Why You Should Consider Buying Used Camera Gear
Confession time: I haven’t bought a “new” camera in 8 years. Fine print: I have bought cameras that are “new to me”. Buying used has saved me thousands of dollars and I don’t feel guilty when I go to sell a camera or lens I’ve only had for a year. Usually I can get just about what I paid for on a piece of gear when I re-sell it. Buying gear that has had a previous life makes quite a few photographers squirm- especially when you’re saying goodbye to thousands of dollars in the process.
What a lot of people don’t consider are the different kinds of financial protection available when buying used gear. I’ve bought gear on eBay, facebook groups, and directly from photographer friends. The key is to pay with PayPal and classify the transaction as a “goods or service”. PayPal offers dispute resolution, so that if a piece of gear isn’t as described, they will navigate helping you get your money back.
Ask for the shutter count on a used camera you’re purchasing! It is very easy to check with the ShutterCount app (helpful to know if you end up being a seller). A shutter’s lifespan is about 300,000 actuations (english: photos) and once it’s bit the dust, it is fairly inexpensive to replace. I’ve paid $200-300 when I’ve needed to replace a shutter. You can either send it to the maker of your camera or find a reliable camera shop who can do installation for you.
If you’re open to buying used, but you’re scared (I don’t blame you)- you can look into purchasing a refurbished camera from a reputable dealer. B&H and Adorama both sell refurbished cameras and buying from a bigger brand comes with certain guarantees and return policies. B&H and Adorama aren’t the places to get the very best deal, but trust always comes at a price in business.
In terms of depreciation with buying a new camera on release day, typically it will depreciate by at least 25% if you were to try to re-sell after using it. There’s some gear that leans more to the experimental side rather than something that will be a permanent fixture in your kit. By experiemtal- I mean tilt-shift lenses, anamorphic lenses, and some of the prime zoom lenses. The 200mm 2.8 prime is a beauty and oh my the bokeh, but I decided to sell mine when it was collecting dust because it just didn’t fit in with my rapid-fire photojournalism style of shooting. I bought it used and sold it for the same price and I got to play with it for a bit and then it went on to live another life in another photographers hands.
Thought I’d throw this out there since lots of you are making your end-of-year purchases!
xx,
Sidney