How much does Nikon charge for out of warranty work?

[fuzzybabybunny]

I know that Canon charges a minimum of $200 for any kind of repair work on their bodies. Does Nikon have a similar thing with their bodies and lenses?

 

[996GT2]

Already preparing for the possibility of your D300 dying?

Get some camera armor, that should help for drops

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: 996GT2
Already preparing for the possibility of your D300 dying?

Get some camera armor, that should help for drops

Oh, this is ALWAYS in the back (or front) of my mind.

1. Buy new and get a 5 year warranty and spend $300 more on a new lens over a used one?

2. Buy used and hope for the best?

Camera armor doesn't help for lenses methinks.

 

[soydios]

You can repair screw-drive-AF prime lenses yourself, probably. I have 2 examples where I had to repair my gear: a broken LCD on my SB-800 speedlight, and oil on the aperture blades of my AF 35mm f/2D.

Replacing the LCD on my SB-800 was easy enough: I just called up Nikon's Parts Facility, asked for a replacement SB-800 LCD, and gave them my credit card. It cost about $40, and was very straightforward to install, provided you're comfortable working with small electronics. Also note that most speedlights are built to be lightweight, instead of the heavy tank-like bodies that they're typically mounted to.

Cleaning the aperture of my AF 35mm f/2D was kinda hair-raising the first time, but it's only slightly more complicated than replacing the SB-800 LCD was. I need to clean the aperture blades again, so I'll take photos next time.

Simply put: if you have a precision screw driver set and are comfortable working with small and expensive electronics (i.e. don't fvck up), then you should be able to repair most of your gear yourself. It's rather satisfying to know exactly how your equipment is put together, and it gives you some respect for the cleverness of the engineers who designed it.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I've definitely done the whole self repair thing as well. Canon 580EX plastic shoe, Tamron 180mm that was deemed "uneconomical repair" by Tamron due to sand, Tamron 17-50mm due to impact, Canon 50mm f/1.8 due to its crappy construction, and I've recently opened up the grip to my 30D to see that it is indeed uneconomical to repair.

But I've noticed that for the more advanced lenses they are very difficult to open up enough to repair, especially from the front element end where it may require special custom tools to release the front element. As a matter of fact, I just received my first Nikon lens, the 17-55mm. Talk about a great piece of solid construction. Unfortunately, I cannot figure out a way to pop off the front element (use rock?).

 

[jpeyton]

See if you can buy a Squaretrade warranty for your lens. Check Mack too. I haven't had anything repaired outside of warranty so I don't know what they charge.

 

[soydios]

to actually answer your question (sorry about the earlier tangent): http://bythom.com/experiencesrepair.htm

 

[Deadtrees]

Just in case, make sure you keep your invoice when going overseas.
In some countries, Nikon service center wouldn't even touch the camera/lens until proven it's not gray-market gear.

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: Deadtrees
Just in case, make sure you keep your invoice when going overseas.
In some countries, Nikon service center wouldn't even touch the camera/lens until proven it's not gray-market gear.

I think it depends on what country and what service center. Some Nikon service centers don't care about gray-market gear.

Play it by ear. If there is a local camera shop, check them too. Many will give you a free quote and will beat Nikon/Canon official prices.