The Lensrentals Podcast Episode #58 – How to Buy a Used Camera
Each week Roger Cicala, founder of Lensrentals.com, hosts conversations about the art and science of capturing images. From photography to videography, film, history, and technology, the show covers a wide range of topics to educate and inspire creators of all kinds.
How to Buy a Used Camera
In this week’s episode of the Lensrentals Podcast, Ryan is joined by Roger and Joey as they go through all you need to know when buying a used camera system. From craigslist, to KEH, to even Lensrental’s own storefront, there are plenty of places to find used gear at a discounted price, but the process of buying can be overwhelming.
As experts of gear, Ryan, Roger and Joey talk about all the things you’ll want to look for when buying a used camera. From researching your seller (if possible) to checking for saltwater damage, we give a good foundation of a checklist to run through when inspecting used gear and agreeing to a fair price. As always, if you want added peace of mind, Lensrentals has a large array of used gear that we personally inspect and sell on our website.
Gear Mentioned In this Episode:
Timestamps
0:45 – Roger and Joey are introduced, along with an introduction to today’s topic – How to buy a used camera, and how the Memphis Grizzles will do in the NBA playoffs.
3:00 – Ryan explains how we also sell used cameras at Lensrentals.com, but also asks Roger and Joey about digital cameras verse film cameras.
4:40 – Roger explains why we don’t sell film cameras, and instead, currently only sell digital cameras.
5:10 – How far back in time is it safe to buy a digital camera? 2-year-old camera? 5-year-old camera? 7-year-old camera?
7:20 – Roger, Joey, and Ryan discuss what concerns might come into play, from media concerns to lens mount concerns.
8:30 – Roger debunks the fear of shutter actuations and the actual cost of a new shutter.
11:00 – Roger and Ryan also explain that video recording won’t show shutter actuations, and is more taxing on a camera’s electronics.
13:00 – The gang talks about whether specific brands hold up better than others.
14:40 – Roger and Joey talk about the importance of researching what you’re buying, even when it comes to model numbers and their reliability.
17:10 – Break
17:45 – Ryan sets a hypothetical situation to determine the first things to look for when buying a used camera off of a place like Craigslist.
22:00 – Roger explains the key signs of corrosion and saltwater damage.
23:45 – Joey goes into some brand-specific things to look for when buying a used camera.
26:00 – What questions you should ask a private seller?
27:00 – How to find a fair price for used camera bodies?
28:30 – The warranty of a camera is immensely more valuable than a warranty on a lens.
30:30 – A warning regarding reviews and finding indicators for fake or false reviews.
31:45 – Joey tells you about film cameras, and what you budget for if you’re buying a film camera/system.
33:30 – What to do if you have a slight over/under exposure with a used camera.
The Lensrentals Podcast is a production of Lensrentals, founded by Roger Cicala. Our production staff includes Drew Cicala, Ryan Hill, Sarah McAlexander, SJ Smith, Julian Harper, John Tucker, and Zach Sutton. Other contributors include Roger Cicala, Joey Miller, Ally Aycock Patterson, Joshua Richardson, and Philip Robertson.
Thanks to Jacques Granger for our theme song.
Submit a topic idea, question, or comment, leave us a voicemail at 901-609-LENS, or send us an email at podcast@lensrentals.com.
3 Comments
Ron ·
Thanks for your interesting podcast.
On the subject of old cameras. I think a lot depends on what one wants to produce along with budget. I think it takes a lot less investment to produce images for posting on social media than for producing fine Art (with a capital A) prints for sale.
As an aside, I was preparing a course on the history of photography and was given a book by Tom Ang, called Photography the Definitive Pictorial History. In it there was a double page spread on the Canon EOS D30 (not 30D), which Ang described as a pivotal point in the history of the development of digital cameras.
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I also found a video by the late respected Canadian photographer Michael Reichmann, where he discussed the D30. which you can still view: https://www.youtube.com/wat....
Intrigued, I went looking for one, just as a prop for my class. I found one in Japan for $60 - unused! Further inquiry elicited the information that when the camera was unpacked, back in 2000, the camera was scratched across the LCD and it was put to one side to get fixed, but never was. It ended up in the back of the storage locker until they were moving, and they posted it.
As a prop it was fine, so I purchase it and when it was delivered, I found it was totally functional. I found a dead unit that had a pristine back and got the local Canon service folks to combine the two, CLA it and check its condition. They reported that it was essentially unused and was good to go. The total cost for me was about $100 and it takes amazing pictures. Sure, it's just 3.3MP, but within its limited ISO range it takes lovely images - absolutely fine for someone with a budget: learning or posting on social media. I use the dead unit as the prop and occasionally take the D30 (I got a similar D60) and enjoy the experience.
The following photo was taken inside a very dimly lit pumping station as part of the local technology museum - I was using the EF 17-40mm, hand-held
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ftig ·
why the hell dont the play module have audio control slider? why do I need to do it from my taskbar..
ftig ·
why the heck dont the play module have volume control slider? why do I need to do it from my taskbar..
who cares how many actuations..?
everyone cares. you make it seem like 3-400 bucks is no big deal but the bigger issue is it failing in a time when you need it. yes, it can fail at 10k and it can fail at a million depending on the camera but ill take a 10k click shutter anyday over a million click shutter and one that will probably hold during something important im shooting. thats the worst fear. the failure in situations when you need it shoot.
everyone cares!