Looking for a SLR camera - any suggestions?

[kgoings]

Originally Posted by Blueface

Plenty of great deals to be had on used equipment.
I have always gone new because in the photography business I was in, I needed reliability and a warranty to address any issues.
Some of my friends bought used stuff that worked very well for them and likewise, some stuff broke down sooner than would be expected as it already had ample wear. That is the risk they took for the discounted price.

However, on the grey market conversation? I would stay totally away from it. While you are right in what you state, if I spend thousands of dollars on a Hasselblad as an example, I want a warranty I can rely on. You are correct that the only difference between the two is the warranty but boy, that is a major difference.

When I bought my D80 over a year and a half ago, the $1600 I spent on my package was significant enough money for me to want to be able to address repairs in my country, directly with a reputable manufacturer as Nikon and not some third party.

Many folks buy grey market stuff of all kinds. Take the Mercedes Benz fad in the 80's as an example and many of them lived to regret it. The savings just doesn't justify it. With camera equipment, you are usually talking small amounts in cost difference. It is not like you can buy a D80 US for $800 now and buy a grey market for $400. The diffence is less. I say to save small amounts of money like that, just don't buy that large. Buy a cheaper camera that you can afford but with a US warranty.

This is true, I just wasnt sure if he was looking used or new. If used, grey market and us model are identical. There was a time when the grey market stuff was quite a bit cheaper. But these days you can usually get the us model from places like adorama for cheaper than the grey market.

I just wanted to make sure he was informed about what grey market is, people hear grey market and think of black market...they are no where near the same thing.