Can I buy a US made Nikon for use in the UK?

[novicegranny]

I am about to buy a Nikon 5700, manufactured in the US, as a Christmas gift for my husband. I know nothing about digital cameras, & have just been told by a friend that this camera might not be suitable for use in the UK. Is this correct? I need urgent advice, as I had intended to complete the purchase tomorrow!

[Kenny_Leong]

I believe it should be usable in the UK. My sister bought a nikon 950 for me from USA, and I've been using it in Australia. And right now, I'm in the USA. So I've been using the camera all over the place. The images that the nikons will take will be transferrable to a typical computer. There shouldn't be any problems at all. Actually, I was considering buying a new nikon digital camera while I'm in the USA...along the same lines as the one you're talking about. I have no fear whatsoever to buy one here. The only difference maybe is that the AC adapter for the charger is going to have a different voltage on it's input. But there's electronics inside the charger that will still produce the correct DC voltage to charge the batteries. You might have to get a very easy-to-get wall-plug adapter only..since usa sockets have a different shape compared to UK wall sockets. But that's about it.

[JimC]

If you buy a camera that is intended for sale in a country that you are not living in, it's considered to be Grey Market.

So, to discourage this practice (so that you're not bypassing the distribution network in your own country to save money), Nikon offices inother countriesother than where it was intended for sale in will refuse to service it.

So, I'd take this into consideration when purchasing.

[Kenny_Leong]

That's true. But I guess that if you're in the USA and you buy it, then it's not grey market. Or a friend can buy it in the USA etc. So then you can bring it back to UK. Things can sometimes go wrong with the camera, but usually the chance is small after you give it a good work-out once you buy it. This is a chance we have to take sometimes. I've never been unlucky so it's been great for me. Anyhow..the question really was...does a usa nikon work fine in the UK. That was the question. And I'm absolutely sure that USA digital cameras will work just fine anywhere. So feel confident to get the 5700 in USA and use it in the UK. It'll be fine.

[novicegranny]

Thank you both very much for your help - I'll have to think about it overnight! It's a lot of money to spend if all I'm going to do is cause problems for my husband! As regards the "grey" market, the camera was legitimately bought in the US, and as far as I know we in the UK only use the term "grey" when the purchase is dodgy or the goods are fake. Anyway, you've both given me food for thought.On balance I think I might go ahead & buy (it's quite a lot more expensive here,even allowing for post & duties - I wonder why?)- thanks again!

[JimC]

novicegranny wrote:

As regards the "grey" market, the camera was legitimately bought in the US, and as far as I know we in the UK only use the term "grey" when the purchase is dodgy or the goods are fake. Anyway, you've both given me food for thought.On balance I think I might go ahead & buy (it's quite a lot more expensive here,even allowing for post & duties - I wonder why?)- thanks again!

Well, don't say I didn't warn you if you have a problem and need to send it back to the U.S. for service (chances are you won't but it does happen).

Nikon Europe says this:

Generally, a manufacturer works with a single importer who can sell and support their products in a given region. The importer usually has local dealers and distributors who resell the imported products; this is called a "distribution channel". Grey Market refers to merchandise that is imported and sold by methods other than these normal channels.

and this:

Who is the authorized importer of Nikon Equipment into Europe?
Nikon Europe B.V. is the sole authorized importer of Nikon Corporation of Japan for photographic devices. Goods are then distributed to Nikon country subsidiary and distributor offices who pay shipping into the local country, import duties and taxes, and provide service and support for these products. Nikon Europe B.V. ensures that the products they import are fully certified and safe for use in the European market.

and this:

What does owning a "Grey Market" Nikon product mean to you?
Nikon European offices cannot provide any technical support or warranty service on Grey Market items. Additionally Nikon European offices cannot perform any fee-based repair work on Grey Market items. Please do not contact your local Nikon office for help with any Grey Market products. Please contact the reseller or importer of your Grey Market items for warranty and service information as well as software updates and downloads.

Other Nikon Distributors (Nikon USA and Nikon Canada have similar policies). For example, this is a quote from Nikon Canada's web site:

Please note that Nikon Canada is the only official authorized Canadian source for all Nikon branded photographic and digital imaging products. Nikon Canada distributes these products through a network of Authorized Nikon Canada Dealers. Always confirm that your camera retailer (whether electronic or 'bricks & mortar') is an Authorized Nikon Canada Dealer. Please consult the Dealer Locator for a list of Authorized Nikon Canada Dealers.

If you purchase Nikon branded photographic or digital imaging product from anyone other than an authorized Nikon Canada dealer, beware that Nikon Canada does not, and will not, provide parts, repair services, warranty service or technical support for any such product

Here's the deal... Eachregion has a single Nikon Distributor, with an authorized distribution network. They make their money off of the products sold through their distribution network. So, if you buy it from anotherregion (where a different Nikon distributor made the profit on it), they would be losing money by servicing it under warranty.

The Nikon distributors have made a policy of not servicing Nikon products, unless they were purchased from an authorized dealer in their region, even if you are willing to pay for the service. Serial Numbers are used to track what area the camera came from.

[novicegranny]

I think I'll close this topic now - I'm really much too old for lectures, my college days are far behind me! The bottom line here seems to be: either pay up or shut up, so the large corporations win once again - I won't be buying the camera, so husband can buy his own, when he saves enough! Thanks to those who helped. Now, how do I de-register from Steve's Forums?

[JimC]

novicegranny wrote:

I think I'll close this topic now - I'm really much too old for lectures, my college days are far behind me! The bottom line here seems to be: either pay up or shut up, so the large corporations win once again - I won't be buying the camera, so husband can buy his own, when he saves enough! Thanks to those who helped. Now, how do I de-register from Steve's Forums?

My apologies if I sounded like I was lecturing. Sometimes I can come on a little strong. I meant no offense. I just wanted to make you aware Nikon's stated policies on service, in case you had a problem later since it sounded like you were in doubt of how they would handle it. So, I copied some of the info from their web sites for you to see how they interpret buying a camera from a different region.

Chances are, the camera would be fine. I've ownedmultiple Nikon models, including two of their Digital Cameras. In fact, I still have two Nikons (one Digital, one 35mm),and I've never had any kind of problem with any Nikon model.

However, some users do have problems from time to time requiring service. So, I didn't want you to get stuck needing to send it back to the U.S. for service if Nikon decides to stick with their stated policy in the U.K.

Please accept my aplogies if I offended in any way.

[russellsnr2]

Hi, just a quick view, I have bought two camera's from USA with to now no problems.

Minolta & Canon,

With the exchange rate at an all time high you have to consider if it is worth the camble for the money you will save, but please take into account that you may be stung for import duty & this can be over £100 depending on the cost of your purchase.

If it was me I would go for it just for the saving you will make.

One more thing don't dive in at the first offer you see check shipping as this can be anything from $30 to $80. + insure

Hope this helps & not to late.

[Kenny_Leong]

I've never been done for import duty before. I just rip the camera out of the box, then ditch the box and anything else that would make out as if the camera was brand new. Tourists etc do take cameras overseas and things. It becomes nothing more than the equivalent of toothbrush etc that we take with us on holidays hehe