Second Hand v New

S

SimonMac

Suspended / Banned
Messages
43
Edit My Images
Yes
I am in the process of starting from scratch with my camera equipment after I lost pretty much everything in a fire, so I have a fair few purchases to make.

In this time of austerity I want to keep costs down so I can get as much of what I need so have been looking at the second hand market.

What's the consensus of opinion when it comes to second hand, I have always been a firm believer of spending as much of my budget on good quality glass so that means making sacrifices else where, for example a second hand flash etc.
 
IMO if you buy from an enthusiast it will usually be in great condition. Aslong as it doesn't have silly high actuactions.
 
I have bought a lot of glass over the years from enthusiasts. (2nd hand) I generally find if people are as anal as me in that they keep the box and both original caps, the lens is in perfect condition. Also - the better the description and the more detailed the better.

Not always the case on ebay etc but often on this sort of site.
 
i love 2nd hand kit. my 120-300 looks like it has been dragged through a hedge backwards in regard to the rubber coating. optically and mechanically its great and i got a bargain as no one would touch it. also the 1Dmk3, its got a couple of dinks and again got it at a good price and works fine.
 
2nd hand for me anyway! I bought a 60d and 17-55mm is brand new, not a bad kit but i ended up selling it to buy a 1d iin, 17-40mmL and a sigma 70-200mm f2.8 apo dg for little more than what i sold the 60d and 17-55mm for. Its a FAR more capable kit for me shooting motorsports. Id definatly reccomend buying well used kit, more bang for your buck
 
Dblock said:
IMO if you buy from an enthusiast it will usually be in great condition. Aslong as it doesn't have silly high actuactions.
Click to expand...
Silly high actuations dont really matter to be on higher priced bodies as long as the cosmetic condition is good, if you can knock a few hundred quid off a high end camera because of high actuations simply have a new shutter fitted with the savings and save a few quid as well, shutter replacement isnt as expensive as some might think relative to the initial cost of the body
 
I always tend to look at the 2nd hand market first. there are some good buys out there to be had, just becareful where you buy from.

Most of my gear is second hand and will buy again

spike
 
Got my 100-400 from MPB and it's in great condition.

I was a little dubious of buying pre-owned but then thought "Who's going to by over £1K worth of lens and mis-treat it?"
 
I've bought second hand lenses before and never had any problems.
I personally like buying new bodies as there are many more things to go wrong so I like the piece of mind of having a warranty.
 
SimonMac said:
I might be in the market for a second hand flash, is there anything that I need to be careful of with flashes?
Click to expand...

Just make sure the contacts are clean and free from rust, also look for signs of batteries being left in the unit and bursting, look for a white powdery and yellow sludgy gunk
 
Last edited:
I prefer to buy bodies new for the warranty cover but have no issue buying lenses second hand, but if they are not a significant saving over the new item (at least over £50 cheaper) I wont bother and will buy new.
 
The only thing I've got this been bought new is my bag and I didn't even buy it (birthday present) all my camera gear has been 2nd hand and it all looks and works like new to me. I wouldn't be disappointed if I got it in this condition if I bought it from a shop tbh.

I don't even look at lenses new either really. I look at 2nd hand stuff on here, MPB and ebay if theres anything going cheap!
 
without question go for 2nd hand where possible, saves you sooo much money
 
2nd hand is great, and you can get some really good deals - particularly if you want to explore things like Manual lenses, which can offer both fantastic optics and a great joy to use if you get it right! (but also a lot of turkeys...)

On the other hand, some people seem to believe that they can sell gear for >90% of what they paid for it new even though its two years old, particularly at the high end post-earthquake, so its well worth researching prices on previous sales and putting a value on the service ,both pre- and post- sale, you get by buying from a reputable shop either new or 2nd hand.


Depreciation on good lenses is vastly less than bodies and accesssories, regardless of whether you buy new or pre-enjoyed...
 
I agree, I got my 1d mkii cheap as it had a mirror box issue, could only manual focus. So I did that saved up sent for service/ quote and now I have fully functioning 1dmkii for a lot less than it would be. I also too was adviced the same about my L lens, they hold there value on the second hand market.
Pounds of VAT and that drop off a new one as soon as you get it home.
 
I've always brought new bodies and i will continue to do this, i will buy glass second hand though you just need to be careful but most of the time you can tell if it has been looked after by speaking to the person etc..

I've just brought an brand new condition tamron 28-75 f/2.8 boxed with everything it came with from the factory for £200 and they are £350 brand new.

There needs to be a decent saving buying second hand or you might as well buy New.
 
If you're up at L glass level, it's often just as cheap to buy new of kerso on here as buy second hand. The lenses have 1 year UK warranty, so should you need to get Canon service, you will be covered.

When I bought my 100mm L macro, it was actually cheaper to buy off kerso than buy second hand off ebay....
 
You can certainly save a lot by going s/h, provided you take a little care to be sure you are buying the right thing, and the seller is genuine.

The biggest problem with s/h is finding what you want, when you want it, at the right price - so you have to either be flexible on what you want, or when to get it.
 
I have no problems with second hand, though a huge percentage of what is in my bags was bought new there are a lot of other bits bought second hand that have saved me a fortune!

Like Flossie said though, there are some who think an item can be sold at 90% of the new price so research is essential, and when looking to buy asking questions is worth while too.
 
Again, all of my gear is second hand, except my camera because I wanted the warranty and somewhere to go back to. All my lenses are second hand! Someone else has already lost money on it as the buy it new and it becomes second hand, if you get the right gear it can hold value very well!
 
I think I will keep to a new Body as mentioned for the warranty, but glass and etc I will look at second hand, might keep to specialist sites like this rather than run the risk with eBay.

In fact I have already had one offer accepted on here and just about to make a second on a lens :)
 
Nice one as I said second hand lenses are great here and other sites that list everything, they are usually people that are into photography and look after the gear, pros sometimes more so as it is the way they earn their money.
I often go hunting the ebay for the older film bodies as people sell them not really knowing what they have got, ie 50mm mark 1 :D
 
I get the feeling that there's some wariness with regards to ebay and gumtree. Where else do people buy secondhand? At the moment I can't access the classifieds on this forum as i haven't been a member long enough. Do people find it's worthwhile buying secondhand from camera shops?
And what about selling (when i've bought my new lens i'll sell my old one) - what's the best place to sell?
 
I would say keep to forums such as these, shops selling second hand goods also have to make a profit so sometimes getting goods from someone on here for instance would maybe get something newer or better history.
 
I also find eBay auctions are usually very expensive. For example a 500d went for only about £50 less than new, is it then worth it. I'm sure it was a £50 start or something but people go mad bidding on things. That used to be good for the seller but now fee's are just daft.
 
Dblock said:
I also find eBay auctions are usually very expensive. For example a 500d went for only about £50 less than new, is it then worth it. I'm sure it was a £50 start or something but people go mad bidding on things. That used to be good for the seller but now fee's are just daft.
Click to expand...

I agree with that!!

I was watching a lens on ebay which went on yesterday at 99p start. Today its at £336 with 2 days still to go, yet I can get a 'mint' one off MPB £309. And don't MPB give some warranty too?
 
LOL the people go made, bargains can be had though.
:naughty:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top