Nikon 80-200 f2.8 af-s for £350 - good deal?

velonoir

velonoir

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Dougie
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Hi all,

Just looking for some opinions, I've been offered this lens for £350 by a chap who lives fairly local and is giving up photography. I've been after one of these or the d version for a while. It's quite cheap because there are some cosmetic marks on the body but mainly because there are some small blemishes on the front lens element. He's assured me they don't show in pictures at all and has said I can take it for 48 hours to make my own mind up so I'm happy with that. The big question is whether this is a fair price? I'm never sure with things that have cosmetic damage, especially on the lens so don't really know if this is a good deal given the damage. I expect I'll have to sell it on at some point if I get a 70-200 vr and I'd like to think it won't be a total nightmare to sell. Any thoughts appreciated.
 
Hard to say, excellent condition ones with a filter thrown in have gone for 600-700, cosmetically comparable ones without the marks on the lens element around 440-500 though one went for £340 with a repaired tripod collar but it was probably an eBay fluke. I know eBay can be a bit hit and miss though so the short answer is that I'm not totally certain.
 
Good point. I will have a good thorough look inside the lens with a bright light to check for fungus but from the photos he had emailed me the blemishes are definitely small scratches in the lens, possibly just the coating, I'm not sure. I mailed a few questions like whether the af squeaks and if the rings are stiff at all so provide these aren't issues I'll probably nip up and buy it. Thanks for the opinion, it has made me feel more confident the money is being spent sensibly :) .
 
Also, just found out it doesn't come with the pouch and and tripod collar. He says these didn't come with it and the lens has been owned by him since new . I thought these came with the lens, maybe I'm wrong? Anyone able to confirm?
Don't get me wrong the guy seems like a decent fella but that seemed odd.
 
velonoir said:
Also, just found out it doesn't come with the pouch and and tripod collar. He says these didn't come with it and the lens has been owned by him since new . I thought these came with the lens, maybe I'm wrong? Anyone able to confirm?
Don't get me wrong the guy seems like a decent fella but that seemed odd.
Click to expand...

Yes they did, scroll down to the bottom for evidence:

http://www.mir.SPAM/rb/photography/...esources/AFNikkor/AF-Nikkor80200mm/index4.htm
 
jpw said:
Yes they did, scroll down to the bottom for evidence:

http://www.mir.SPAM/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/AFNikkor/AF-Nikkor80200mm/index4.htm
Click to expand...

Thanks, I was looking for something like that. Hmmm, not sure what to make of it then. The collar can be had for about £15 and I would have bought a padded soft pouch anyway. Might not be such a bargain. Seems odd that he said they didn't come with it from new instead of just saying they were misplaced. Not really a big issue but just makes me a little less at ease.
 
velonoir said:
Thanks, I was looking for something like that. Hmmm, not sure what to make of it then. The collar can be had for about £15 and I would have bought a padded soft pouch anyway. Might not be such a bargain. Seems odd that he said they didn't come with it from new instead of just saying they were misplaced. Not really a big issue but just makes me a little less at ease.
Click to expand...

It was sold between 1998-2003 - at best, it's a purchase he made 10 years ago, at worst, 15 years ago. If he bought it in the last 6 months, sure, I'd also be a little wary, but a decade ago? :shrug: people forget things!

Also, it may have just been in a compartment in the box that he just never opened.

Of course, with second hand purchases (and new purchases!), caution is always advised, but I can think of plenty of legitimate reasons why it would be missing.
 
Indeed that's a fair point, however the deal has become a bit of a debacle, during a few emails back and forth to confirm everything, he had mentioned it didn't have an internal motor. I queried this as it's the af-s at which point he (despite having listed it as an Af-s lens) seemed to have a eureka moment and decided he wanted another £50 for it... Pretty bad selling etiquette. With the scratches on the lens element and missing accessories as well as the hood being a bit loose and possibly in need of replacement soon I have sent him a polite email saying I'm not prepared to pay £400... Maybe I'll regret giving up the chance but I'm just not sure that £400 is even a particularly good deal and the price hike has soured my feeling about the whole thing. Bummer...
 
if it's AF-S version good price (depends on condition really). Even AF-D still good.

I bought 2 ring version AF-D. Cosmetics not the best, front element has scratches. I paid £400 (few months ago) and bought it from local dealer with 12 months warranty. But performance (that's what we want) is amazing.


why don't you go and try it?
 
Gary Coyle said:
Bite his hand off, bargain.
Click to expand...

Fully agree, the AFS is a -relatively rare- gem of a lens. I found a cheap one (still more than the price mentioned here) about 5 years ago, when I came to sell I made quite a profit.
 
Hmmm, while I'm not tremendously impressed by his sales technique I suppose that's not a reason to turn down a good opportunity. If the consensus is that it's still a good buy at 400 I'll maybe drop him an email again indicating that I've reconsidered.
 
After a bit of a backtrack I now have an 80-200 sitting on the end of my camera... As was stated, it's still a good buy, just need to find a tripod collar and a bag for it. The hood was done for so I've taken a gamble in trying an hb-29 as they're a third of the price of the hb-17. Apparently they fit quite well. Thanks for all the advice, it helped me make a good decision.
 
I'd seen some of them on eBay, wasn't that confident it would be very well made for holding a relatively heavy lens. Might as well take a point though I guess. Thanks. Wish I had access to a cnc mill... Could put my CAD skills to use and get a nice sturdy custom one made.
 
Didn't I see a thread here on tp from a dude offering cnc work??



/edit: can't find the time to search now... really needs to go to bed! :D
 
You know what they say if it seems too good to be true it usually is!
 
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