Used Camera

[drewphotograph]

Hi

Is it ok to buy used D-SLR camera?

how do we know that used D-SLR camera is in good condition?

I'm planning to buy used Canon 30D.

[gnufe]

Hi,

I bought a used Pentax *ist DL with the 18-55 kit lense off of Amazon.com. It came with all of its boxes and goodies. I have been really pleased with it, but like everything else, there will be honest sellers and dishonest, so buyer beware. I also bought a used Tamron 28-200 zoom from Keh.com. They classified it as ugly and it was cheap. I took the chance and have been pleased with it. It is in good shape and takes good pictures....

Stuart

[IMG][/IMG]

[mn shutterbug]

Stuart, congrats on your purchases. I've had a lot of dealings with Amazon, and never had a problem. Enjoy you camera and show us what it is capable of.

[SmartWombat]

Hi
Is it ok to buy used D-SLR camera?

Yes, I bought a pre-owned Canon EOS 1DSmkII from Canon's online ebay store.
Came with a 1 year warranty, which was good because the shutter needed replacing.

how do we know that used D-SLR camera is in good condition?

buy from a reputable trusted source
or
buy in person
test the heck out of it before paying
or
buy it so cheap you don't care if it's a dud.

[jorgemonkey]

Buyer beware when it comes to used products.

That said 4 out of the 5 DSLR's I've owned I bought used off of Ebay. All worked perfectly, and came just as they were described. Of course I checked user feedback before I bought, and looked around other places.

If its too cheap to be true, it probably is.

[deckcadet]

I've bought used equipment many times before. Although I tend to prefer new bodies, my D1 and D2Hs were purchased used. Both cameras worked fine. Usually, you will want to buy from someone reputable on a camera website with a classified or buy/sell section. eBay is in my opinion a bit on the dangerous side right now.

Unfortunately with Canon cameras at that level there is no way to tell how many shutter releases there have been on the camera with any level of certainty, so it's doubly important to buy from someone trustworthy as you never know just how 'used' it is.

Ask for detailed close up photos of the camera from all angles. Examine them closely. Make sure everything works, no scratches on the focusing screen or LCD, pop up flash functions, dials working fine, buttons responsive and so on. Also make sure the AF system is working properly. There's nothing worse than buying a body and getting it to find the autofocus is poorly calibrated.

But these are all just worst case things to look for. Most body transactions will have no problems and should check out fine for all of these.

Good luck!

[WsW-WYATT-EARP]

I bought a used d50 for my son off craigslist - locally so I was able to go meet the guy and handle the camera.

[drewphotograph]

I'm kinda worry, since i'm kinda new for SLR things.
I'm planning to buy Canon 30D from someone who sell it on craiglist.
I would like to buy a new one for 30D but no more store in here sells 30D. They sell 40D and 40D is quite expensive for me right now..

anyway thanks for the info, i will contact that person who sell his 30D to see it first.

[another view]

I just bought a used DSLR yesterday, but it was from a friend and I know he takes care of his gear. I've bought a few of his hand-me-downs over the years!

Take a look at the 30D, and bring a memory card with just in case - you'll want to try it out to make sure everything is fine. Look everything over, but especially check out the base of the camera (by the tripod socket) for wear - sometimes it's a good indicator of how hard the camera has been used.

[drewphotograph]

well thanks.. for all of your input thanks a lot..
i think i will buy a new one this boxing day. hopefully i got a good discount