To begin with, it’s necessary to say that many people do not support the idea of buying used equipment and they can explain it saying that it is extremely important for them to reduce risks when buying an expensive item. And this not only applies to cameras. It is true that buying a used item is pretty risky thing, however, there is one undeniable advantages – price. If you know where to search, you can come across a really good camera at an affordable price. For example, if the price is very low and the camera still has warranty and has never been repaired – it’s a real bargain!
You can also find a lot of used accessories on the classified sites such as used camera lenses for sale, tripods, camera bags and others. You can save a lot of money buying these things, but of course you need to know how to choose them.
If this is a new camera, be sure to find out what warranty goes with it. Usually there is a warranty from the store-seller and an official one from the manufacturer. Of course, it is better to buy the equipment with an official warranty. Under the official guarantee in the event of some kind of malfunction the repair will have to be carried out at the service center of the manufacturer.
Secondly, it is worth taking a look at the camera’s appearance, the new camera should be absolutely clean, without any scratches. Most importantly – look at the battery, it usually contains a sticker with the hologram of the manufacturer. On the modern cameras there is a good protection from “non-native” batteries. In most cases, the warranty does not apply to the battery, since the battery may wear out. The battery can ‘die’ and the service center will not change it under warranty. The battery check is not so simple, you need to completely discharge it, doing the shooting, and then charge it again.
If it is a used camera. – then you need to pay attention to anti-slip rubber bands on the case, they usually swell and peel off, and on the screws, they must be clean, otherwise there is a risk that the camera was dismantled. Usually, the appearance of the camera immediately shows how diligently the camera was used.
The shutter of each SLR camera is designed for a certain number of operations. So, amateur cameras have a limit of 100-150.000 shots, after which the shutter can break down. If the camera has run more than 50,000 shots – it is worth considering whether it is necessary to buy it, since it has already worked half of its life resource. It’s very easy to check the number of shots in some cameras (especially Nikon cameras) – just open the last photo from the RAW, NEF or JPEG camera with a special program, such as ShowExif, and in the ‘Total Number of Shutter Releases’ field, see the number of shots taken.
The only one thing you should keep in mind when buying a used thing – no matter whether it is a DLSR camera, a laptop or if you are looking to find computer games for sale – you need to check this item carefully to be sure it has all the functions you need.
