IndyGeoff said:
extended warranties are usually a bad bet. i do them sometimes on items that are pricy and i believe may fail (just did one on the dishwasher i bought but not the oven). If it were $50 I would do it. If it were $100 I would likely pass on a ~$600 item.

I agree that it depends on the price, but also consider what it covers. The factory warranty doesn't cover things like dropping the camera and water damage. Some third party warranties do.

Most of the time if you exercise care, nothing will happen, but accidents do occur. I had a friend who took his 50D on a boat ride, and the driver hit a large wake and water splashed over the side and onto his camera. If not for the third party warranty, he would have been out of luck.

With that said, it's largely a personal decision.

Confused yet? :)

I purchased a Refurb/Demo through Cameta Camera. Highly recommend them. Honestly, aside from the box and warranty card, I can't tell it's not brand new. They provide a 1 year warranty through the store as well, and the pricing is better then going through Nikon directly. They are friendly folks on the phone too, no high pressure up sale B.S. and very helpful.

extended warranties are usually a bad bet. i do them sometimes on items that are pricy and i believe may fail (just did one on the dishwasher i bought but not the oven). If it were $50 I would do it. If it were $100 I would likely pass on a ~$600 item.

Thank you for all the help. Based on the information(esp about the return policy). I am deciding to go with B&H photo ( a refurbished camera, and better lens then the kit). Any thoughts about the extended warranty.

Nikon store will not accept returns unless:

A - Defective
B - Unopened.

I suggest you buy from Amazon or Adorama.

I've never bought from Nikon directly.

I do know that Adorama and Amazon have 30 day return periods without shutter limitations. I however do not know if that applies to refurbs or just new units.

Does the Nikon store have a no questions asked 30 day return period?

If the price is right do it. Nikon refurbished are like new. No con really except I think you pay tax and maybe shipping compared to some of the other online stores. As long as the say refurbished by Nikon or manufacturer then they are usually a pretty good deal. I almost prefer them...and have never had a problem. All the kinks have been worked out. Plus they come with a 90 day warranty if you find anything wrong.

On that note if you get this be sure to upgrade the firmware when you get it or check to make sure it has the newest version. Seems like lots might have been sent back because of problems with the original firmware that was causing a couple of problems with memory cards and things.

I have been looking at buying a D5100 as a first dslr camera for my daughter who is 17. She really enjoys photography and is very mature, good with taking care of her electronics. My question is, I found a refurbished D5100 camera(kit)on the Nikon store site and wondered if anyone could give me pros or cons about getting a refurbished camera thru Nikon. I believe the camera kit is selling for $549.