Buying Secondhand Cameras and Lenses

Whilst we all covet that shiny new latest camera release virtually all of our equipment here at Wildcard Towers is actually secondhand and it is certainly worth considering a used item if you are in the market for a lens or camera body. My main camera (at time of writing) is a Canon 5Dmk2 and before that I had the original Mk1 version. I bought them both secondhand and they have given good service over many years. The 5D (both versions) is an example of a good quality camera that does all the basics very well. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the latest models but in fairness it doesn’t need them and I have had numerous images published all over the place to testify to the quality of images that this camera will produce.

The 5Dmk2 has been superseded now (the current model at time of writing is the 5Dmk3 and there is a new version expected in a matter of months). Mine has been round the clock a few times in terms of shutter count so it is getting a little long in the tooth now but it has thus far performed faultlessly every time. I would like to upgrade just because it is getting old and I guess eventually it will fail in some way but I just cannot justify the expense of the new equivalent at the moment. I will undoubtedly upgrade at some point though and I would have no hesitation in buying secondhand again.

Of course you do have to be careful when buying secondhand and whilst there may well be bargains to be had on Ebay you never really can tell what you are buying and there is no comeback if there is a problem. Most of my equipment has therefore come from a dealer that specialises in secondhand equipment (as well as new items of course): Skears Photographic in Northampton. When they receive a secondhand item it is checked and serviced and you know what you are buying. They are also always there to go back to in the unlikely event of a problem and in my experience the customer service is second to none. Check out their current secondhand stock at
www.skearsphoto.com

You really don’t need the latest cameras to take decent photos. If you are thinking of upgrading your camera in the hope of taking better photos, chances are that it won’t actually make much of a difference and it will probably be a waste of money. In fact on our courses I say that the camera itself is probably the least important part of the image making process; the most important being your concept for what the shot should be, the next being the knowledge of how to achieve that, and thirdly the quality of the lens as this is what the light is going to pass through. The old adage has always been to spend money on lenses not cameras.

Back in the day I had images on a huge billboard advert and on the side of trucks that were all taken with an entry level six megapixel camera. In fact, most of the bells and whistles on the latest cameras are actually just there to help you make images when you don’t have the knowledge of how to do it using the traditional camera controls that pretty much haven’t changed for a hundred years or so. These basic principles of photography are actually much easier to understand than many people realise and can be used far easier, quicker and more creatively than some of these new-fangled functions. This is the reasoning behind our popular Beginning DSLR Photography Course.

So don’t discount an older model and save yourself some cash at the same time by buying secondhand. Do bear in mind however that it is a case of ‘buyer beware’ if you are buying privately or looking on Ebay (for example) so my advice is to go to a reputable dealer such as Skears where you can be sure of good advice and service. And if you do happen to go there, tell them Wildcard Photography sent you!

To learn more on how to get the best from your cameras, lenses and accessories come on one of our photography courses.

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