Nikon D4 Warranty UK

paulr

For the first time in the Uk Nikon are offering a third year warranty for a professional camera the D4, This coupled with an Insurance company, Domestic and General but partnered with Nikon Uk, the cost is £240 for the extended year but does cover all accident damage from date of purchase and has world wide coverage, Plus and this is a big plus, The warranty is transferable to a third party, unlike the Nikon Uk 2 year warranty that comes with Nikon Uk when purchased from official sources in the UK. Normal Nikon UK warranty only applies to the original Owner who must register within a given time to claim the 2nd year warranty and is not transferable.

Juergen

240 Pound is a lot money.
I got one of the first D4's shipped to Germany and so far had the following issues:

- D4 dropped from a cabinet onto a hard-wood floor. Battery cover broke. Nikon made me pay for the parts only. Workmanship was free
- Pin in the F-Mount was broken, I could not take off the lens which was mounted (Sigma). Nikon repaired under warranty.
- D4 with 24-70 2.8 come off from a Sunsniper belt while I was cycling at a decent speed on a mountain bike trail. The camera took a bad hit, rolled over many times. On the outside it has two minor scratches. I had it checked by Nikon…all ok, nothing misaligned, works perfectly.

I guess I would not spend 240 pounds to extent a warranty.

Jürgen

WestEndBoy

For the first time in the Uk Nikon are offering a third year warranty for a professional camera the D4, This coupled with an Insurance company, Domestic and General but partnered with Nikon Uk, the cost is £240 for the extended year but does cover all accident damage from date of purchase and has world wide coverage, Plus and this is a big plus, The warranty is transferable to a third party, unlike the Nikon Uk 2 year warranty that comes with Nikon Uk when purchased from official sources in the UK. Normal Nikon UK warranty only applies to the original Owner who must register within a given time to claim the 2nd year warranty and is not transferable.

Just incorporate a company to hold the warranty. If you want to transfer the warranty, sell the company.

Hmmmm......maybe that is too much trouble, a camera is not a million dollar plus piece of land.

paulr

Wow Jshickle, With your history I would not want to take you on if I was the Insurance company, £240.00 is not cheap like you say, however if you sold the camera within the 3 year period it must help the value of the camera, After all repairing pro cameras never comes cheap!

WestEndBoy

It was really just a joke. I spend about half my time at work setting up complex corporate structures optimized for tax, business and liability efficiency and flexibility, some of them multi-national.

While what I suggested would almost certainly be legally feasible (unless the warranty contract authors anticipated this, then they could write in a protection, though I doubt it), it would almost certainly not be economically feasible unless I was talking about many cameras or it was incidental. For example, if your photography company was a corporation and you sold the photography company, I am sure the warranty would stay with the corporation as long as the corporation purchased the camera and registered the warranty, in effect transferring to the new owners. I am sure that this is what happens with newspapers when they are sold.

BTW, while I love my job, I love photography even more.

Juergen

Wow Jshickle, With your history I would not want to take you on if I was the Insurance company, £240.00 is not cheap like you say, however if you sold the camera within the 3 year period it must help the value of the camera, After all repairing pro cameras never comes cheap!

Thats a good point. Would be interesting to see for how much one can trade in a D4 with low milage and 3 years warranty and get a D4S. I guess at the end it will be determined by the specs of the D4S.

Jürgen

paulr

It's nice to have the choice, When I tried to get Insurance for my D3X I was told it was a pro camera and insurance companies on the whole did not want to know, They regard pro users has a bad risk, well we don't all work in War Zones, and most pros I know look after their gear due to it being their only source of income.
There is no limit on usage So I paid the for policy.Sadly it only covers the body and not any lenses attached at the time, Not sure when I would just take my camera body out without a lens on though, still the body is now covered.

Juergen

Well, what can I say, Paul?
If I wish for you having wasted your money and enjoy a healthy D4, you would be mad at me.
If I would wish you a very nice warranty case, you would be also mad at me.

So I better keep my mouth shut.

:-)
Jürgen

paulr

Peace of mind is everything.

No Juergen, Look at it the other way round, I hope I don't need the insurance claim and have a happy D4. and It is a legitimate tax expense cost, set against gross profits.

Ade

For the professional photographer, there's an alternative way.

First, a pro photographer should have commercial insurance, tailored for a photography business. In Canada coverage starts around $750 / year (around £420/year). It covers all your photography gear, studio equipment, computer / laptop, (digital) negatives, printer & prints, etc., against theft, fire, accidental damage, etc. More importantly it also provides commercial general liability insurance (e.g., in case someone gets hurt during a shoot) and professional liability insurance (e.g., in case bridezilla decides to sue you for allegedly missed pictures). You also get tenant insurance for your studio space, coverage for rental equipment, etc., etc.

While accidental damage is covered, business insurance doesn't cover general repairs. But instead of buying "extended warranty" separately for individual items like for each camera body, each lens, etc., a better approach might to set aside a maintenance & repair fund in the budget.

E.g., you and your accountant might decide to conservatively budget 4% for maintenance and repairs. If you have $25,000 worth of equipment (multiple camera bodies, etc.) then set aside $1,000/yr to cover servicing for ALL of your gear. This includes preventative service (annual checkups, etc.) as well as for repairs.

Chances are, on a typical year you will only use a fraction of the $1,000 budgeted. Paying £240 ($400) up front just to cover one camera body for an additional year seems expensive in comparison. It is an option, but it doesn't seem scalable when you have a lot of equipment to cover.

paulr

Thanks for the tax analysis Ade , However the reason for buying the policy is simply the transferable warranty. When Nikon eventually bring out the D4X or whatever they call it , I will be an owner, One hopes this will be with in the next 3 years, Therefore I can offer for sale of my D4 with full manufactures warranty which always is good sales advantage. and one hopes helps with the value. Plus in the meantime if it were to have a misfortune with the D4 then it is covered. No matter how careful you are accidents do happen.

sevencrossing

Therefore I can offer for sale of my D4 with full manufactures warranty which always is good sales advantage..

So if you were buy a second hand D, would you pay an extra £240 for a camera with an extra years warranty?

I certainly would not

paulr

Perhaps a way to look at it is. Two identical cameras were for sale at the same price yet one offered a manufactures warranty which would you buy. Some times buyers can be rare beasts, some advantage against any opposition can just turn the sale in your favour.

spraynpray

"No matter how careful you are accidents do happen."

Understatement of the year. If you haven't had an accident, you haven't done much!

sevencrossing

Perhaps a way to look at it is. Two identical cameras were for sale at the same price yet one offered a manufactures warranty which would you buy. .

yes but to get your £240 back, you are going to have to charge more than the other guy

paulr

Sevencrossing My main priority would be getting an actual sale Ebay is well know for lookers rather than buyers once you start asking 4 figures, The actual cost of the insurance would not be a factor just a piece of mind selling aid to the buyer.
I have just sold at the third attempt on Ebay my D3X at £1900 00 if I could have offered a warranty I am sure I could have got more. Buyers become very nervous when buying expensive items on Ebay even with a paypal money back guarantee.