Buying Second-hand Photo Equipment
Let’s face it. Photography equipment has never been cheap. And, with the onslaught of smartphones almost wiping out the compact camera market, manufacturers had no choice but to pass on the burden of loss to the mainstream gear – camera bodies and lenses.
Uncle Ronnie helps you inspect and select second hand equipment
One way to counter this issue is to rent or buy second-hand gear. In this write-up, I shall endeavour to explain the nitty-gritty of buying second-hand gear so that you are better informed.
The best way to check out secondhand photo equipment is to take several pictures with it in different lighting conditions. This way you can be assured that what you are about to buy is in good working condition. The problem is, not many owners will let you take the equipment out for a test since they are not sure about your ability to use the item without causing any damage to it. Hence it is necessary to investigate further.
It would be nice to know who the second-hand equipment belongs to. That way you have a fair idea of how carefully (or not) the equipment could have been handled. It would not be unfair to assume that the equipment must have gone through rough handling if it belonged to a professional, as for the professional photographer, his first commitment is to get the photos no matter how difficult the shooting conditions are. A non-professional may back out, worrying about his life and limb (and his equipment), but professionals are made of different stuff. They don’t
worry about scratches and dents as long as they get the photos they set out to get.
Of course, not every time would such information be revealed to you. There will be times, when you – the purchaser – will have to inspect the equipment yourself before deciding. So, let’s see what one should check before making the commitment.
Check the general condition of the item you wish to buy. Are there scratches, dents, paint peel-off, dust in every nook and corner? If yes, the owner was not careful.
Find out the year of manufacture of the product. Remember, after certain number of years (usually seven to ten, depending on the product), the manufacturer is unlikely to provide spares. If you are able to buy the item at a low cost, you may take the risk, otherwise avoid.
Find out where the owner is getting his service from. As an example, where does he get his lenses cleaned? Where does he get the imaging sensor cleaned? Where does he take the product for minor/major repairs? Does he take the equipment to an authorised service station? This is not to say that personnel working at non-authorised service centres are not skilful enough or that they do not know their job, but genuine spares may not be available with them; they may or may not have the equipment to calibrate the repaired item or check for infinity focus after a lens is opened up for fungus cleaning and re-assembled. Equipment required for testing cost a lot and most smalltime repairers may not have the financial resources to procure such expensive testing equipment.
Buying lenses:
Lens compatibility: While buying a second-hand lens, first check if the lens is compatible with your camera body. Some lenses have a built-in motor for autofocus while some do not. If you buy a lens that does not have an AF motor, and if your camera body too does not have one, you will always have to focus manually!
Loose lens element:
If you hold a lens close to your ear and gently shake it, and if you hear small knocking sounds, it could indicate a loose lens element. If the lens has a lever for aperture blades, be sure that you hold that with your finger or else you might be misled.
Note: If the lens has any element that is de-centred, you will not know of it unless you take several pictures in repeatable conditions and check for softness in some part of the image.
Fungus:
Check the lens for fungi. Take off both end-caps and keeping the rear end to your eye, look at a bright light source ( you might have to manually keep the aperture wide open by keeping pressed the small lever that controls the blades). Do so at all focal lengths if it is a zoom lens. If you see any cobweb-like design, you are looking at fungi. Avoid the purchase.
If the seller says that he will discount the charges for cleaning the fungi, it is better to ask him to get that job done. The reason is simple. If the fungi growth is heavy, it is possible that you will see some marks on the lens elements even after the cleaning is done. Fungi are living organisms that eat up the lens coating, leaving marks where the lens coating is eaten away.
Note:
Heavy-handed cleaning of fungi (especially using non-recommended cleaning solutions) could also take off the lens coatings. Lens coatings in modern lenses are more stable. If a coating on any particular lens element is rubbed off, it may not be possible for you to notice that. However, such lenses may exhibit greater lens flare in against-the-light shots.
Smooth operation of aperture blades:
Attach the lens to the body and set the minimum aperture (f/16 in most cases). Set a slow shutter speed (less than one second) and set the camera body to manual exposure and manual focus mode. While looking into the lens, release the shutter. Do you see the aperture blades close and open smoothly? If there is jerkiness or if you notice any trace of oil or if you see non-uniformity of the blackening of the aperture blades, there is a potential issue.
Filter end damage:
If the filter end appears to have any damage (as would happen if the lens is banged hard against some object), avoid buying it. It is also a good idea to carefully try and attach a filter. If the filter screws in smoothly, that’s fine but if does not, that could indicate cross-threading. I would not buy a lens if the filter thread is damaged.
Buying camera bodies:
As mentioned earlier, the general condition of the body should be checked. Too many scratches or dents could mean a careless user.
Check the flange:
Too many scratches along the body flange indicate a not-too-careful user or a heavily used body.
Battery compartment:
Open the battery compartment and thoroughly check (using a magnifier) for any signs of corrosion on the contacts. If you notice any corrosion, don’t buy.
Memory card slot:
Check for physical signs of damage. Insert a memory card into the slot to check whether the card slips in and out easily.
LCD panel:
Check for heavy scratches and other damages. If the LCD panel is multi-directional, check if it operates smoothly.
AF and AE:
In the presence of the owner, check for AF and AE by actually taking a few shots. No seller will object to doing so in his presence.
Check the shutter actuations if you know how to. Most beginner and midlevel cameras are tested for about 1.5 lakh shutter cycles (though this does not necessarily mean that your camera will stop working after that number is reached). If the shutter actuations are close to that figure, in theory at least, you are taking a chance. But again, if you are getting the body at a low or reasonable price, you could consider going for it.
Needless to say that you need to be well-versed with photography in general and you should know how the camera works. Otherwise you can be fooled into buying secondhand equipment that will give you headaches instead of pleasure.