Hi,

I am looking into purchasing a Nikon d80 with at least 1 Nikor lens .

When pricing online and in the stores, I am seeing a very wide discrepency in both package prices and individual components. So much, that I am beginning to wonder if I am missing something.

For example today at Costco, they had a D80 package;

1 - Nikon d80
1 - 512 MB SD card
2 - Nikor lenses (approx lens sizes)
1 - 30 - 50mm Nikor lens
1 - 50 - 120mm Nikor lens
(sorry, didn't write down the lens openings)
1 - soft camera case

all for $1299.00 (US)

Then I see other company deals online for 1 lens and the body for $1299.00 for something like a 55-135mm lens. No memory card, no case.

I also see new d80 camera bodies for a range of $599 -$999.

Any clue on these wide price ranges?

I might just go with the Costco price.

Also one more question - what's the general impression on purchasing the extended warantees? (ok, insurance policies).

thanks much

'mark

Costco isn't an authorized retailer so you lose the warrenty on everything Nikon purchased there (its replaced with a Costco brand warrenty, thats probably not as good)

30-50? never heard of it, 50-120 either,

common lens with the d80 = 18-135, which is decent but runs about 300$

I would avoid the Costco D80 if you can just because of the warranty (ESPECIALLY on lenses, if you get the body alone at costco, buy lenses for it from an authorized dealer elsewhere)

Anyone who is selling the D80 for less than $900 (body only) is probably a rip off, and won't be including things like batteries, the charger, the strap, etc. It's best t stick with the big online vendors like Adorama, B&H, or your local camera shops. Stick to lenses from Nikon or one of the big three third party guys, like Tamron, Sigma, and Tokina. As far as warranties, those offered by retailers typically provide slow, unreliable service and only line the pockets of those selling them. Nikon' warranty is for one year...if anything goes wrong it will likely happen early. Unless your a pro/make a living off your equiment, the cost to insure it is not worth the benefits.

Hi,

sorry about the lens mix up, I double checked.

They are Nikor lenses for sure, the whole package is in a Nikon box.

1 - 18->55mm Nikor lens
1 - 50->200mm Nikor lens

Costco claims their warantee is up to 1+ years exchange or refund if you are not satisfied with the product.

I'd like to see if there are other similar packages out there from "Authorized" Nikon dealers (whatever that means).

thank you!

'mark

I bought a Nikon Coolpix 8800 2 years ago and purchased the extended warranty. Nikon Canada already offers a 2 year warranty and so I ended up with 4 years of coverage. The chain store I bought from has already shown me that it provides fast service if something goes wrong and includes a 3 strike and then replacement if the problem can't be fixed. I had one camera that had a broken battery door and they ended up offering me a new, up to date camera to replace it as no parts were available. I think the warranty cost me about $100, less than 10% of the purchase price and leaves me comfortable that the $1249 investment in the camera won't be lost due to no parts or an unreasonably expensive repair. I did buy a coolpix P4 for $299 and didn't bother with extending the warranty beyond Nikon's 2 years, but if I do end up shelling out $1449 for the D80, I'll buy the warranty. All repairs and problems are dealt with by the store , which negates a 2 hour drive into the city to get to Nikon's shop. I know all warranties aren't the same, but I feel better buying, in person, from a reputable store that backs up it's sales. That's worth a few bucks over buying online, etc.....at least, to me.

Steve

i am also interested in the d80 and saw the same kit on costco's site. i then went to nikon's site and saw that costco is a retailer. is this not correct?



thanks

vin

I'll be really surprised if Costco is not an authorized seller. They advertise rebates and such, so I assume they are.

Regarding D80 packages, I would checkout Cameta on ebay. I bought my D50 from them and very happy with what I got. http://stores.ebay.com/Cameta-Camera

Good Luck!

I just ordered a D80 w/ 18-55mm Nikon lens and two 1gig (high speed 12mps) cards, total price was $1030. -I thought this was a great deal, I purchased from Ritz which offered a $75 instant discount (over Thanksgiving weekend) and an additional $40 off if I opened a Google email/pay account (free to do). Shipping was also free, and no tax. -And the SD cards were buy one get one free on Lexar 1gig cards (w/ Ritz branding ..manufactured for Ritz by Lexar).

I used price grabber to find the best price. I've ordered from B+H many times, but found Ritz online to have the best deal. I couldn't find Nikon cameras on Costco, in fact Costco's line of Nikon SLR's was dismal. Seems they had a lot more in the way of Canon's than Nikons. I could only find the D50.

I would recommend using pricegrabber and checking all sources. Seems that great deals rotate from company to company.

Costco IS an authorized retailer. As a former employee of Costco I can tell you that they are 100% legit in everything they do, and it all comes down to customer satisfaction. (100% refund on computers returned within 6 months of purchase...is that not crazy?)

Anywhos...the 2 lenses included in the Costco kit are NOT the new lenses announced with the D80 release. They are Nikkor DX lenses, which I've been told are considerably cheaper. Since I know nothing about lenses, can someone explain what I'll be losing out on if I get this kit?

I decided to take the plunge and buy the package at Costco today. The OP was slightly off when it came to the lenses (or maybe his Costco had a different package?)- I got:

18-55mm 3x f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX Zoom-NikkorLens

55-200mm 3.6x f/4-5.6G ED AF-S DX Telephoto Zoom-NikkorLens.

(The standard kit found elsewhere hasthe new18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S IF-ED DX Nikkor Lens)

That's in addition to the D80 body, a nice Nikon camera bag and a 512mb memory card. $1299.99. Good deal or what?