A couple of questions on a Nikkor 500 mm f/4 ED AF-S II

I've seen a lens on eBay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=380065079809

that I am interested in and was thinking of making an offer, but a
couple of things are causing me some concern. Given this is quite a bit
of money, I want to be sure of things before paying such a large sum of
money.

1) Despite nothing in the auction listing mentioning anything wrong with
the lens hood, the seller has sent me this:

"The only problem with it is the lens hood. The locking mechanism srew
thread had worn out. We ordered a new part, however, having fitted it
the screw doesn't seem to screw in far enough to lock it. No big problem
it just needs a bit of attention."

Does anyone know if this is a common fault, or what is likely to be the
issue? I find it hard to believe a screw would wear out. Perhaps some
idiot cross-threaded it? Even stranger is why a replacement would not
work either. If the seller thinks it is no problem and just needs a bit
of attention, it's hard for me to understand why they did not give it
the attention - having already gone to the trouble of ordering a new part.

Any thoughts as to the likely problems this fault might cause?

2) The lens is described as "Nikon 500mm f4 AF-S D II ED". There is no
"IF" in the part number. I can't actually find any reference to an AF-S
II which is not an IF. The picture is too poor quality to see the name
plate. (I find it a bit odd somewhere selling camera kit can't produce
an image of reasonable quality!)

Dave wrote:
I've seen a lens on eBay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=380065079809

that I am interested in and was thinking of making an offer, but a
couple of things are causing me some concern. Given this is quite a bit
of money, I want to be sure of things before paying such a large sum of
money.

1) Despite nothing in the auction listing mentioning anything wrong with
the lens hood, the seller has sent me this:

"The only problem with it is the lens hood. The locking mechanism srew
thread had worn out. We ordered a new part, however, having fitted it
the screw doesn't seem to screw in far enough to lock it. No big problem
it just needs a bit of attention."

Does anyone know if this is a common fault, or what is likely to be the
issue? I find it hard to believe a screw would wear out. Perhaps some
idiot cross-threaded it? Even stranger is why a replacement would not
work either. If the seller thinks it is no problem and just needs a bit
of attention, it's hard for me to understand why they did not give it
the attention - having already gone to the trouble of ordering a new part.

Any thoughts as to the likely problems this fault might cause?

2) The lens is described as "Nikon 500mm f4 AF-S D II ED". There is no
"IF" in the part number. I can't actually find any reference to an AF-S
II which is not an IF. The picture is too poor quality to see the name
plate. (I find it a bit odd somewhere selling camera kit can't produce
an image of reasonable quality!)

A third question I have too:

3) Are there any particular questions I should ask of a seller when
buying this lens, or any of the 500 or 600 mm Nikkors? Any parts that
are likely to be missing I should ask about? (Ignoring obvious things
like the condition of the optics).


There have been a few feedback complaints of this seller where the
condition of lenses has not been accurately described - i.e. scratches
not mentioned. In this case, the fault with the lens hood is not
mentioned, although I now know of that. The lens also looks scratched to
me, but they deny this. But it is almost impossible to see from a
photograph scratches on lenses - especially if someone wanted to hide them!

Dave

"Dave" wrote in message ...
I've seen a lens on eBay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=380065079809

that I am interested in and was thinking of making an offer,

Eh?

You're thinking of buying from someone with only 98.5% postive feedback

on an item listed at £3,495 ???



Here are some of his negs

courtesy of toolhaus

sorry they won't wrap

http://toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs?Use...rn=Received+by

Received different item than paid for. No response to my emails. Buyer: mcyehzn ( 48) Apr-02-08 03:22
-- (#290169472385) --
Paid for 20 items, received only 18. No response to my emails. Very unsatisfied. Buyer: mcyehzn ( 48)
Apr-02-08 03:12
-- (#290192422627) --
2 weeks,no item.Had to email to find out I would not get the item.V Poor service Buyer: wizardlysiobhan (
3 ) Nov-27-07 05:26
-- (#290169472416) --
There was scratches on the lenses., the lens was returned and I my money back Buyer: larsthomaseriksson (
52) Aug-06-07 05:54
-- (#290047614726) --
After 3 1/2 weeks wait got it. Not so great on comms can't give pos fedbeek Buyer: bomberbinz ( 174)
Jul-25-07 05:34
-- (#290131413660) --
Sold-as-seen but power-up demanded new bulb You could have said! Otherwise good Buyer: clemphoto ( 1166)
Apr-05-07 03:13
-- (#290077696597) --
a mix up resulted in a non sale but these things happen. do not hold it against Buyer: truferelli ( 75)
Feb-28-07 11:04
-- (#290047578893) --
Item as described, but after spending much on item, small accessory not included Buyer: davidhendra ( 29)
Dec-09-06 06:23
-- (#290042651136) --
Wrong item sent initially, not convinced correct item as described i.e new. Buyer: royb5809 ( 26)
Mar-18-06 08:20
-- (#7595962730) --
Some clouding evident on the front lens not mentioned in description Buyer: christian_s_gilbert ( 21)
Jun-14-04 23:13
-- (#3808683709) --
no news from him !!! i am still waiting for contact Buyer: chloe_78 ( 33) Dec-22-02 00:53
-- (#1943083144)


/ quote

michael adams

michael adams wrote:
"Dave" wrote in message ...
I've seen a lens on eBay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=380065079809

that I am interested in and was thinking of making an offer,

Eh?

You're thinking of buying from someone with only 98.5% postive feedback

on an item listed at £3,495 ???

Yes, I was considering it and was aware of the feedback. But it is
making me feel a bit uneasy. I had used toolhaus.org.

One good thing is that the seller can take a credit card directly - not
via Paypal. That means I'm covered by my credit card company, and don't
have the silly £500 limit from Paypal.

I'm also not going to pay £3495 - I can get a brand new VR model for
around £4,755 from Devon Cameras in the UK - and quite possibly less if
I look around. There's no point in buying an old used model if the price
is not significantly below a brand new later model. (OK, £1300 is quite
a saving, but not really when you consider the disadvantages of old
model/used/no guarantee vs new/latest model/full guarantee.)


I've been looking for one of these for a while, and they either don't
show up, or are from US sellers who will not ship to the UK, so perhaps
I'm a bit less choosy about the seller than I might otherwise be. The
fact they can take a credit card is a big plus as far as I am concerned.
But I'm also aware this is not a low value item.

Perhaps I should let this one pass, and wait for a more reputable seller.

Dave wrote:
I've seen a lens on eBay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=380065079809

Isn't Manchester more or less in the middle of England?
The seller has a shop. Before spending £3.5k, wouldn't a few hours
drive or train trip be worth it, plus there's a hint they will do a deal
outside Ebay on the listing.

"Dave" wrote in message ...
Perhaps I should let this one pass, and wait for a more reputable seller.


I'd suggest that the fact the seller did not disclose the issue with the
lens hood is the main reason you should walk away from this one. I'd be
leary that something else might be wrong with it as well and, as you pointed
out, you may be able to get a similar price for a new one if you shop
around.

Sharon

Me wrote:
Dave wrote:
I've seen a lens on eBay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=380065079809

Isn't Manchester more or less in the middle of England?

A bit north of the middle, and I'm in the South. According to Google
maps it is 249 miles from me.

The seller has a shop. Before spending £3.5k, wouldn't a few hours
drive or train trip be worth it, plus there's a hint they will do a deal
outside Ebay on the listing.

Worth considering I must admit. My only concern is they say "yes we
accept your offer" then when I get there I'm told "we have received a
higher offer" so I've gone on a completely wasted journey. 500 miles
wasted is not a lot of fun.

Rita Berkowitz wrote:
Dave wrote:

Does anyone know if this is a common fault, or what is likely to be
the issue? I find it hard to believe a screw would wear out. Perhaps
some idiot cross-threaded it? Even stranger is why a replacement
would not work either. If the seller thinks it is no problem and just
needs a bit of attention, it's hard for me to understand why they did
not give it
the attention - having already gone to the trouble of ordering a new
part.

This is not a common problem with these lens hoods. I think the seller is
just trying to pawn off the lens with a few problems. These problems might
be just minor ones but you should deduct them from your bid/offer. If the
hood is the only problem that can be modified or fixed relatively easy. If
all else fails I have two extra hoods for the 500 that are new in the box.


So does the screw goes into the hood, rather than the lens itself?
Replacing or repairing a hood is clearly a lot easier than getting a
thread repaired in a lens. I assumed the hole in hood was larger than
the outside diameter of the screw with the body of the lens having
thread cut into it.

But if the screw just tightens on the hood itself, then the fault does
not sound so serious, as if all else fails, the hood can be replaced.

Any thoughts as to the likely problems this fault might cause?

Stupidity and abuse.

Thanks. As you say, the rest of it look quite good. It's hard to
understand how someone can be so stupid.

2) The lens is described as "Nikon 500mm f4 AF-S D II ED". There is no
"IF" in the part number. I can't actually find any reference to an
AF-S II which is not an IF. The picture is too poor quality to see
the name plate. (I find it a bit odd somewhere selling camera kit
can't produce
an image of reasonable quality!)

Looking at the picture this is the latest version prior to the VR one. The
gold tag gives it away. From the small pictures the lens looks good. Get
the price down low and be ready to pounce on it when it comes down. This
seller looks like a seasoned dealer and probably won't cut you too much
slack. Hopefully your economy is as ****ty as ours as this is the best
time
to be picking up deals. He looks like a shady character so lowball him and
stick to your guns. Be prepared to walk away.



Rita

Yes, the economy is in a very poor state here.

If I understand the lens hood issue correctly, I'll make them an offer.
I know how much one sold for on eBay UK recently and it was a LOT less
than they are asking. (The annoying thing is I set up 'bidnapper' to
place a bid which was about £10 higher than the final price, but not
enough to make it past the minimum £50/£100 increment. Hence my bid
never got placed, despite it was higher than the selling price).

But I am quite prepared to walk away from this lens. I'm seriously
considering buying a new VR one, but have some difficulty in justifying
that to myself. Hence a used AF-S II is looking quite attractive.

Thank you very much for your comments. If I do get the lens, and decide
to replace the hood, I'll contact you via email.

Rita Berkowitz wrote:
Dave wrote:

So does the screw goes into the hood, rather than the lens itself?
Replacing or repairing a hood is clearly a lot easier than getting a
thread repaired in a lens. I assumed the hole in hood was larger than
the outside diameter of the screw with the body of the lens having
thread cut into it.

The clamp screw assembly is on the hood and is replaceable. This assembly
is held in to the carbon fiber hood with two screws and is replaceable. If
the fiber hood is damaged than that is a whole other issue.

But if the screw just tightens on the hood itself, then the fault does
not sound so serious, as if all else fails, the hood can be replaced.

Yep. They cost around $250 USD.

Thank you. Whilst not cheap, it is at least not so expensive as to make
the purchase of such a lens stupid, but I will of course take this into
account.


Yes, the economy is in a very poor state here.

If I understand the lens hood issue correctly, I'll make them an
offer. I know how much one sold for on eBay UK recently and it was a
LOT less than they are asking. (The annoying thing is I set up
'bidnapper' to place a bid which was about £10 higher than the final
price, but not enough to make it past the minimum £50/£100 increment.
Hence my bid never got placed, despite it was higher than the selling
price).
But I am quite prepared to walk away from this lens. I'm seriously
considering buying a new VR one, but have some difficulty in
justifying that to myself. Hence a used AF-S II is looking quite
attractive.
Thank you very much for your comments. If I do get the lens, and
decide to replace the hood, I'll contact you via email.

As always, buy as low as possible so that if you decide to sell the lens
you
will make a good bit of cash. Chances are this seller won't sell this lens
on his third or fourth relisting. This is the time to keep reminding him
he's overpriced.

I'm not planning to make an investment from it - just get a decent lens
I can use. I might at a later date replace it by a VR and would
hopefully not loose a lot.


Thank you very much for your help - you clearly know a lot about these
lenses.

Dave

Rita Berkowitz wrote:
Dave wrote:

This is not a common problem with these lens hoods. I think the
seller is just trying to pawn off the lens with a few problems. These
problems might be just minor ones but you should deduct them
from your bid/offer. If the hood is the only problem that can be
modified or fixed relatively easy. If all else fails I have two
extra hoods for the 500 that are new in the box.

So does the screw goes into the hood, rather than the lens itself?
Replacing or repairing a hood is clearly a lot easier than getting a
thread repaired in a lens. I assumed the hole in hood was larger than
the outside diameter of the screw with the body of the lens having
thread cut into it.

The clamp screw assembly is on the hood and is replaceable. This assembly
is held in to the carbon fiber hood with two screws and is replaceable. If
the fiber hood is damaged than that is a whole other issue.


Thank you. I did not get the lens. The seller has accepted an offer of
£3100 - US equivalent of $5700.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=380065079809

That seems a bit excessive to me, given a Nikkor 500mm f4 D IF-ED AF-S
II Lens without a fault very recently sold in the UK for £2600.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=150286334070

Someone must either be very desparate or stupid to pay £500 more for a
lens which clearly needs a bit of attention.

BTW, is there anything specific one should be aware of if buying a 500
or 600 mm AF-S / AF-S II lens? Are there any common faults, little bits
that tend to get lost or any other things I would need to be aware of?