Should I buy 2nd hand Nikon D1?

blues2

I know someone willing to sell me a Nikon D1. I know its old but from what I gather it was a really good camera in its day. I currently have a canon 450D.
What would you pay for this? Maybe the extras make it worth purchasing:
Nikon D1 digital SLR camera
Nikon AF Nikkor 24-120mm 1:3.5-5.6D lens
Nikon rechargeable battery pack model EN-4 & charger
Nikon EH-4 AC adapter
Sunpak Ring flash model DX12R

Any thoughts on total value (or use since I have 450d) appreciated.

Reviews here:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond1/

Ricky91t

Has he not given you an idea of price?

There's alot more factor's that need to be taken note of than what come with the camera,It's shutter could be on the way out the condition could be terrible etc etc

mrmac

TBH - I'd stick with the Canon, and spend my money on some nice glass.

CabanSail

What do you plan on doing with the camera?

The specs of an entry level camera these days blow the D1 away. The lens is not that fast. I don't know much about the ring flash, but it could be useful if you are going to do some macro. The other stuff is just what would come with a camera anyway.

If it were offered to me I would probably buy it for the fun of owning a camera that I would have loved to have got my hands on when it was new. Being into Nikons since Adam was in shorts it would be for nostalgia.

Cannot give you any idea on price. As a camera for serious shooting today it is really worthless. As a collectable it does have some value.

qwertz

Bear in mind that you will need to replace the batteries.

Ricky91t

No!!

I've just read the specs(assumed it was the same as the canon 1D)

2.6MP no thanks and only 4.5fps,If you want a better camera have a look for a low shutter count canon 1D,Or as other said go and get some decent glass,The 450D(yes i've briefly used it) is a good machine

mloc

I'm a Nikon guy all the way but the Canon 450D is 99% of the time a better camera than a Nikon D1. I wouldn't bother. I'd take the advice of the others and spend the cash on glass.

melekalikimaka

convert to ir!!!!

pete4130

I"ve got a D1 that I paid about €100 for not so long ago. It's a well built camera, takes CF cards (but has no USB connection!). I've got some good results from it but it can be tedious hard work as the camera is VERY slow to write anything other than jpegs to the card. The LCD screen is frustratingly small (compared to my D3 that is). The batteries were never the best in the D1 series and probably won't be great now that they are 10 years old.

You also can't clean the sensor unless you have the AC adaptor ( I over came this by fully charging the battery and using a cable release locked down using the bulb setting).

If you get it at a cheap price its great to have a camera to leave in the car or bring out and not worry too much about it. It still does take good pictures and it can easily print to 18x12. I say if the price is right go for it but it is by no means a replacement for a 450D. Use it as a bit of fun for a while and see what you get from it. I'll attach some links to shots I've taken with my D1. I initially bought it as I was sick of people saying my camera took great pictures so set myself the challenge to buy a D1 and produce good images from it.

Here are 2 sets on my flickr taken with the D1:

1- HERE

and

2 - HERE

Back in the day it was the dogs b0ll0x. If you get it for a good price go have some fun with it. The small MP count shouldn't bother you. The files are easy to work with. You'll need a cheat sheet for the custom menu settings though. They are a pain in the a$$ to remember!

It's good enough to 800 ISO too once there are no huge black areas. I shot a gig with the D1 and a 50mm 1.8 lens and managed to get some good sharp results with it.

DaireQuinlan

pete4130 wrote: »

I"ve got a D1 that I paid about €100 for not so long ago. It's a well built camera, takes CF cards (but has no USB connection!). I've got some good results from it but it can be tedious hard work as the camera is VERY slow to write anything other than jpegs to the card. The LCD screen is frustratingly small (compared to my D3 that is). The batteries were never the best in the D1 series and probably won't be great now that they are 10 years old.

Yeah, just to echo pete4130 here, if I was offered a D1 for €100 I'd pick it up like a shot. 150->200 I'd definitely have second thoughts. Any more and I'd steer clear. So it really depends on what the asking price is. The reason I'd pick it up is because I'm heavily commited to Nikon film gear, so having a digital body I could mess around with would be nice. I'm sure the AF and the metering on the body are tip top, and I presume it can also meter with manual lenses aswell, a benefit shared by only the pro and pro-sumer nikon bodies.

nick 56

It is wierd when you get to handle a classic camera especialy if its one you wanted in its day but to buy it is a mistake. I did so a few years ago with a nikon film camera and it was a mistake.
I ended wasting money on repairs and for what, to end up with a low spec peace of kit.

blues2

Thanks everyone. Going to give it a miss.