5 Things You Need To Know When Buying a Used Camera

You may have considered buying a second-hand camera many times and for various reasons, you have not dared to do so. If you plan to buy the camera online, and you cannot check the status of the camera, we recommend that you ask for references from the seller to avoid scams. 

There are many sites like Amon Avis that offer this type of reputation system that helps you buy with confidence based on the track records, review, and reputation of the seller. In this definitive guide, we will reveal 5 things you need to know when buying a used camera

1.      Number Of Shutters:

A camera’s shutter (that is, how many photos were taken with that camera) as revealed by Photospecialist has a finite life (this will depend on the camera model). The closer the camera is to reaching that “shooting” point, the more likely it is that you will have to repair your camera soon. The good thing is that it is possible to change the shutter mechanism and be able to continue taking photos without problems, but better to know in advance how used the camera is (for the same reason you would not buy a car with 1,000,000 mileage). We recommend you check to know how many shots a camera has.

2.      Connections:

Check that the lens, battery, microphone connectors, A / V output, and HDMI (if it has one) are in good condition and that the battery and connector covers are in good condition. Also, note the condition of the screws, if they are worn-out or forced, the camera has likely been opened for repairs.

3.      Lens Mount

Disassemble the camera lens and check the condition of the connectors on both the camera body and the lens (or lenses, if the camera you buy comes with multiple lenses). Give them a try and make sure basic functions like autofocus and zoom work smoothly. To test it out, set the camera to AUTO (It’s usually marked green on the mode wheel at the top of the camera) and take a couple of shots and check that everything is in order.

4.      LCD Screen

Make sure that the screen is not scratched and there are no “dead pixels”: little black dots that you will notice on the screen. This means that the image you see on the LCD cannot be viewed in its entirety. Although a couple of dead pixels are not a big deal, it is a symptom that something may continue to fail.

5.      Buttons And Dial Wheel

Check that all buttons are working and the dial wheel works, as this will allow you to access the configuration of the camera’s functionality.

Finally and if you can, take a notebook and download the photos and review them thoroughly. Image quality is very difficult to check on the camera’s LCD screen, so the best way to ensure that everything is in order is to see the photos taken by the camera in all their glory.