brewmaster15
02-13-2015, 11:40 AM
A Beginner's Guide to Buying Used Photo Gear Al Sabetta 2/2014
Everyone likes to have the best and newest photo gear. Its like Christmas when you open that brand new Digital SLR or maybe its a Lens. But before you know it, its all old technology. If you can afford to buy the newest this or that, great for you, but don't think that you need to in order to take great pictures. Don't believe the hype. Last years model was the cutting edge last year, The same for 5 years ago,etc, were there no good pictures taken then? My favorite cameras go back to the film age and still take great pics. For digital you can easily find used DSLRs in the 6-12 megapixal range that can take amazingly good photos.
There is a saying I have seen around a few times.. "If you buy a brand new top of the line DSLR it does not make you a photographer. It makes you the owner of a brand new top of the line DSLR!" Some many people spend a small fortune on high end gear and only use the minimal function of green mode to take an autofocused picture...in effect, using it as a point and shoot. If you have money to waste like that on a top of the line brand new PENTAX, NIKON, CANNON, Sony, etc DSLR that you really don't need and won't use to its potential, a better use would be to donate it here...http://forum.simplydiscus.com/misc.php?do=donate :) and buy some well cared for used gear to have fun with!
Because technology evolves so fast and the newest camera is old by the time it hits the market, you can pick up last years models for alot less. I bought my K20d pentax when they were new for $900.They sell used for $250-300 now and its still an awesome camera with its 14.6 megapixels. Its years old , so what? Do you really need to keep up with the Jones and spend thousands on brand new gear. If you aren't aspiring to be a Pro or even a semi Pro, do you really need more? Most people probably don't.
The key to being a successful used gear purchaser is to be informed. Start by researching the gear you are interested in. I like to go to the camera forums for that or sites like..www.dpreview.com. Even Amazon can be useful for some info on reviews. You should do the same research if looking to buy that hot new camera or lens as well.
If you have come to your senses or are just on a tight budget, and decide to buy used here are a few suggestions. This article's focus is on Digital SLRs, though alot is relevant to other camera systems.
1) Ebay is a great place to buy gear but if you do, do your homework and learn about the gear. Some sellers market gear outrageously high. Understand that Feedback is relatively worthless on ebay if the seller has 1000's of sales. The negatives do not get represented well in the seller's feedback scores. Read the sellers negatives, often they can tell you what to expect. Also look at what the seller is selling besides the camera gear. Many sellers there run thrift shops and while you can get some great bargains, you can also get garbage. Few of these sellers know cameras and lens. They don't know what to look for. You'll see them all use the same or similar wording.. "shutters work, lens aperture works, blades smooth and buttery, and free of oil, lens is clear, with a few specs of dust inside which wont be a problem, no sign of fungus, Minty".etc.. You really need to look closely at the pics. My advice is buy from people with good track records that sell photographic equipment.
2) Camera stores are a great option.There are good and bad of these. I have bought many cameras and lens over the years this route and its generally a safe way to go and the gear though maybe slightly higher than at EBAY, It has been rated for its condition and checked over by the shop ifvthe shop is good. My favorite places for used gear from a camera shop are
***KEH*** https://www.keh.com/
***Adorama*** http://www.adorama.com/
***BHphoto*** http://www.bhphotovideo.com/
3) Craigslist. Most know, you can buy and sell most things on craigslist. The benefit is the cost is reasonable and you usually are dealing locally, so you can see the gear first hand and pick the seller!s brains. I haven't bought much photography gear on it, but I have sold much there!
4)Amazon is a great place for many things. But really not great for used camera gear in my experience, often over priced, but you never know.
5) Camera related forums. You come to a discus Forum to buy discus right? Well same goes for a camera forum. They are populated by people that generally are photographers or photography nuts.They know their gear and tend to take really good care of it. Though some may try to sell it for higher than its worth today because they have valued it as a user, many are very reasonable. Definetly look there for gear.
Aside from that, lets mention what to look for in your gear. Of course it should all be functioning per manufacturer specs, meaning the things like shutters, flash all work well. Cosmetics matter! A beat up looking camera wasn't taken well care of, the sensor may be impaired or other functions. A few scuffs is no big deal...these happen with use. With Digital SLRs you should inquire and check on the shutter count. Since its electronic, theres a record of the number of shutter depressions made. This number tells you roughly how much use the camera got. A camera may be rated for 200000 shutter actuations so if it has a only a few thousand, its hasn't seen much use. You can check this information on line from a photo sent to you taken by the camera. Many sites offer this. Some you can even check from a link. Heres one I have used http://www.myshuttercount.com/
Lenses require close scrutiny as they really are key to a good image. They can be very very expensive.Several times more expensive than a new camera depending on the optics,build, and technology that goes into. They can also be simply an old lens that still capture great images decades after they were made. Lenses are made up of several components. The following lens break down is simplified, but gives the basics as to what you need to look for
You have the mount that fits on a particular camera make.Each camera maker has a specific mounting mechanism. You can't take a pentax lens and pop it on a nikon or vise a versa. There are some 3rd party manufacturers though that make their lens in different mounts. Tamron and Sigma are good examples. So when buying a Lens first make sure it will work on your camera.
The lens also has an aperture. The hole that light passes thru to reach the camera. Without going into detail on this and its importance.The basics are this hole can be made bigger or smaller by turning the aperture ring on older lens, newer lens may lack aperture ring. The aperture consists of blades of metal that slide along a plane. You can see them moving if you take the lens off the camera and hold it to the light, turn the aperature ring, and as the numbers on the ring get bigger, the aperture hole gets smaller. These blades should slide across each other smoothly and when you look you should see no oil on them. The aperture ring should turn smoothly as well. If the lens has electronic contacts, they should all function well. These are found on the mount but interact with the aperture mechanism in lens that have "A" functions or in "AF" autofocus lens.
The heart and soul of the lens is the series of glass elements inside. There are several elements that together allow the lens to function as intended...ex..macro lens,telephoto, wide angel, etc. These are precise engineered glass elements. They are often coated with special coatings to improve optical performance,reduce light flare etc . In short, they make the lens function better.They are meant to be as clean and free of defects as possible. You need to look carefully at the optics. The front and rear elements should have caps that prevent the lens from being scratched. The lens coatings, if present should be intact. If the lens in question is being sold without caps, be wary, it may be scratched from poor storage. It should also have a lens filter screwed on it, something like a UV filter or sky filter. Theses serves 2 purposes ,they are cheap protectors of the glass elements of the camera lens. They filter out undesirable light qualities. If they get scratched you are out $10-20. If your lens gets scratched, goodby lens. Make sure the front of the lens thats threaded to receive the filter is not bend or dinged. It must be able to have a filter screwed on.
A further note on the lens elements.. They do need to be clear and free of marks and abrasions to make a great picture.. tiny specs of dust and dirt will have limited affect on the image, lots of these may. A small superficial scratch on the periphery of the optics may be acceptable.. towards the center, I would pass on it. Watch out for moisture beads, fogging and fungus. These things indicate moisture got into the lens. Maybe it was used in the rain and got wet, maybe it was stored improperly, or was exposed to humid situations. A few days of humidity is enough to get a fungus growing on the lens. Its not so much a problem on new lens that weather sealed., but on older lenses it can be. In some cases the lens can be taken apart and cleaned. Usually people use a solution of 50% hydrogen peroxide and 50% ammonia. But if the fungus is well established, it actually etches the glass, effectively ruining it or creating the need to send out out for costly repairs and replacement. Lens fungus is the area many non-photography sellers on ebay mess up on. They don't know what to look for or just hope you dont.
Because the fungus is very thin and there are multiple elements in a lens that can be affected you need to angle the lens when looking for it and try and check out the different elements. The Fungus isn't something on the outside of the lens you can just wipe off, its inside the assembly on the innner elements. Taking apart a lens is not for the weak of heart! Often a quick look straight at a light source will miss the fungus growing, best is to angle the lens and use the incident light. Its very tough to get a picture of this but here a few macro shots to show you what you are looking for. This is from an ebay lens that was not as described. The optics are badly compromised.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7329/16333051909_e77b088772_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/qTiaig)Fungus 1 (https://flic.kr/p/qTiaig) by al_sabetta (https://www.flickr.com/people/130140749@N05/), on Flickr
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8670/15899159383_2471711a8a_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/qdXmaD)fungus 2 (https://flic.kr/p/qdXmaD) by al_sabetta (https://www.flickr.com/people/130140749@N05/), on Flickr
I hope this article helps someone. I have tried to minimize the tech aspects so that novices could benefit from the info.
If you happen to have suggestions on what else people should look out for or where is a good source for used equipment. Please add them to this. I am leaving this open as an evolving thread.
Everyone likes to have the best and newest photo gear. Its like Christmas when you open that brand new Digital SLR or maybe its a Lens. But before you know it, its all old technology. If you can afford to buy the newest this or that, great for you, but don't think that you need to in order to take great pictures. Don't believe the hype. Last years model was the cutting edge last year, The same for 5 years ago,etc, were there no good pictures taken then? My favorite cameras go back to the film age and still take great pics. For digital you can easily find used DSLRs in the 6-12 megapixal range that can take amazingly good photos.
There is a saying I have seen around a few times.. "If you buy a brand new top of the line DSLR it does not make you a photographer. It makes you the owner of a brand new top of the line DSLR!" Some many people spend a small fortune on high end gear and only use the minimal function of green mode to take an autofocused picture...in effect, using it as a point and shoot. If you have money to waste like that on a top of the line brand new PENTAX, NIKON, CANNON, Sony, etc DSLR that you really don't need and won't use to its potential, a better use would be to donate it here...http://forum.simplydiscus.com/misc.php?do=donate :) and buy some well cared for used gear to have fun with!
Because technology evolves so fast and the newest camera is old by the time it hits the market, you can pick up last years models for alot less. I bought my K20d pentax when they were new for $900.They sell used for $250-300 now and its still an awesome camera with its 14.6 megapixels. Its years old , so what? Do you really need to keep up with the Jones and spend thousands on brand new gear. If you aren't aspiring to be a Pro or even a semi Pro, do you really need more? Most people probably don't.
The key to being a successful used gear purchaser is to be informed. Start by researching the gear you are interested in. I like to go to the camera forums for that or sites like..www.dpreview.com. Even Amazon can be useful for some info on reviews. You should do the same research if looking to buy that hot new camera or lens as well.
If you have come to your senses or are just on a tight budget, and decide to buy used here are a few suggestions. This article's focus is on Digital SLRs, though alot is relevant to other camera systems.
1) Ebay is a great place to buy gear but if you do, do your homework and learn about the gear. Some sellers market gear outrageously high. Understand that Feedback is relatively worthless on ebay if the seller has 1000's of sales. The negatives do not get represented well in the seller's feedback scores. Read the sellers negatives, often they can tell you what to expect. Also look at what the seller is selling besides the camera gear. Many sellers there run thrift shops and while you can get some great bargains, you can also get garbage. Few of these sellers know cameras and lens. They don't know what to look for. You'll see them all use the same or similar wording.. "shutters work, lens aperture works, blades smooth and buttery, and free of oil, lens is clear, with a few specs of dust inside which wont be a problem, no sign of fungus, Minty".etc.. You really need to look closely at the pics. My advice is buy from people with good track records that sell photographic equipment.
2) Camera stores are a great option.There are good and bad of these. I have bought many cameras and lens over the years this route and its generally a safe way to go and the gear though maybe slightly higher than at EBAY, It has been rated for its condition and checked over by the shop ifvthe shop is good. My favorite places for used gear from a camera shop are
***KEH*** https://www.keh.com/
***Adorama*** http://www.adorama.com/
***BHphoto*** http://www.bhphotovideo.com/
3) Craigslist. Most know, you can buy and sell most things on craigslist. The benefit is the cost is reasonable and you usually are dealing locally, so you can see the gear first hand and pick the seller!s brains. I haven't bought much photography gear on it, but I have sold much there!
4)Amazon is a great place for many things. But really not great for used camera gear in my experience, often over priced, but you never know.
5) Camera related forums. You come to a discus Forum to buy discus right? Well same goes for a camera forum. They are populated by people that generally are photographers or photography nuts.They know their gear and tend to take really good care of it. Though some may try to sell it for higher than its worth today because they have valued it as a user, many are very reasonable. Definetly look there for gear.
Aside from that, lets mention what to look for in your gear. Of course it should all be functioning per manufacturer specs, meaning the things like shutters, flash all work well. Cosmetics matter! A beat up looking camera wasn't taken well care of, the sensor may be impaired or other functions. A few scuffs is no big deal...these happen with use. With Digital SLRs you should inquire and check on the shutter count. Since its electronic, theres a record of the number of shutter depressions made. This number tells you roughly how much use the camera got. A camera may be rated for 200000 shutter actuations so if it has a only a few thousand, its hasn't seen much use. You can check this information on line from a photo sent to you taken by the camera. Many sites offer this. Some you can even check from a link. Heres one I have used http://www.myshuttercount.com/
Lenses require close scrutiny as they really are key to a good image. They can be very very expensive.Several times more expensive than a new camera depending on the optics,build, and technology that goes into. They can also be simply an old lens that still capture great images decades after they were made. Lenses are made up of several components. The following lens break down is simplified, but gives the basics as to what you need to look for
You have the mount that fits on a particular camera make.Each camera maker has a specific mounting mechanism. You can't take a pentax lens and pop it on a nikon or vise a versa. There are some 3rd party manufacturers though that make their lens in different mounts. Tamron and Sigma are good examples. So when buying a Lens first make sure it will work on your camera.
The lens also has an aperture. The hole that light passes thru to reach the camera. Without going into detail on this and its importance.The basics are this hole can be made bigger or smaller by turning the aperture ring on older lens, newer lens may lack aperture ring. The aperture consists of blades of metal that slide along a plane. You can see them moving if you take the lens off the camera and hold it to the light, turn the aperature ring, and as the numbers on the ring get bigger, the aperture hole gets smaller. These blades should slide across each other smoothly and when you look you should see no oil on them. The aperture ring should turn smoothly as well. If the lens has electronic contacts, they should all function well. These are found on the mount but interact with the aperture mechanism in lens that have "A" functions or in "AF" autofocus lens.
The heart and soul of the lens is the series of glass elements inside. There are several elements that together allow the lens to function as intended...ex..macro lens,telephoto, wide angel, etc. These are precise engineered glass elements. They are often coated with special coatings to improve optical performance,reduce light flare etc . In short, they make the lens function better.They are meant to be as clean and free of defects as possible. You need to look carefully at the optics. The front and rear elements should have caps that prevent the lens from being scratched. The lens coatings, if present should be intact. If the lens in question is being sold without caps, be wary, it may be scratched from poor storage. It should also have a lens filter screwed on it, something like a UV filter or sky filter. Theses serves 2 purposes ,they are cheap protectors of the glass elements of the camera lens. They filter out undesirable light qualities. If they get scratched you are out $10-20. If your lens gets scratched, goodby lens. Make sure the front of the lens thats threaded to receive the filter is not bend or dinged. It must be able to have a filter screwed on.
A further note on the lens elements.. They do need to be clear and free of marks and abrasions to make a great picture.. tiny specs of dust and dirt will have limited affect on the image, lots of these may. A small superficial scratch on the periphery of the optics may be acceptable.. towards the center, I would pass on it. Watch out for moisture beads, fogging and fungus. These things indicate moisture got into the lens. Maybe it was used in the rain and got wet, maybe it was stored improperly, or was exposed to humid situations. A few days of humidity is enough to get a fungus growing on the lens. Its not so much a problem on new lens that weather sealed., but on older lenses it can be. In some cases the lens can be taken apart and cleaned. Usually people use a solution of 50% hydrogen peroxide and 50% ammonia. But if the fungus is well established, it actually etches the glass, effectively ruining it or creating the need to send out out for costly repairs and replacement. Lens fungus is the area many non-photography sellers on ebay mess up on. They don't know what to look for or just hope you dont.
Because the fungus is very thin and there are multiple elements in a lens that can be affected you need to angle the lens when looking for it and try and check out the different elements. The Fungus isn't something on the outside of the lens you can just wipe off, its inside the assembly on the innner elements. Taking apart a lens is not for the weak of heart! Often a quick look straight at a light source will miss the fungus growing, best is to angle the lens and use the incident light. Its very tough to get a picture of this but here a few macro shots to show you what you are looking for. This is from an ebay lens that was not as described. The optics are badly compromised.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7329/16333051909_e77b088772_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/qTiaig)Fungus 1 (https://flic.kr/p/qTiaig) by al_sabetta (https://www.flickr.com/people/130140749@N05/), on Flickr
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8670/15899159383_2471711a8a_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/qdXmaD)fungus 2 (https://flic.kr/p/qdXmaD) by al_sabetta (https://www.flickr.com/people/130140749@N05/), on Flickr
I hope this article helps someone. I have tried to minimize the tech aspects so that novices could benefit from the info.
If you happen to have suggestions on what else people should look out for or where is a good source for used equipment. Please add them to this. I am leaving this open as an evolving thread.