D850 price difference.

Oh for heavens sake! :D

The UK price is what it is and we know the price will at sometime, probably, drop a bit once initial demand drops but anyone wanting one today or in 6 months to a year will still do the same thing regardless of exchange rates and Rip Of Britain - Check the UK price against trusted grey market suppliers and make a decision from there.

Do we really need all this angst?

:D
 
Oh for heavens sake! :D

The UK price is what it is and we know the price will at sometime, probably, drop a bit once initial demand drops but anyone wanting one today or in 6 months to a year will still do the same thing regardless of exchange rates and Rip Of Britain - Check the UK price against trusted grey market suppliers and make a decision from there.

Do we really need all this angst?

:D

Anger, not angst.
 
Prices in the US tend to be set at launch and then don't change much. In the UK, they're usually higher at launch and then settle back in line with everything else - call it an early adopters tax. You could blame the manufacturer or the dealer, but actually it's because buyers in the UK are ready and willing to pay extra for the latest gear. I think we know who they are ;)
 
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The serial number will tell them (customs) where it was purchased.

When have you ever seen customs check people's camera serial numbers? :thinking:

I've seen people walk through customs with 65" tellys and boxed Apple macs, customs didn't bat an eyelid.
 
Most people seem to go 3rd party (Fixation) for repairs anyway that I know of, given that Nikon tend to be a right pig to deal with in Europe.

Yep awful to deal with. Taken a whole week to do my d750 repairs
 
I'm not sure the USD is the key factor. All my Nikon stuff has warranty papers from Nikon Europe B.V., which is based in Amsterdam. If Nikon Japan supplies direct to Nikon Europe, the key currency would be the Euro and not the Dollar. So we'd need to compare the GBP/EUR rates between the D800E launch in 2012 and now.
I'd picked USD since we know US pricing. Does anyone have EUR launch pricing for the D850? After all, we can still import from the rest of Europe without paying more tax. Both GBP and EUR have fallen against USD since the D800E was launched, though GBP has fallen more. GBP has fallen significantly against JPY since the referendum, as it has against most currencies, but was actually lower back in 2012 when the D800E came out. What's the JPY pricing of the D850?

Incidentally, B&H won't let me place a D850 pre-order with a UK destination ('Manufacturer's restrictions for the shipping address provided prevent us from completing an order on the following item'). Don't know if this is just for the pre-order period. If UK shipping is allowed after release, a legitimate mail order import from B&H (who can arrange to pay UK tax and duty for you) would still be substantially cheaper than a UK purchase, and you won't pay the NYC sales tax on top of that. Or I assume you could have a holiday in somewhere like Oregon or NH (states without sales tax), order from B&H while you are there (so no NYC tax), and declare at Customs on the way home to pay UK tax.
 
I'm planning to pair one with a 50mm f/1.8, will this cause it to explode? Will my photos smell of poo unless I get better glass?

Don't know about the Nikon 50mm f1.8 but the Canon 50mm f1.8 is a SUPERB lens!

Apart from a (relatively) cheap construction from f2.8 onwards it is easily as sharp as an "L" glass lens.

And can also be used with extension tubes as an excellent macro lens at a bargain price.

All in all the best value lens that Canon make.
 
PS. I'd rather pay double the list price for one D850 than disconnect a pan connector. :D
 
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When have you ever seen customs check people's camera serial numbers? :thinking:

I've seen people walk through customs with 65" tellys and boxed Apple macs, customs didn't bat an eyelid.
Customs or border control / security? Two different departments. Though both are understaffed.
 
Just to remind you... https://www.gov.uk/duty-free-goods/declaring-goods

And don’t forget you’ll have to return the camera to USA if you require warranty repairs.

Factually incorrect comment re the repairs. Nikon UK will repair the camera but will not honour a USA warranty. I have checked this with the service dept at Kingston.
So then NOT factually incorrect because I said “warranty repairs” meaning repairs under the warranty!
 
So then NOT factually incorrect because I said “warranty repairs” meaning repairs under the warranty!

Lol, yes the repair by Nikon UK for a product with a USA warranty would be chargeable. I failed to understand your post fully. Apologies.
 
When have you ever seen customs check people's camera serial numbers? :thinking:....

I've had German customs check serial numbers on my broadcast camera equipment (not consumer DSLRs) - they went though absolutely everything with a fine-tooth comb. Cameras, lenses, batteries, tripod heads, microphones. matte boxes, sound recorders, the lot. We even had to take the sides off the cameras.
 
I've had German customs check serial numbers on my broadcast camera equipment (not consumer DSLRs) - they went though absolutely everything with a fine-tooth comb. Cameras, lenses, batteries, tripod heads, microphones. matte boxes, sound recorders, the lot. We even had to take the sides off the cameras.

Why? What were they looking for? Were you importing? Exporting? Going in or. Out on a job?
 
I've had German customs check serial numbers on my broadcast camera equipment (not consumer DSLRs) - they went though absolutely everything with a fine-tooth comb. Cameras, lenses, batteries, tripod heads, microphones. matte boxes, sound recorders, the lot. We even had to take the sides off the cameras.
Travelling from UK to Germany? Or some other route?
 
I'd picked USD since we know US pricing. Does anyone have EUR launch pricing for the D850? After all, we can still import from the rest of Europe without paying more tax. Both GBP and EUR have fallen against USD since the D800E was launched, though GBP has fallen more. GBP has fallen significantly against JPY since the referendum, as it has against most currencies, but was actually lower back in 2012 when the D800E came out. What's the JPY pricing of the D850?

Incidentally, B&H won't let me place a D850 pre-order with a UK destination ('Manufacturer's restrictions for the shipping address provided prevent us from completing an order on the following item'). Don't know if this is just for the pre-order period. If UK shipping is allowed after release, a legitimate mail order import from B&H (who can arrange to pay UK tax and duty for you) would still be substantially cheaper than a UK purchase, and you won't pay the NYC sales tax on top of that. Or I assume you could have a holiday in somewhere like Oregon or NH (states without sales tax), order from B&H while you are there (so no NYC tax), and declare at Customs on the way home to pay UK tax.

According to Nikon Rumours the Euro price is €3,799, so not much difference to the UK price.
 
I imagine economies of scale are much better in the US. Probably one major 'Nikon US' office and marketing dept, cheap distribution to a huge audience all with the exact same packaging requirements...and far less consumer protection than we have in the UK.

Here we have relatively expensive transport costs, warehouse, office and staff costs etc, and a significantly smaller audience, plus consumer protection than can and does extend into many years.

It is what it is, the markets are not like for like comparable. I'm sure many our friends over the pond look jealously at the amount of annual leave and employee benefits the vast majority of us take for granted.
 
That's £900 more than the D800E was at launch.

£900 for a few new features and a small increase in resolution. (n) (And the inability to use it with Capture NX2).

The D810 knocked the D800E into a cocked hat. In turn the D850 is about to launch the D810 in to the same hat ! the or price reflects the features which are streets apart !
 
I imagine economies of scale are much better in the US. Probably one major 'Nikon US' office and marketing dept, cheap distribution to a huge audience all with the exact same packaging requirements...and far less consumer protection than we have in the UK.

Here we have relatively expensive transport costs, warehouse, office and staff costs etc, and a significantly smaller audience, plus consumer protection than can and does extend into many years.

It is what it is, the markets are not like for like comparable. I'm sure many our friends over the pond look jealously at the amount of annual leave and employee benefits the vast majority of us take for granted.

Irrelevant comments in my opinion. What we are looking at here is a plain and simple price difference of several hundred Pounds. That has nothing to do with economies of scale etc and a lot to do with us being ripped off here in the U.K. The camera costs the same to make in Thailand whether it goes to the US or the UK. Yes there is a minor difference in shipping costs but either the factory is charging Nikon UK a lot more than it is charging the USA operation or we are being taken for a ride. Book a cheap flight to NYC and buy one there. The saving will pay for your Economy air ticket.
 
Yet the UK proves time and time again that we are willing to pay the early adopter prices, so 'overpriced' is irrelevant, our markets are simply different. The companies will have pretty solid data to show where the higher prices start to impact sales and where the balance is, and most seem to get it right. The D750 has managed to maintain a very solid price several years on, so clearly demand is there.

The D850 will no doubt be 'sold out' for some time here, that doesn't suggest overpriced to me. Nobody needs a D850, so anyone could hold off and if enough did it would effectively recalibrate the pricing model. That simply won't happen though, we must have new gear and we must have it now.

Look at the Fuji range, hardy cheap here yet stock is often hard to come by, they simply can't get enough X-T20s into the country even now.
 
Yet the UK proves time and time again that we are willing to pay the early adopter prices, so 'overpriced' is irrelevant, our markets are simply different. The companies will have pretty solid data to show where the higher prices start to impact sales and where the balance is, and most seem to get it right. The D750 has managed to maintain a very solid price several years on, so clearly demand is there.

The D850 will no doubt be 'sold out' for some time here, that doesn't suggest overpriced to me. Nobody needs a D850, so anyone could hold off and if enough did it would effectively recalibrate the pricing model. That simply won't happen though, we must have new gear and we must have it now.

If I've understood you correctly you are talking from an amateurs standpoint, not from a professional one. If so this makes sense.
 
Yet the UK proves time and time again that we are willing to pay the early adopter prices, so 'overpriced' is irrelevant, our markets are simply different.
That's all it is. There are more mugs in this country who must have the newest shiny at any price than there are in other countries. Pre-tax prices always tend to equalise once something has been on the market a while.
 
Why? What were they looking for? Were you importing? Exporting? Going in or. Out on a job?

No idea what they were looking for.

No, we weren't importing (or exporting) - it was all our own gear (i.e. mine).

Yes, we were filming (TV crew).

Travelling from UK to Germany? Or some other route?

We'd left Italy and were driving to Germany via Austria.
 
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The D810 knocked the D800E into a cocked hat.

No it didn't. I did extensive side-by-side testing on the 800E and 810 (using tripod, remote, continuous lighting, same lenses, same subjects, same settings, etc.) and I literally couldn't tell the difference between them (in image quality). In fact I did a blind test (someone else renamed the files without letting me see) and I still couldn't tell the difference. The image quality from 100 ISO upwards was identical. As for the rest, the 810's LCD was better and its shutter was quieter.
 
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If I've understood you correctly you are talking from an amateurs standpoint, not from a professional one. If so this makes sense.

Mainly, but there are a good number of pros who like to hoover up new gear too. Nowt wrong with that, But I bet the vocal moaners are also some of those frantically getting pre-orders in.
 
No it didn't. I did extensive side-by-side testing on the 800E and 810 (using tripod, remote, continuous lighting, same lenses, same subjects, same settings, etc.) and I literally couldn't tell the difference between them (in image quality). In fact I did a blind test (someone else renamed the files without letting me see) and I still couldn't tell the difference. The image quality from 100 ISO upwards was identical. As for the rest, the 810's LCD was better and its shutter was quieter.

Looking at image quality alone, I wouldn't disagree with you. However,
don't forget live view shooting, action and tracking of moving objects. 5 FPS continuous shooting in full resolution. 9,999 frames instead of 999 for time lapse photography. wider ISO range and the addition of RAW Small files. I will not dwell on the video side at this junction. Unquestionably. Is it a huge leap over its predecessor.
 
So nothing to do with duty / tax then.

I don't know - it might have been, but I couldn't understand German and we didn't want to prolong things by asking questions. They were definitely looking for something though - we had to unpack every single flight case (26 of them!). Maybe they didn't like the look of us (girl crew-members excepted!).
 
Looking at image quality alone, ..... don't forget live view shooting, action and tracking of moving objects. 5 FPS continuous shooting in full resolution. 9,999 frames instead of 999 for time lapse photography. wider ISO range and the addition of RAW Small files. I will not dwell on the video side at this junction. .....

I agree it had more on the live view/fps/video/(etc) fronts - but I don't care about those, I'm only interested in single frame image quality. I'm not even interested in high ISO.
 
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