Well, with the pound/dollar conversion rate and the pricing policies of some of the manufacturers, an awful lot of very desirable things can be had in the US for less than half what I would pay in the UK.

So, it just happens I may be travelling to the US on business at the end of the month. Other than my P&S, I don't see the point of bringing anything else with me as I can buy well there. So, lots of options:

1. Upgrading to a D80.
2. Bringing my D40 body and buying the Nikkor 18-200 VR lens while I'm there.
3. A combination of 1 and 2 (D80 + 18-200 whooo hooo).
4. Changing systems (dust buster capability and size of Olympus really appeals though I doubt the image quality from a 4/3 sensor would be as good as half frame).

Decisions decisions but my question is: Other than obviously perhaps having to pay duty when I get back to the UK (and what I buy would still be a steal to me if I do), are there any other issues? Will my equipment be guaranteed for example?

Well, with the pound/dollar conversion rate and the pricing policies of some of the manufacturers, an awful lot of very desirable things can be had in the US for less than half what I would pay in the UK.

So, it just happens I may be travelling to the US on business at the end of the month. Other than my P&S, I don't see the point of bringing anything else with me as I can buy well there. So, lots of options:

1. Upgrading to a D80.
2. Bringing my D40 body and buying the Nikkor 18-200 VR lens while I'm there.
3. A combination of 1 and 2 (D80 + 18-200 whooo hooo).
4. Changing systems (dust buster capability and size of Olympus really appeals though I doubt the image quality from a 4/3 sensor would be as good as half frame).

Decisions decisions but my question is: Other than obviously perhaps having to pay duty when I get back to the UK (and what I buy would still be a steal to me if I do), are there any other issues? Will my equipment be guaranteed for example?

Adorama and B&H will sell stuff with either a US or International warranty. I dont know the difference between an international and a UK specific warranty, however.

Adorama and B&H will sell stuff with either a US or International warranty. I dont know the difference between an international and a UK specific warranty, however.

I can't speak to the polices of Nikon U.K., Nikon France, Nikon Germany, etc. but - Nikon U.S.A. will not repair any non-U.S.A. or grey-market equipment under any circumstances. All U.S.A market Nikon equipment serial numbers begin with 'US' so it is very easy for them to tell.

Understand that I am not talking about just warranty repair here - Nikon USA will refuse to service non-U.S.A. equipment even if you offered to pay them twice market rates for repairs.

They do this to prevent consumers from buying Nikon gear sourced from non-authorized distribution chains [even if the dealer is an authorized Nikon agent] in order to save a few bucks.

If an American buys a piece of Nikon equipment in another country while traveling then Nikon requires that a copy of the receipt from a foreign authorized dealer must accompany any repair requests and the country the receipt is from must match the country code of the serial number of the item in question.

While reputable places like B&H do sell grey-market Nikon equipment they are upfront and honest that such equipment will not be repaired under any circumstances by Nikon USA. B&H offers their own in-store warranty instead but you must send your equipment there to be repaired by their own in-store techs. Under many circumstances their in-store tech can likely do a good job but Nikon no longer sells certain parts and machines and repair manuals to outside repair facilities and one could run into a situation, under a store warranty, the store is unable to procure the necessary part.

In short, Nikon has generally made it not worth the few dollars one saves in buying grey market/non-U.S. market equipment here in the U.S. My understanding is that the European Nikon distributors repair policies are much less onerous and antagonistic to grey market equipment but I would check with your countries distributor just to make sure.

No Msg

I can't speak to the polices of Nikon U.K., Nikon France, Nikon Germany, etc. but - Nikon U.S.A. will not repair any non-U.S.A. or grey-market equipment under any circumstances. All U.S.A market Nikon equipment serial numbers begin with 'US' so it is very easy for them to tell.

Understand that I am not talking about just warranty repair here - Nikon USA will refuse to service non-U.S.A. equipment even if you offered to pay them twice market rates for repairs.

They do this to prevent consumers from buying Nikon gear sourced from non-authorized distribution chains [even if the dealer is an authorized Nikon agent] in order to save a few bucks.

If an American buys a piece of Nikon equipment in another country while traveling then Nikon requires that a copy of the receipt from a foreign authorized dealer must accompany any repair requests and the country the receipt is from must match the country code of the serial number of the item in question.

While reputable places like B&H do sell grey-market Nikon equipment they are upfront and honest that such equipment will not be repaired under any circumstances by Nikon USA. B&H offers their own in-store warranty instead but you must send your equipment there to be repaired by their own in-store techs. Under many circumstances their in-store tech can likely do a good job but Nikon no longer sells certain parts and machines and repair manuals to outside repair facilities and one could run into a situation, under a store warranty, the store is unable to procure the necessary part.

In short, Nikon has generally made it not worth the few dollars one saves in buying grey market/non-U.S. market equipment here in the U.S. My understanding is that the European Nikon distributors repair policies are much less onerous and antagonistic to grey market equipment but I would check with your countries distributor just to make sure.

I agree with this about the US but what I dont know is if the UK has the international warranty or a UK specific one. It cant be "grey market" everywhere, can it? They must use that warranty in some countries.

I agree with this about the US but what I dont know is if the UK has the international warranty or a UK specific one. It cant be "grey market" everywhere, can it? They must use that warranty in some countries.

My understanding is that most/all of Nikons other [read non-U.S.A.] distributors do have country specific warranties but that each countries official Nikon repair stations will still honor warranty and non-warranty work on Nikon gear from other countries.

It seems it is just Nikon U.S.A. that gets their panties in a wad over non-U.S.A./grey market equipment.

The funny thing is that Nikon could eliminate all grey marketing in their equipment if they wanted to.

Nippon Kogaku [Nikon] knows that they really aren’t selling 10,000 D200s in Bhutan so why do they continue to sell 10,000 units to their Bhutan distributor when they know that he is trans-shipping the stuff straight to B&H?

They continue to do this because they want the revenue – fine, but then Nikon should sack it up and let Nikon U.S.A. cover the grey market stuff under warranty or stop its distribution.