than 200 clicks) and I got it for cheap. All-in-all, D5100, 18-55 VR, 55-200mm VR and warranty for ~$600. That's pretty ridiculous! And, I love my camera, much better than the D3100 I had.

so do they tell you how many clicks does the camera has ? I mean how they know ? nobody counts clicks pls pardon my ignorance, i am a newbie

Nikon cameras record each click of the shutter. The 'shutter count' is analogous to the odometer of a car.

Oh wow so then what is the life of a shutter in terms of clicks?

 

[480sparky]

Oh wow so then what is the life of a shutter in terms of clicks?

Depends on the camera. A low-end entry-level body might have a 'rated life' of 50,000 clicks, while a top-shelf pro body will be rated for 400,000.

 

[cgw]

Refurb-vs-new? Depends. Here in Toronto, a refurb D7000 is around $100 cheaper than new with a 1 year-vs-2 year warranty for new. Not worth it IMHO.

Refurbs can come from a variety of sources but most, according to Nikon.ca, are demo/sample units. Some of these sat idly on shop shelves; others got mauled on big box displays. You takes your chances, as they say.

 

[BluePhoton]

Oh wow so then what is the life of a shutter in terms of clicks?

Depends on the camera. A low-end entry-level body might have a 'rated life' of 50,000 clicks, while a top-shelf pro body will be rated for 400,000.

So what happens after the max life is reached?
Do we have to replace the shutter?

 

[480sparky]

So what happens after the max life is reached?
Do we have to replace the shutter?

It's not an ultimatum. They don't suddenly all die. Some die sooner, some die later. Once you reach the rated number, you just keep shooting.

 

[BluePhoton]

ok I have decided two things, D5100 and refurbished but now the question is, should I go with 2 kit lenses ? 18-55 & 55-200 or just one (18-55) to start with?

to start with, I will be doing only landscape and portraits... so does 18-55 suffice ? I am leaning towards macro .. but have not thought of any sport photography or wildlife. So should I go with just one lens for now and then buy another one depending on what the interest develops ? or a 55-200 is a must have ?

Thanks.

 

[480sparky]

ok I have decided two things, D5100 and refurbished but now the question is, should I go with 2 kit lenses ? 18-55 & 55-200 or just one (18-55) to start with?

to start with, I will be doing only landscape and portraits... so does 18-55 suffice ? I am leaning towards macro .. but have not thought of any sport photography or wildlife. So should I go with just one lens for now and then buy another one depending on what the interest develops ? or a 55-200 is a must have ?

Thanks.

We can't answer that... only you can. The 18-55 is a compact, all-around 'street' lens. The 55-200 is a decent tele-zoom. Whether you will need it or not depends on what you want to shoot.

 

[shadowlands]

I use to only buy refurbished. These days I go after "used" via Adorama, KEH or Cameta, to save a ton of money.
They all come with warranty!!!

 

[cbarnard7]

ok I have decided two things, D5100 and refurbished but now the question is, should I go with 2 kit lenses ? 18-55 & 55-200 or just one (18-55) to start with?

to start with, I will be doing only landscape and portraits... so does 18-55 suffice ? I am leaning towards macro .. but have not thought of any sport photography or wildlife. So should I go with just one lens for now and then buy another one depending on what the interest develops ? or a 55-200 is a must have ?

Thanks.

I have both and I'm glad I got them. I use my 18-55 for landscape, but use the 55-200 for portraits (it has nice bokeh [the blurry background look]) and macro. I also use my 55-200 for soccer games and wildlife, but would suggest you getting a 70-300mm VR for those two reasons, exclusively. It's ultimately up to you, but since the zoom is so cheap, I'd grab them both!

 

[BluePhoton]

ok I have decided two things, D5100 and refurbished but now the question is, should I go with 2 kit lenses ? 18-55 & 55-200 or just one (18-55) to start with?

to start with, I will be doing only landscape and portraits... so does 18-55 suffice ? I am leaning towards macro .. but have not thought of any sport photography or wildlife. So should I go with just one lens for now and then buy another one depending on what the interest develops ? or a 55-200 is a must have ?

Thanks.

I have both and I'm glad I got them. I use my 18-55 for landscape, but use the 55-200 for portraits (it has nice bokeh [the blurry background look]) and macro. I also use my 55-200 for soccer games and wildlife, but would suggest you getting a 70-300mm VR for those two reasons, exclusively. It's ultimately up to you, but since the zoom is so cheap, I'd grab them both!

so the 55-200 is good for macro as well ? so I believe the difference between a dedicated macro lens and the 55-200 would be the macro lens has a lower f value capability ?

 

[cgw]

ok I have decided two things, D5100 and refurbished but now the question is, should I go with 2 kit lenses ? 18-55 & 55-200 or just one (18-55) to start with?

to start with, I will be doing only landscape and portraits... so does 18-55 suffice ? I am leaning towards macro .. but have not thought of any sport photography or wildlife. So should I go with just one lens for now and then buy another one depending on what the interest develops ? or a 55-200 is a must have ?

Thanks.

I have both and I'm glad I got them. I use my 18-55 for landscape, but use the 55-200 for portraits (it has nice bokeh [the blurry background look]) and macro. I also use my 55-200 for soccer games and wildlife, but would suggest you getting a 70-300mm VR for those two reasons, exclusively. It's ultimately up to you, but since the zoom is so cheap, I'd grab them both!

so the 55-200 is good for macro as well ? so I believe the difference between a dedicated macro lens and the 55-200 would be the macro lens has a lower f value capability ?

Macro lenses are corrected to minimize distortion from field curvature. Images are sharp, corner-to-corner, at close distances with even DOF.

 

[BluePhoton]

I have both and I'm glad I got them. I use my 18-55 for landscape, but use the 55-200 for portraits (it has nice bokeh [the blurry background look]) and macro. I also use my 55-200 for soccer games and wildlife, but would suggest you getting a 70-300mm VR for those two reasons, exclusively. It's ultimately up to you, but since the zoom is so cheap, I'd grab them both!

so the 55-200 is good for macro as well ? so I believe the difference between a dedicated macro lens and the 55-200 would be the macro lens has a lower f value capability ?

Macro lenses are corrected to minimize distortion from field curvature. Images are sharp, corner-to-corner, at close distances with even DOF.

ah ok, can you please give me some examples of dedicated macro lenses? I guess I am making a huge list

 

[480sparky]

ah ok, can you please give me some examples of dedicated macro lenses? I guess I am making a huge list

AF-S DX Micro-NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G
AF-S Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G ED
AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 85mm f/3.5G ED VR
AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED
AF Micro-Nikkor 200mm f/4D IF-ED
SP 60mm F/2 Macro
28mm F1.8 EX DG ASP Macro
70mm F2.8 EX DG Macro
50mm F2.8 EX DG Macro
150mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM APO Macro
APO Macro 180mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM
AF 100mm f/2.8 AT-X M100 AF PRO D