richardHaw
junk scavenger
because i enjoy fixing stuff, i will only keep it if they will sell it to me for dirt-cheap 😱😱😱
Nikon S2: Keep or return
- Thread starter Vincent.G
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richardHaw
junk scavenger
1) Fungus in the VF and RF windows.
requires the top and front to be removed. RF assembly taken out and cleaned just in case
2) All shutter speeds at and below 1/30 behaves like bulb mode. High speeds sound ok
you will have to open the camera just to get to the slow governor which is not easily accessible on most Nikon cameras I have worked on, most specially true with the manual F series.
3) Squeaky helicoid
requires a front overhaul. not too bad, can be fixed in under 30min.
4) Fungus stains inside the lens
this will require that the optics be cleaned. if this were my lens, i would overhaul everything just so that it's a one-off job for me.
5) Slight haze inside 3.5cm VF
easy to clean but a pain to get the parallelism back.
not an expert, just somebody who tinkers with things. a pro will give you a better assessment 😱😱😱
if the camera is in that state then there are chances that there will be other things going on that you will not see unless you open it up🙄
requires the top and front to be removed. RF assembly taken out and cleaned just in case
2) All shutter speeds at and below 1/30 behaves like bulb mode. High speeds sound ok
you will have to open the camera just to get to the slow governor which is not easily accessible on most Nikon cameras I have worked on, most specially true with the manual F series.
3) Squeaky helicoid
requires a front overhaul. not too bad, can be fixed in under 30min.
4) Fungus stains inside the lens
this will require that the optics be cleaned. if this were my lens, i would overhaul everything just so that it's a one-off job for me.
5) Slight haze inside 3.5cm VF
easy to clean but a pain to get the parallelism back.
not an expert, just somebody who tinkers with things. a pro will give you a better assessment 😱😱😱
if the camera is in that state then there are chances that there will be other things going on that you will not see unless you open it up🙄
Vincent.G
Well-known
Thanks Richard.
Actually I already was getting ready my tools after starting this thread in anticipation of people encouraging me to keep the camera and do DIY cleaning.
I prepared some lithium grease, lighter fluid, ethanol, Q-tips, cotton wool, Wiha screw-drivers etc.
Regarding the shutter problem, details of how to fix it can be found here: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149161
But I am not 100% confident I can clean up everything thoroughly. Fungus is nasty stuff.
Actually I already was getting ready my tools after starting this thread in anticipation of people encouraging me to keep the camera and do DIY cleaning.
I prepared some lithium grease, lighter fluid, ethanol, Q-tips, cotton wool, Wiha screw-drivers etc.
Regarding the shutter problem, details of how to fix it can be found here: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149161
But I am not 100% confident I can clean up everything thoroughly. Fungus is nasty stuff.
richardHaw
junk scavenger
do not lubricate the helicoids at all 😱😱😱 if it gums up again due to the grease caking up with dust it will be another cleaning session.
use launa oil for what is inside. molybdenum grease is what i was told to use for the advance mechanism cogs. easily found at the Tamiya section of your RC hobby shop
use launa oil for what is inside. molybdenum grease is what i was told to use for the advance mechanism cogs. easily found at the Tamiya section of your RC hobby shop
Peter Jennings
Well-known
At that price, you should expect a camera and lens in excellent condition. It definitely makes more sense to return it, as most have recommended. The seller obviously doesn't know much about Nikon gear and probably didn't check it thoroughly. Those black paint 3.5cm finders alone usually sell for >$300.
Good news that he's standing behind the sale.
How much of a refund would you accept in order to keep the kit? Just curious. 🙂
Vincent.G
Well-known
Yes, I think the seller should be an honest chap. He had 100% positive feedbacks. Language barrier and limited knowledge with what he sells might be the problem.
The black 3.5cm finder is gorgeous! I am not a collector and have no use for it now although I was looking for 35mm external VF earlier on.
Vincent.G
Well-known
Given the repair quote by DAG, I would expect no less than 50% partial refund to keep it.
Excellent ebay buyer protection is also a huge factor here imo.
Having been burnt before, I'm not giving him the benefit of the doubt. The same guys with the same crappy (and most likely intentionally inaccurate) descriptions often sell on YJ auctions simultaneously and state in their auctions that returns are ok, but the buyer pays return shipping and a "restocking fee". Since YJ auction buyer protection sucks, you're pretty much screwed if you buy a dud.
Actually, there are so many dodgy sellers on YJ auctions these days that you have to be very very careful buying anything there. Avoiding auctions with product descriptions that contain musical note characters does seem to be a pretty good way to steer clear of a lot of them though.
richardHaw
junk scavenger
exactly. yahoo auctions is filled with these kinds of rats. that musical notes thing will say:
"there is fungi but it wont affect the image ♪♪♪"
i wanted to reply saying:
"go shove it up your (rear orifice)♪♪♪"
but that's not allowed.
YA is affected by what I call the "camera mafia". it is a small group of sellers acting like a cartel. You cross with one and you cross with the rest of them.
This trickery is mainly aimed to fool people who don't read the descriptions carefully or to mainland chinese buyers who read the kanji but skip the rest.
be warned. this is what got me into the camera/lens repair hobby 😱😱😱
"there is fungi but it wont affect the image ♪♪♪"
i wanted to reply saying:
"go shove it up your (rear orifice)♪♪♪"
but that's not allowed.
YA is affected by what I call the "camera mafia". it is a small group of sellers acting like a cartel. You cross with one and you cross with the rest of them.
This trickery is mainly aimed to fool people who don't read the descriptions carefully or to mainland chinese buyers who read the kanji but skip the rest.
be warned. this is what got me into the camera/lens repair hobby 😱😱😱
Vincent.G
Well-known
Thanks for sharing your experience.
I bought my S2 from a seller I have never tried before. Perhaps my previous positive experiences with other Japanese eBay sellers made me too trusting of them. In addition, this seller has 100% positive feedback!!! I will learn to be more careful in future. Should I give him a negative feedback?
Do you have any reliable sellers to recommend?
I bought my S2 from a seller I have never tried before. Perhaps my previous positive experiences with other Japanese eBay sellers made me too trusting of them. In addition, this seller has 100% positive feedback!!! I will learn to be more careful in future. Should I give him a negative feedback?
Do you have any reliable sellers to recommend?
These kind of sellers maintain a 100% positive feedback (or close) precisely because they will refund, and definitely not because they describe items accurately. I think they're hoping the buyer will just suck it up if they're not happy with an item.
I don't use ebay enough to be able to recommend any reliable sellers there, but on YJ auctions I can recommend suzumegodai (nobbysparrow on ebay but I don't think he sells cameras there). Any screwmount Leica he sells will work fine and his prices are very reasonable.
https://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/seller/suzumegodai
This guy is also reliable. I got a very nice Nikon S2 from him some years ago and it came exactly as described.
https://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/seller/hiroo25jp
I preferred your previous spelling of (rear orifice), Rick lol 😀
css9450
Veteran
Sounds like a good way to get your legs broken and thrown in the river!
Highway 61
Revisited
oh my 🙂
...
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farlymac
PF McFarland
When I was making up my S2 kit, as I went through the offerings from Japan I looked for sellers who would post as many photos as possible of the equipment, taken from all angles, and showing every little detail. Those are the honest ones.
Then there are the ones who use the same photos in multiple listings, and under different names. One night I found the exact same camera under three listings, and they never even bothered to cover up the serial number. I reported them to eBay, but nothing was ever done about it.
PF
Then there are the ones who use the same photos in multiple listings, and under different names. One night I found the exact same camera under three listings, and they never even bothered to cover up the serial number. I reported them to eBay, but nothing was ever done about it.
PF
richardHaw
junk scavenger
it's the camera mafia again 😱😱😱
basically made up of camera nerds young and old :bang:
i see some of them in my junk raids on the shops of Tokyo 😎
this is why i sometimes help my friends from overseas by buying the cameras myself and checking it at the shop. the biggest trouble is sending them overseas especially to the UK :bang:
i have a mantra: never buy cameras online if you can help it. if you can spare a bit more, just buy it from a brick and mortar shop. you get to test it yourself and you help somebody's business live for another day. lenses are OK since there aren't many mechanical parts in one anyway. electronic lenses are another story. KEH is also excellent and sometimes rivals ebay prices...
basically made up of camera nerds young and old :bang:
i see some of them in my junk raids on the shops of Tokyo 😎
this is why i sometimes help my friends from overseas by buying the cameras myself and checking it at the shop. the biggest trouble is sending them overseas especially to the UK :bang:
i have a mantra: never buy cameras online if you can help it. if you can spare a bit more, just buy it from a brick and mortar shop. you get to test it yourself and you help somebody's business live for another day. lenses are OK since there aren't many mechanical parts in one anyway. electronic lenses are another story. KEH is also excellent and sometimes rivals ebay prices...
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