Off to buy a secondhand D800, what to watch out for?

alexthecheese

alexthecheese

alexthecheese

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As title really. Going to meet a guy tonight to buy a D800. £1100, 18k clicks, as new condition. I can't verify the shutter count In camera which is a little annoying, so will have to make a judgement on that, but what else should I look out for?

Dead pixels (how?)
AAuto focus
SSensor cleanliness

What else?
 
Can you not take a laptop with you, and a memory card.

Take a few snaps there and then, pop the memory card in the laptop and check the shutter count, look for dust/oil spots etc.
 
To check for dead pixels take a very dark exposure and a very light exposure and scan them for pixels that are stuck on or off.
Ever sensor has lots of dead pixels, they are simply mapped out by firmware. If new dead pixels develop then you can get this mapping redone by Nikon, so i wouldn't worry about it.


Check viewfinder is clean, check shutter has a healthy sound, check for signs the camera was dropped.

Also make sure you put a CF card in to see if the pins are not bent.



Some early D800's had a left-side AF issue that affected somewhere around 0.5-1% of cameras. Nikon fixes that for free.
 
Thanks for the help. I'm on my way now. I don't have a laptop I can take with me, so will have to trust his word. He himself said to bring a laptop along to check for myself, so I'm inclined to believe him. He sounds genuine from his texts, if that makes sense.

I don't have a CF card but I've brought along an Sd card to check the photos. Hopefully it will be fine...!
 
You will wat a CF card anyway (faster than SD cards, and the only way to get a dual card set up) so if you can buy a CF card. bent CF pins is one of the most common problems with the D800 - not a deisgn floor per se, just a general issue with CF cards.
 
Yeah, I didn't realise it only had one Sd card slot, I assumed it had two Sd card slots and a CF slot. Will have to investigate that further.

Camera seems to be in perfect condition, he bought it second hand himself and then sold it to me after only three weeks of ownership. Needed the resolution for a wedding, a specific requirement laid out by the customer - assume it was the resolution as he didn't say exactly what it was. Uses D3's himself.

The shutter seems fine but it does seem aggressive. Is that normal? That kind of 'slap' I think I've read about. I can feel the camera shake as the shutter flicks, but I'm probably just looking for faults. He's an obsessive photographer, so I believe in him that I shouldn't experience any faults with it.
 
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The shutter gives a reassuring solid slap, the mirror or assembly is a lot bigger and heavier than you find in DX cameras. The D810 made improvements to quiten the shutter.
 
I've got a D600 so the mirror I'm guessing is the same size, but the force with which it comes down is much less than the D800. Surprisingly so! I can hear a spring ring out once it's gone down, do you get that? I'm sure it's fine, it just sounds extremely fast and less deadened.
 
I don't find the shutter that loud, slightly more than my D90, and a clean sound.
I think the mirror in the D800 is larger than in the D600.

Anyway if you are not sure I would go and try a D800 in a shop and see how it compares.
 
alexthecheese said:
I've got a D600 so the mirror I'm guessing is the same size, but the force with which it comes down is much less than the D800. Surprisingly so! I can hear a spring ring out once it's gone down, do you get that? I'm sure it's fine, it just sounds extremely fast and less deadened.
Click to expand...

No I don't get a spring ring sound.
 
D.P. said:
I don't find the shutter that loud, slightly more than my D90, and a clean sound.
I think the mirror in the D800 is larger than in the D600.

Anyway if you are not sure I would go and try a D800 in a shop and see how it compares.
Click to expand...

It's very clean, a very sharp sound. A quick Google shows that others have experienced the same. Hopefully it's not knackered, I'll just live with it until it dies if so.

An Exception said:
No I don't get a spring ring sound.
Click to expand...

You can kinda hear it here, if you turn it up loud enough.

 
Yes. Mine don't have that ring at the end.
I bought a D800 (not E) as my 3rd camera. It had that ring so I returned it. Then just got another E. No more ring.
I'm not sure if it qualifies as an actual fault, but I just found it annoying as it felt like my head was ringing.
 
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