Bargain Grade Motor Drives from KEH, Y/N?

agphotography · Sep 20, 2012

Hey guys,

So I was thinking about buying the MD-4 motor drive for my Nikon F3 for infrequent use and mostly for a bit of fun occasionally (sometimes it's just fun to wield a big, loud 35mm camera) I saw that on KEH right now they have an EX grade MD4 and a BGN grade one. I've purchased BGN grade before from them and I've never really been disappointed, but I'm wondering if there would be any mechanical issues potentially?

Just wanted to hear your thoughts.

Thanks!

BrianShaw · Sep 20, 2012

How much of a gambler are you. Nobody has a crystal ball that can determine what the motor could turn out to be.

agphotography · Sep 20, 2012

I've never gambled a day in my life.

I guess for $9 I could take a chance!

BrianShaw · Sep 20, 2012

I should say so... but for $9 I wouldn't expect it to work.

Good luck.. I hope I end up being wrong. That would be a great buy!

agphotography · Sep 20, 2012

I sent them an email to see if they'd be willing to inspect it for me. They've always been good to me in the past as I've ordered several things from them over the years.

We'll see

Tejasican · Sep 20, 2012

They have a great return policy and usually state if an item does not function. I bought a Bargain MD-4 at about 12$ a while back and although the finish is a little worn, it functions quite well.

agphotography · Sep 20, 2012

Good to hear! They got back to me promptly and said that while they couldn't send me photos of the item, they do warranty it for 6 months and guarantee that it is working. So for $9 I took the chance

M.A.Longmore · Sep 21, 2012

.
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !!!

Crazy Eddie probably went into the Witness Protection Program, and opened up
a camera shop in Georgia. Their Prices Are Insane !!! The UG, and BGN Grade Grade
gear that I've been buying is immaculate, with the very slightest of scratches . . .
And everything works perfectly !

Ron
.

Captain_joe6 · Sep 21, 2012

Agreed, KEH has always graded their equipment very conservatively. Been more than impressed a number of times.

John_Nikon_F · Sep 22, 2012

Got an UG grade F-36 drive on my F. Was originally sold as an AS IS drive, with corrosion in the cordless battery pack, and missing the coupler. I cleaned the contacts, sourced a coupler, and the drive works perfectly on the body. So, even the UG grade stuff is good for the most part.

-J

RalphLambrecht · Sep 22, 2012

sorry.I have two balls, but none of them are crystal.

agphotography · Sep 22, 2012

HA! That gave me a good laugh this morning. Priceless.

I'll let you guys know how it is once I get the drive. Hopefully I'll be able to add to the list of great condition "Bargain" equipment from Keh.

benjiboy · Sep 22, 2012

I bet somebody who needs to post a question on an internet forum before spending $9 on a Nikon motor drive could peel an orange in his pocket

PentaxBronica · Sep 22, 2012

Vaguely related question: I have a Nikon MD-14 motor drive minus battery tray. Was the same tray used on other Nikon MDs?

It came bundled with a Pentax Winder ME (which I had a battery door for and wanted to go with my mint black ME), now quite tempted to find a Nikon FG to go with it rather than leaving it in the bottom of the wardrobe.

agphotography · Sep 22, 2012

benjiboy said:
I bet somebody who needs to post a question on an internet forum before spending $9 on a Nikon motor drive could peel an orange in his pocket

When you're on a budget, every dollar has to count. I always do my best to not waste money (it happens still, but not often since I'm relatively cautious with my investments.) Let's not forget the shipping costs, which would have been $14, but I asked for a more reasonable quote and they brought it down to $10.

Nothing wrong with wanting to save money Benji

lxdude · Sep 23, 2012

RalphLambrecht said:
sorry.I have two balls, but none of them are crystal.

A good thing. If something happened to them it would be shattering.

agphotography · Sep 23, 2012

And another to end the day!

Win.

Shootar401 · Sep 26, 2012

BrianShaw said:
I should say so... but for $9 I wouldn't expect it to work.

Good luck.. I hope I end up being wrong. That would be a great buy!

You'll end up being wrong.

Just sayin'

agphotography · Sep 28, 2012

well the MD-4 arrived from KEH this morning, well packed as their items usually are.

It's definitely got some paint loss, but it's not dented or damaged in any way. I popped some batteries in and wouldn't you know it... works perfectly
Not bad for $9. Thanks KEH!

ArtO · Sep 28, 2012

Just received an Bargain MD-4 from them yesterday. Very few signs of wear. Seems to function perfectly. Way way less than having one of mine repaired.

BrianShaw · Sep 28, 2012

Good for you... that's a great bargain then!

BrianShaw · Sep 28, 2012

Shootar401 said:
You'll end up being wrong.

Just sayin'

You have chrsytal balls?

just askin'

GRHazelton · Oct 4, 2012

I've bought from KEH for perhaps 20 years and have always found their items to be working, unless stated otherwise, and very conservatively rated. Case in point: I just bought a Pentax LX in their BGN condition. A few barely noticeable scratches on the prism and on the base plate, and a little brassing on the self-timer base, a little dust in the viewfinder, which I blew out. I'd wager most dealers would rate it as E or better. Works perfectly. Talking to Josh at KEH (they're a local call for me) he told me that ALL their items are checked over to make sure they're working.

A sad contrast to a vendor in the northeast who sold me a camera/winder rated E which had a slightly dented prism, heavy scratches on the base plate, missing the coupling plug for the winder AND the rewind switch wouldn't work! As you can imagine it went back, I expect their check for a full refund soon. I'm not likely to deal with them again.

agphotography · Oct 5, 2012

I agree, I've never had a bad experience with KEH. I've been a customer for close to 10 years now. I hope to continue to be so for many more years.

eurekaiv · Oct 5, 2012

I bought a BGN OM Winder 1 from KEH and it was jacked up. I paid $2 for it so I threw it away. I once had to return a BGN OM2 because the shutter wasn't fully exposing the frame at 1/1000. All my BGN lenses from KEH have been better then I could hope for.

Bargain Grade Motor Drives from KEH, Y/N?

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