Re: Buying Used Photo gear
Good article Al! Used gear really can be the ticket as there's ALWAYS someone out there willing to dump their perfectly good equipment just to have the latest and greatest. One thing I would add is all of the companies usually have their own refurbished stores where you can get refurbished gear at a cheaper price. Sometimes these are even the store display models that get sent back, put through a rigorous check where they clean and replace any broken parts and they get the full once over like any warranty or other repair would if the consumer sent their camera in, and then sell them. Great place to go for gear if you don't want to chance a private auction but don't want to buy new. You can find everything refurbished from camera bodies, to lenses, to flashes. Gear on these go fast though as they don't always keep a steady stock of this stuff. Can't tell you how many times I've almost pulled the trigger on a new lens from Canon Refurb only to refresh the page and see it out of stock. And sometimes they even have discounts ontop of the markdown already.
Refurb products (at least from Canon) come with selected accessories like you would find in a new camera, something that might be missing from a private seller, as well as a 1 year Canon warranty. Here are links to Canon's and Nikon's. I'm sure Sony, Pentax, etc all have similar.
http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/ca...al-slr-cameras
http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/ca...rbished-lenses
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Sto...d-Cameras.page
Just something else to think about, but I agree theres no harm checking into used gear!!
Re: Buying Used Photo gear
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Discus-n00b
Good article Al! Used gear really can be the ticket as there's ALWAYS someone out there willing to dump their perfectly good equipment just to have the latest and greatest. One thing I would add is all of the companies usually have their own refurbished stores where you can get refurbished gear at a cheaper price. Sometimes these are even the store display models that get sent back, put through a rigorous check where they clean and replace any broken parts and they get the full once over like any warranty or other repair would if the consumer sent their camera in, and then sell them. Great place to go for gear if you don't want to chance a private auction but don't want to buy new. You can find everything refurbished from camera bodies, to lenses, to flashes. Gear on these go fast though as they don't always keep a steady stock of this stuff. Can't tell you how many times I've almost pulled the trigger on a new lens from Canon Refurb only to refresh the page and see it out of stock. And sometimes they even have discounts ontop of the markdown already.
Refurb products (at least from Canon) come with selected accessories like you would find in a new camera, something that might be missing from a private seller, as well as a 1 year Canon warranty. Here are links to Canon's and Nikon's. I'm sure Sony, Pentax, etc all have similar.
http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/ca...al-slr-cameras
http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/ca...rbished-lenses
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Sto...d-Cameras.page
Just something else to think about, but I agree theres no harm checking into used gear!!
Great Add on Matt! Factory Refurbs are a great alternative! I looked for a pentax refurb store but alas, I did not find one. I have seen them sold thru BHphoto and Adorama though.
al
Re: Buying Used Photo gear
Just to add to Al's post there are some excellent and reputable places in the UK that are worth checking out for used and new gear, many offer 6 or 12 month warranties too, which is always re-assuring.
http://www.mpbphotographic.co.uk/used-equipment/ - for all makes really
http://www.graysofwestminster.co.uk/...secondhand.php - Nikon only (probably the premier Nikon dealer out there! - the shop is mind blowing)
http://mifsuds.com/acatalog/Cameras.html - all makes and accessories
http://www.ffordes.com/ - Leica specialist but also other brands
http://www.wexphotographic.com/used/s1008 - most brands and accessories
Re: Buying Used Photo gear
Perfect Paul !! Thanks!
al
Re: Buying Used Photo gear
I would also suggest buying last years camera when the new models come out. I purchased a nikon 1 package from bandh for sixty percent off of retail simply because nikon released a new version. Camera takes the best pictures of any camera I've owned and I can honestly say I have never wished it would do something beyond its capabilities.
Re: Buying Used Photo gear
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Andy27012
I would also suggest buying last years camera when the new models come out. I purchased a nikon 1 package from bandh for sixty percent off of retail simply because nikon released a new version. Camera takes the best pictures of any camera I've owned and I can honestly say I have never wished it would do something beyond its capabilities.
Good Point Andy.. And for those looking, right now is when alot of New cameras get announced. Mfgs use shows like CP+ to show off the new stuff and make announcements.. http://www.cpplus.jp/en/exhibition/target.shtml This shows going on right now until Sunday. Another big one is Photokina, that was this past Sept.
I know this past week pentax announced alot of New Stuff, Many of my fellow pentaxians are already chomping at the bit to sell their gear and get some new stuff.
al
Re: Buying Used Photo gear
Great thread Al and very well said. I have purchased used more than not over the years.
Re: Buying Used Photo gear
Also, just as a side note to Al's fungus explanation. If you happen to get a lens with fungus in it, make sure that you keep it seperate from the rest of your lenses. Fungus is known to be able to jump from one lens to the other. I have personally known of a photographer that loved collecting old lenses that were past their prime to fix, and he happened to get one that was very far gone on fungus. Many times you can get rid of the beginning signs of fungus by setting the lens out and getting some UV rays from the sun. However, this fellow photographer ended up losing over $7k worth of better lenses because he didn't know how to store his lenses and the infected one. Many photographers I know keep their gear in dry boxes and it is very effective against the elements, especially dust.
If you happen to get a lens with fungus, again, keep it away from your other gear. You can try treating it with UV rays, stores carry specific lamps that emit the certain UV light intensity that you need to possibly get rid of the fungus. A cool thing you can do to a lens with fungus is open the lens, clean half of the element and reassmble. Use it for a few weeks and check if the clean side has grown any new fungus since the UV treatment. If so, then it may be a lost cause. The sun rays do help a lot though, just be mindful of leaving your lens out too long in the elements.
I know this thread is about buying used gear, but you have to prepare for the worst if you do not do your homework. Roughly, I have bought about 80% of my gear on a photography forum. As Al mentioned, they tend to take good care of their gear. Always analyze photos provided by seller with utmost scrutiny. There are certain key words to look for as a buyer from sellers that would know what they are selling. Words like "awesome lens' and "rare lens" or "best lens all around" are just broad and ambiguous. Look for key words such as "clean front element", "no wobble", "clean blades" and so on. These are descriptive words that deal with the actual lens. If you get a lens that has something wrong with the things this seller claimed were good, then you can open some kind of case through ebay for example. Always look for sellers that accept returns, and avoid "as is" auctions at all costs.
If a seller is a good seller, he will know a good deal about photography and will stand by his product. The feedback will reflect this. Always ask if there is any warranty left on a lens, body, flash, etc.
Re: Buying Used Photo gear
I would certainly second looking at manufacturers refurbished sites. The cameras and lenses will be more expensive compared to what you find on the used market, but the refurbished items have been brought up to factory standards and come with at least a short term warranty. (Speaking of which, check your credit card. If you look at the fine print benefits, some cards will add at no cost, double the length of the warranty. You simply have to register the item with the CC company.) The Nikon refurbished site will from time to time have a 10% discount on their items.
When I sell some of my gear, I often get asked is the camera/lens grey market? This distinction is important to understand when buying used gear. Speaking just for Nikon camera gear, grey market items can make a difference in your purchase, used and new.
Nikon distributes gear via certain buyers in the USA for sale. Any item that comes into the US via other countries (import, direct import, grey market) are considered grey market. When new these grey market cameras and lenses will be sold at a discount (sometimes substantial). What you DON'T get is a Nikon USA warranty with a grey market item. Even if you purchase a third part warranty, Nikon USA will never repair that item. You can get repairs at other places just not at a factory site (in NY and Calif.) Nikon has made repair parts less and less available to shops, funneling repairs to their certified repair centers, of which there are 22, I think. You still can get grey market items repaired in certain stores (like B&H) but even the Certified centers are turning down some grey market items. At some point the rest of the repair shops will run out of certain parts...
Any used Nikon lens or camera automatically has any residual warranty voided once it passes from the original buyer. So any future repairs on a camera etc you will have to pay for. (Some stores and Nikon offer a 90 day +/- used gear warranty.) It is just that grey market items are getting harder to repair.
So how do you tell a grey market item if you are buying a used (Nikon) lens or camera? All USA nikon lens serial numbers start with US. I am however not sure when this started as I have some lenses that are 20+ years old that have just a number and were repaired by Nikon USA.
DSLR bodies are another story. There is really no reliable way to know if a used camera body is grey market or USA. Buying a used camera, you may have to rely on the word of the seller. I have heard that if the camera was registered by the owner at Nikon USA then it is not grey market.
So grey market gear costs less but probably has lower resale value. In Nikon's case it may be harder to get it repaired. For a standard lens, this should not be a big issue, but for a high end expensive DSLR body it may be a huge problem.
Another explanation: http://www.dslrbodies.com/nikon/abou...arranties.html
Re: Buying Used Photo gear
Re: Buying Used Photo gear
I mentioned Craiglist as possible resource for your used needs... Its definitely something to be careful with, but sometimes, you can really score something great. I had one of those moments today. A guy was selling an old Pentax Spotmatic film camera with 3 lenses for $50.00 . These cameras go back... like made back in the 1960's to early 70s. All manual operation with a very simple light meter on some.. The lens screws on via whats called M42 mount (42 MM) ..Still used alot by die hard film hobbyists, but a royal pain with its special battery. Anyway.. who would be crazy enough to pay money for that archaic paper weight?
Who? ME!!!!!! Not so much for the camera as I have a few of them and they aren't worth $50 .. but 3 lens... and not just any lenses.. but Super Takumars... I just scored 3 absolutely Mint , like not used M42 Taks...
Super-takumar 1:2.8 /105mm
Super-takumar 1:1.8 /55mm
Super-takumar 1:3.5 /35mm
I collect these lenses and still shoot with them. They are easy to adapt to most digital cameras...not just Pentax and they are becoming harder and Harder to find. Takumars have a huge following because even now, 35-45 years latter they still have awesome Glass. They are manual..but so what, thats half the fun.
So, again... theres definitely bargains to be had... Just got to take some time to read up and learn,
al
Re: Buying Used Photo gear
A Quick Tip for those of you that made the switch to Digital and still have Those Film SLRs, in your closet. Theres still a market for these, particularly on Craiglist. You might ask who would buy them? Students still use them in high school and college photography classes. Good working manual SLRs with lens are easy to move for that reason and tend to bring more than 30% more in revenue than ebay listing. (thats not scientific, just what I have seen) .
I've recently sold several older film cameras and lens on Craigslist and every one of them has been to Photography students.
So dig out your old cameras and lens, dust them off and sell them for some money towards new digital gear!
Ps...
Ifs its pentax, drop me a Pm first, especially if they are Lens... I suffer from LBA... Lens Buying Addiction, and theres no cure!:)
thanks,
al
Re: Buying Used Photo gear
Quote:
Originally Posted by
brewmaster15
A Quick Tip for those of you that made the switch to Digital and still have Those Film SLRs, in your closet. Theres still a market for these, particularly on Craiglist. You might ask who would buy them? Students still use them in high school and college photography classes. Good working manual SLRs with lens are easy to move for that reason and tend to bring more than 30% more in revenue than ebay listing. (thats not scientific, just what I have seen) .
I've recently sold several older film cameras and lens on Craigslist and every one of them has been to Photography students.
So dig out your old cameras and lens, dust them off and sell them for some money towards new digital gear!
Ps...
Ifs its pentax, drop me a Pm first, especially if they are Lens... I suffer from LBA... Lens Buying Addiction, and theres no cure!:)
thanks,
al
What a coincidence, I have medically diagnosed G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). Diagnosed by my wife, mind you, lol.
Re: Buying Used Photo gear
Quote:
Originally Posted by
rickztahone
What a coincidence, I have medically diagnosed G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). Diagnosed by my wife, mind you, lol.
Hmmm... That is a coincidence...my LBA was diagnosed by mine!:)