Has anyone purchased the gray market 300mm f4?

I traded in my 18-300mm (DX) lens when I upgraded from a D5100 to an FX body.. And Adorama insisted I give serious thought to purchasing the gray market version with 3 year Mack warranty. I ended up taking their advice but am still within the 30 day return window.

I am not worried about resale value.. As I plan to keep this lens around for a long time. Are there any other downfalls I'm missing?

I'd be grateful for some input..

Or at the every least at a discount.

msmoto......

Using the back pack would also work, but there's just a bit more air in there, and it may have a bit of moisture in it; actually, all you're trying to do is to let the equipment warm up without being in contact with air, as air almost always has some moisture in it.

I guess no one has tried a Hoodman loupe; I noticed a used, "like new" one on eBay, that started out at $42; it took 4 days of waiting, but I scored it yesterday for $62 and free shipping; (better than paying $80 I guess!) I have noticed that my focus has been a little off in my night shots of Xmas lights, so I'm going to use this thing's 3X magnification to achieve more accurate manual focus.

Now I must run to the Court House.......just found out that you must give the county $20 for a license before you can get married !
Bummer, that ! ( I think 80 yr olds should be able to get married for free ! )

my hood was damaged-got a new one all is good!

Glad you'll accept the 400 f/2.8, if pushed.

I was going away on a trip early November and couldn't wait any longer for the Zeiss 15mm 2.8--plan A was to buy that and add the 24mm 1.4 someday down the track. Bought the Nikkor 14-24 2.8 as Plan B. Great lens, and now I'm not sure I can justify either lens in Plan A.

But if my wife is reading this thread and she wants to buy me a present...

N 200-400 f4
N 600 f4

but if pushed i will accept N 400 f 2.8 + TCs

A D4 with a 24mm f1.4 would nice

and as this fantasy. A first class round the world ticket, with all the trimmings

Squamish has a 200 F2?? no wonder he is such an FX snob ;-) D400 FTW !!!
(BTW, Some of the best Bokeh I have seen Squamish ! )

Its better to give than to receive they say.. so I think it will be an AW100 for my son for his trip to Japan. One year at a Japanese Uni(international studies). He broke his last P&S while playing tennis the last time he was over there.

Well I haven't ever received any expensive lenses for a present, but I have gotten my SB400, tripod, monopod and an extra battery as gifts. I like all of them :)

What would I really want as a gift...well nothing that is out ATM. Whatever new body is released...either the D7100 or D400 :)

Lenses...I am content at the moment...still maybe wouldn't mind the 85 F1.8 and eventually another UWA probably the N10-24.

Asked for: Manfrotto carbon fiber monopod.

If I landed on Fantasy Island: Nikon 24mm PC-E, Nikon 200-400 AF-S f/4.

N600/4, N200-400/f, N200/2, Zeiss 15mm/2.8, N14-24/2.8... but as You wrote, just a fantasy for now :)

msmoto said:
hey, this is a fantasy thread...LOL

Nikon to announce the D400 before Christmas day for under a grand?

You did say fantasy, didn't you?

sometime, when working in the dark

Having set the Hyperfocal distance to the widest aperture I am going to use
I fix the focus to manual, then tape over the focus ring, so it cannot be accidentally moved

Don't forget to "zero out" when you get home

Now this is an old thread...but it will work for the "What do you want for Christmas?" question or if you do not celebrate Christmas gift giving... what lens would you like for your next birthday?

So, as this thought jumped into my head when Squamish was giving some info on his 200mm f/2...

My list....and this is about lenses unless someone want so add anything else...

Zeiss 35mm f/1.4, Nikon 105mm f/2.8VR, Nikon 300mm f/2.8...or the 200-400mm f/4. That should do for awhile.....hey, this is a fantasy thread...LOL

Thanks Charley. I actually place all the gear in my small Lowepro backpack and wait a while if it is extremely cold where I was shooting. Often, if traveling by car...I place the camera in a blanket when I get into the car. This is on the floor and apparently allows the body to warm up slowly.

Rx4Photo; (and anyone else)

One good tip for when you're going to be out in the cold with your camera; be sure to take a few gallon size zip-loc freezer bags with you ! (They'll fit in a shirt pocket) Before you come back inside where it's warm, stick your camera body in a bag, and zip it shut; ditto with each lens you have with you; when you come back in, don't remove anything from the bags until the contents have warmed up to the ambient indoor temp. You won't get any condensation externally or internally on your camera gear.

Charley

adamz said:
msmoto - I would love to see the 80-400vr replacement, but though I'm half Your age I may not live to that particular moment :)

Ha...I don't have the patience to wait around for the next best thing. Maybe change my mind if they do actually ever update any of these long awaited lens updates, but so far I have only seen new lenses and no updates really.

msmoto - I would love to see the 80-400vr replacement, but though I'm half Your age I may not live to that particular moment :)

At present I would be reluctant to purchase any VR lens as the VRIII technology is here, I cannot imagine Nikon not putting this into the next generation lenses. And, with the competition out there, this may occur fairly quickly, possibly within twelve months for the majority of the VRI lenses, such as the 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6.

I find that the longer end fixed lenses and the 200-400mm zoom can have a longer than normal wait period. I do think that the 300/F4 should be more common though, I waited I think about 4 months for a 400mm after I ordered it.

I have always used my local camera store, Adorama, B&H, and only amazon if they had a sale that nobody else could beat.

I cannot speak about American dealers, as I'm not in the states, sorry no recommendations.

Thanks for the timely reply! Would you recommend a site other than Adorama or BW Photo? Their prices seemed much more competitive than Amazon. If Adorama is the best price I can get (not interested in 'gray market' item), I'll just pay the difference from trade-in.

Usually shipping times for the lens is a week or two, you'll just need to place and order and wait. A number of big retailers have them in stock, so I doubt production has stopped.

Has anyone else thought of purchasing this lens, lately?

I traded in my Nikkor 18-300mm to Adorama and was hoping to purchase a Nikkor 300mm f/4 as a replacement. But Adorama and BW photo have been sold out of the lens for at least a week, if not longer.

Is this a sign that Nikon has depleted their stock and we may see a VR version soon? I don't know if I should wait for news in the near future. Or jump on the AF-S version of the Nikkor 300mm f/4 when Nikon supply more stock to these companies...

Friedmud has the right idea with the mitts. I have a thin glove on underneath these so you never expose your skin to the cold. I shoot in -20C. By then I'm wearing a balaclava to keep my face protected.

friedmud said:
If the core of your body starts to get cold your body will automatically react to save itself... and will start cutting circulation off to your hands and feet to keep your core warm. This means that one of the best things you can do to keep your hands warm is... wear a big ass coat.

msmoto said:
If one keeps the core temperature of the body very warm, even a bit on the "hot" side, the vasodilatation of the extremities will tend to keep the fingers and toes much warmer. So, bundle up the head, neck and torso in multiple layers and enjoy warm fingers.

Haha, now this is what I call a real pro tip! Not that it would be completely unknown fact, but keeping it in mind and being serious about it is.