Buying A Used Camera? This Is What You Should Look For

It is ridiculous how much money the photography equipment costs. It creates a barrier for young talented professionals.

Buying a used camera is extremely challenging when you are a beginner in your career or you just want to step up your photography game because of the costly prices. Every piece of accessory is trouble, starting from the camera body, lens, bag, extra batteries, or tripod/monopod.

Don’t let the price point bring you down and lose your talent, there is always a solution to every problem.

You can buy a used camera just make sure that not any physical damage has been done or the settings are in usable conditions.

There are a few key points to look for when you decide to buy a used camera. Let’s see what are these things.

Don’t Trust, Test

We don’t want to invest in our dearest camera based on trust right? Of course not, especially nowadays when everybody wants to get rid of the old broken tools.

Testing is done for many reasons. Basically, it is the very first thing we have to do before buying a used camera.

Go through camera settings and check if the AF works as it should. Is there a problem with the sensors? what about a video recording or photo shooting problem? Are there any scratches in the lens or any battery power problems?

As a manner of fact, it is recommended to bring a laptop with you to check out if the footage on the camera matches your expectation. There might be problems with the quality of the camera. Ask the owner to take a shot, is not a big deal. Remember you are still paying for this camera.

Open what is inside the camera, check whether you can use it in hard weather conditions, whether it collects dust and dirt, or the fingerprints leave visible marks. Weather-resistant cameras usually don’t have this problem.

These are pretty much the things you should look for when buying a used camera.

Purchase The Latest Years Camera

If the camera you look for is quite old, the chances of destroying it are even higher. Ask the owner of the camera does the camera has a warranty, and if there is not, you can start looking for other millions of options waiting for you.

Another important fact about the latest year’s cameras is old features and settings because the newer the model is the more likely it is to be updated with the latest features of the company.

The latest released technology items tend to offer more options and don’t limit your expected functionality.

The Brand

It is highly recommended to stay away from brands that you never heard of. Most probably they produce cheap and inferior products.

We all know some brads do their job as it should be done. You better choose those famous brands because you want a camera that will last at least a couple of years, even though a used camera.

The most important fact about the brand is to check the used camera’s degree of quality. You already know what to expect if the brand is a worldly-known one.

If the quality and latest features are not on the top list, the other competitors even though the ones who don’t have a reputation, sometimes can become great technology pieces to use.

Well-known brands build trust in customers’ minds which is the main reason why most of the time the users pick that specific brand. Remember, this is not always the case, sometimes the most trusted brands produce fewer quality products, and at times, it is just about the marketing.

I’m not saying that huge brands never fail, but they are more likely to be above the quality standards than those less known brands. 

Buy From Inexperienced Amateurs

Professional photographers have more tendency to treat their cameras poorly. In a team working environment, the camera goes through a lot of torture until the desired outcome is realized by the photographer.

Professionals may have used the camera more and are not the only person using it. It’s about teamwork sometimes that the camera is in poor condition.

This is not the case with amateur users. Non-professional users don’t harm their camera, they are usually more careful and don’t use the offered features that can be found in the settings because they don’t know. Amateurs protect the camera from scratches, they don’t go shooting in freezing temperatures, rainy or windy days.

Ask About Camera’s Shutter Count

If you checked the camera and it all looks fine from inside and outside, it is time to know how much has the owner used the item. Shutter count is pretty much telling you the condition of the used camera, nothing more.

Mostly, the shutter count for entry-level and mid-range cameras is somewhere between 150,000 and those professionally used cameras have a double 300,000 shutter count.

Now you know the approximate shutter count when you buy a used camera. The most important question is what is the perfect shutter count? The answer would be 50-60,000 actuations as a maximum. The fewer shutter counts, the better and more useful the camera is. 

You better stay away from 7000 to 9000 shutter counts. Every used camera down below that shutter count is acceptable.

Mistakes To Avoid When Buying a Used Camera

Not Knowing Clearly What You Want 

You get easily distracted by other options. Think about what kind of photography you want to take and based on that, choose wisely the camera or the lens.

Trusting The Brand Blindly 

Sometimes even the brand new cameras are not in the best condition, let alone used ones. The brand is doing its best but it seems like is not enough. Do your research before buying one.

Price Is Not Equivalent To Quality

Don’t assume that if you buy the used camera expensive, it means is of great quality. Many times, the cheaper prices can show great value for their price range. 

Final Words

Not knowing what to look for if you can’t afford to buy a brand new camera is stressful. There is always a solution, you just have to be extra careful when buying one.

There are many other things to consider, however, if it completes your targeted goal, you can easily avoid some small problems that can occur.