New/Used camera

woodchip · Post by **woodchip** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 6:09 am

Bought a supposedly new nikon 5400 camera. While the camera looks new and all the packing looked good, the camera was missing the usb port cable. Also the li-ion battery appears to have a full charge on it. Any way I can tell if this camera is used? Stress you're pretty good at this...any ideas? I have a xerox copier that if you enter a certain code into it it will tell how many pages have been copied. Kinda wondering if there is something similar here.

roid · Post by **roid** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 6:45 am

YES!!

take a photo with it, and check the name of the file.

my camera makes numbered photos, and it increments the number every photo. AAAAAAND it's set to keep incrementing even after you ahve erased all the photos (you can reset this though, but it's an option you have to CHOOSE).

if you are lucky your camera will be the same (and if your extra lucky there will be a million dollars hidden in your toilet, in 15 seconds.)

DigiJo · Post by **DigiJo** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 8:24 am

almost all digital cameras store a lot of technical information in hidden metatags in the pictures, called the EXIF-Tags.

get a free exif-viewer here:

http://www.amarra.de/exif_uk.htm

take a picture with your new cam and open it with exif-viewer. probably there is a general picturecounter in.

dont load it in a program like photoshop first, exif-data maybe lost then if you resize or filter the image.

STRESSTEST · Post by **STRESSTEST** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 9:06 am

umm, well... there ya have it

I have nothing to add after those two posts

woodchip · Post by **woodchip** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 10:40 pm

O.K. I'm figuring out how to use this little rascal. Started a test file, took a pic and looked at the basic file info. Seems there are 650+ jpg images. So we can assume not exactly new. Perhaps a display camera? O.K. Stress how much would a demo Nikon 5400 be worth? I paid 375.00 for it with a credit card (so I can always "adjust" the price) but it was listed as "New" in the box.
I have to get the usb cord (another thing I'll "deduct" from the price) to try Digijo's software suggestion.
So far everything seems to work. Software are in sealed bags so I think again that this was a demo camera.

Battlebot · Post by **Battlebot** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 10:57 pm

i sugest returning it and getting one of those uber small cameras.

woodchip · Post by **woodchip** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 11:24 pm

Those uber small cameras do not focus within 1/2" of the subject.

STRESSTEST · Post by **STRESSTEST** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 12:11 am

just start google'ing the thing. You'll get pricing on it soon enough. Then hit ebay and see what they are going for there.

woodchip · Post by **woodchip** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 7:32 am

So far the closest I can get is a refurbished one for 390.00 But that doesn't come with strap, battery or lens cap.

Will Robinson · Post by **Will Robinson** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 8:26 am

Don't judge just by the exif data because as the cameras roll down the line they pop a card in it, take a few test shots then pull the card...next camera rolls down the line....pop the card in it...file numbers keep adding up....your camera rolls down the line, pop the card in it BINGO your camera *thinks* it's taken a bunch of shots it really didn't!

woodchip · Post by **woodchip** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 12:51 pm

Too late Will...I already sent a nasty email

AceCombat · Post by **AceCombat** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 1:20 pm

Will Robinson wrote:Don't judge just by the exif data because as the cameras roll down the line they pop a card in it, take a few test shots then pull the card...next camera rolls down the line....pop the card in it...file numbers keep adding up....your camera rolls down the line, pop the card in it BINGO your camera *thinks* it's taken a bunch of shots it really didn't!

yah but doesnt the camera.... not the card... keep that info.....plus he said it was how many numbers up....650 <-- i dont think a factory would have taken 650 pictures for testing purposes.

if it were refurbished wouldnt the factory reset the EXIF data aswell. im just throwing ideas out as usual.

Will Robinson · Post by **Will Robinson** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 2:07 pm

I'm not sure with Nikon but I've heard of Canons coming back from service centers with the file numbering way off from where it was because of the service guys using their own cards.

Also, I bought a new Canon D30 and a new Canon 1D and they both came with a memory of having taken a few hundred shots and they were definitely new cameras.
I think it depends on the settings in the camera to either continue the file numbering string from card to card or start a new folder...something like that...not sure about anything other than Canon though.

The fully charged battery is something I've never seen on a new camera though...

Birdseye · Post by **Birdseye** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 4:30 pm

Unfortunately returned items are still considered New. Ever heard of Fry's?

woodchip · Post by **woodchip** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 6:21 pm

Birdy, isn't that like in un-open packages? Ever try buying a car, put a couple hundred mile on it and then return it for full credit?

Dang, I can't find any used Nikon 5400's. No one wants to turn them in when buying a newer camera?

roid · Post by **roid** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 5:26 am

i wouldn't worry about it wood. you can't tell a new camera from a display camera. the only possible difference would be a few scuff marks from use, and if you don't notice any, there's no other difference.

your warranty will start from the date you purchased it anyway.

it's not like the cameras are designed to only take 200,000 photos, and you have been ripped off a few hundred, it just doesn't work like that. your camera is fine, it's not worth posting it back.

woodchip · Post by **woodchip** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 3:14 pm

I hear ya Roid. It's just when they say "New in Box" I don't expect "Display camera in Box".
Been playing around with it and everything seems to work. Gotta load the software and learn that next.
Oh and instead of getting the usb cable I got a high speed media reader by Belkin instead. And while I was at CompUSA I picked up a blue lighted fan for the computor. Unlike Birdy, I like colors