Buying Secondhand Camera Body Guide


magicianhisoka

Senior Member
Sep 14, 2009
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Hi chaps, me again! Have just put together a guide on how to buy secondhand camera bodies. Hopefully those with itchy hands filled with many ang pows will find it useful :)

How to Buy a Secondhand Camera Body « SecondHandTog

Have also updated my street photography portfolio on the main page for those that happen to be interested in coming for my workshop this coming saturday! Only 3 reserved slots left.


would appreciate it if gurus could help to add feedback to the guide. May have missed out some things because there are so many different variations and problems that we encounter.
 

Missing out the connectors present on the camera body. As far as possible, open up all flaps to check even if you don't use - corrosion could indicate water intrusion into the camera which could easily lead to problems later on.

Most people would also not need to touch the screws on the body, so significant amount of paint scraped off from the screws on the body could represent that the body has been dismantled roughly before, so even if the exterior looks fine, this could be a problem.

Of course, everyone has their own tolerance. Maybe you can also add on a final caveat that fussy buyers should just buy a new camera. Because you can check all you want, at the end of day, some problems may not be detectable until later on, and you may not have a mode of recourse to get a refund/exchange from seller (e.g. power supply problems, records fully charged battery as such, but drains power too fast - no one will detect that in the 10-15 minutes max you spend with a seller). That's a fact.
 

Missing out the connectors present on the camera body. As far as possible, open up all flaps to check even if you don't use - corrosion could indicate water intrusion into the camera which could easily lead to problems later on.

Most people would also not need to touch the screws on the body, so significant amount of paint scraped off from the screws on the body could represent that the body has been dismantled roughly before, so even if the exterior looks fine, this could be a problem.

Of course, everyone has their own tolerance. Maybe you can also add on a final caveat that fussy buyers should just buy a new camera. Because you can check all you want, at the end of day, some problems may not be detectable until later on, and you may not have a mode of recourse to get a refund/exchange from seller (e.g. power supply problems, records fully charged battery as such, but drains power too fast - no one will detect that in the 10-15 minutes max you spend with a seller). That's a fact.

Thanks for the feedback :) You made quite a few pertinent points. Preferring to just focus on the things that people can do to check it for now. But the caveat is a good point. Hoping to recommend that people buy sets with warranty coverage at least when they are still new at this :)
 

Actually registered warranty coverage is quite bs no? Its not registered under the person buying so warranty = void. If the seller dun wanna claim the warranty for u then what? Suck thumb right. Of course if u heng they wont check to see if its rgistered under u.
 

Actually registered warranty coverage is quite bs no? Its not registered under the person buying so warranty = void. If the seller dun wanna claim the warranty for u then what? Suck thumb right. Of course if u heng they wont check to see if its rgistered under u.

Judging from my personal experience, it depends on how anal the service people want to be. Most manufacturers have a "NO TRANSFER" clause buried deep within their legal jargon. However, I've had Sigma help me claim warranty by going through their old photocopied records. I also learned that the guy who sold it to me lied about it being a local set.

So basically it boils down to the mood and temperament of the person serving you when you bring it down for repairs. That aside, "caveat emptor" :)