Buying used electronics/cameras?

[Balog]

Ok, so I realize the two aren't exactly the same, but they're similar enough for this thread.

I buy almost everything used. The discount off new is just too much to resist. However, I've always been leary of used electronics, as there is no way I know of to check the condition like you can with a gun/car etc. I know there is a little more you can do with cameras, but I'm not sure exactly what that is.

So what's your opinion on buying used electronics and cameras? Good idea or something to steer clear of? If I do go used is there anything I can/should do to protect myself?

[alex_trebek]

I deal with it on a case by case basis. There are certain items that I would never buy used, a good example of this is a xbox 360. I say this because of quality issues and liklihood of modification.

I buy controllers used, as the chances of it being nonfunctionsl are limited, and it won't cost much anyway.

As for other electronics, it depends on the cost to savings ratio vs liklihood of being DOA or otherwise nonfunctional.

[BrokenPaw]

One thing that you could do to at least begin weeding out potential bad pieces is to find out why the seller is selling; if he's a photographer who is selling his Foonon DSLR Model 20 because he just bought the Foonon DSLR Model Three-hundred-elebenty, that's got a better chance of being a decent buy. 

The danger is that it's entirely possible for something electronic to work not at all (or worse, in the case of buying used, failing only intermittently) while still appearing factory-clean on the outside.  And unlike a car, you can't pull bits off of an electronic device to see how the insides look (well, you can, but it's less likely to give you useful info).

The closest that I ever get to "used" electronics is factory-refurb; that's got a warranty, usually, and often comes at quite a discount from new.

[Balog]

The closest that I ever get to "used" electronics is factory-refurb; that's got a warranty, usually, and often comes at quite a discount from new.

That's been my approach as well. But the siren song of Craig's List is luring me... :D

[BrokenPaw]

That's been my approach as well. But the siren song of Craig's List is luring me... :D

Just remember that the sirens lured sailors to their deaths.  I feel that this is an apt metaphor when dealing with Craigslist.

[alex_trebek]

That's been my approach as well. But the siren song of Craig's List is luring me... :D

I have a sneaking suspicion that this thread has something to do with the TV thread. Don't forget about the floor models at department stores, those are pretty safe bets as well.

[Bogie]

Craigslist cameras -might- be okay...
 
Really, depending on what you're going to do with it, you can buy a hardcore PRO camera a couple-three generations old for chump change... Of course, it may only be a two megapixel, but it'll be a darn near bulletproof two megapixel, and your photos may actually look nicer than a higher resolution model... (some of them handle higher ISO numbers better, all that jazz).
 
Your glass is where you're gonna get hurt. If you want autofocus lenses, or, and this is a LOT more fun, vibration-reducing lenses, then things get interesting.
 
You can get a Nikon D3000 with an 18-55 (35mm equivalent to about 27-whatever the number is...) f3.5 VR lens for about $500.
 
You're gonna want that 2.8 lens tho...
 

[Monkeyleg]

The last three computers I bought were used. Why pay $4000+ for the latest when you can get the model from a year or two ago for $750? I buy off of Ebay and check everything out thoroughly.

I've also bought a used digital camera, and it's worked fine. Ditto for the LCD monitors.

Once upon a time I bought new stuff and sold it a few years later for pennies on the dollar. Not any more.

[Brad Johnson]

I got my D-Reb off evilbay, but not before talking extensively with the seller in person and picking his brain to the point that I was reasonably certain he wasn't trying to jack me around.

Brad

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

i almost never buy new.  i have gotten burnt a time or two but in the long run i've come out way ahead

[Bogie]

One of the geenyuses at Cat Whiz got himself admitted to University of Feenix around xmas time, with a nice big student loan...
 
Which he then spent on a new computer. Because he's gonna be studying computers.
 
After not listening to me when I TOLD him what he needed, vs. what was shiny...
 
I think he's already flunked out...
 
Last computer I bought for bidness cost under $120, with shipping, plus keyboard, rat and monitor. It's an HP clone, is (I think...) a P4, with at least two gigs RAM and at least a 40 gig HD, and came with XP Pro installed (with the glue-on). One I got before that was under $120ish too, and I lucked out and got it with Office 2003...
 
Camera: http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-D2H-Body-only-4-1-Megapixel-No-Reserve-/180510932504?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Digital_Cameras&hash=item2a074a3e18
 
Computer: http://cgi.ebay.com/Dell-Optiplex-GX270-P4-HT-3-0GHZ-160GB-2GB-RAM-cdrw-dvd-/120574761859?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Desktop_PCs&hash=item1c12d0db83

[Hawkmoon]

I tend to avoid used, but buying factory refurbs (the units that were replaced under warranty and then repaired) can save a chunk of cash, and probably has a better chance of being good than a brand new unit. (They really don't want to repair that sucker a second time.) And you still get the full warranty.

[Bogie]

Definition of Factory Refurb: "Honey, I can't figure this damn thing out - do you still have the receipt?"
 
Definition #2: "Okay, the project's done - Let's box this crap up, take it back, and maybe have enough time for a coupla beers at the airport before the flight!"
 
Seriously.
 
The boxmart sends it to the vendor warehouse, where they make sure it fires up, and that all the cables, etc., are there, then they stick a refurb sticker on it, and send it to a Tiger Direct warehouse.
 
Now, both of the computers on this table are Tiger Direct refurbs. They rawk.
 
But if you want a box to hit interwebz stuff, and you're not into warcrack, etc., you can play for under $200.
 

[KD5NRH]

Your glass is where you're gonna get hurt. If you want autofocus lenses, or, and this is a LOT more fun, vibration-reducing lenses, then things get interesting.

Go Sony, then; the image stabilization is in the camera.  Pop on any old Minolta AF glass and you're all set.  Old Minolta glass isn't that hard to come by, though you sometimes have to take a film camera with it.  I think I paid $80 for a 75-300 f/4.5 with a StSi body attached.  If you have some Minolta AF-mount SLRs to get rid of, I have reasonable fees for disposal. 

As for the resolution, remember that there were a lot of good photos made on 2MP cameras.  Maybe not great enlargements, but looking at an 8x10 from 3 feet away, it's hard for me to see a resolution difference between my 5MP, 7MP and 10MP cameras.

[Balog]

Go Sony, then; the image stabilization is in the camera.  Pop on any old Minolta AF glass and you're all set.  Old Minolta glass isn't that hard to come by, though you sometimes have to take a film camera with it.  I think I paid $80 for a 75-300 f/4.5 with a StSi body attached.  If you have some Minolta AF-mount SLRs to get rid of, I have reasonable fees for disposal. 

As for the resolution, remember that there were a lot of good photos made on 2MP cameras.  Maybe not great enlargements, but looking at an 8x10 from 3 feet away, it's hard for me to see a resolution difference between my 5MP, 7MP and 10MP cameras.

I thought old 35mm glass didn't interchange with digitals? Also, is it correct to say that glass between the brands isn't interchangeable ie if I want to share glass with my wife's Nikon I would need to buy a Nikon as well?

[Bogie]

It has to do with the autofocus stuff - that will no longer work. Sometimes aperture stuff won't work either, and will have to be set by hand.
 
Different brands have different lens mounting systems.
 
Basically, the big three are Canon, Nikon, and then whoever is introducing something this week...
 

[Brad Johnson]

I thought old 35mm glass didn't interchange with digitals? Also, is it correct to say that glass between the brands isn't interchangeable ie if I want to share glass with my wife's Nikon I would need to buy a Nikon as well?

Like Bogie said... some will, some won't, and there's not much rhyme or reasons to which ones are affected.  Some digital bodies that won't work in auto mode with older glass will still function in manual mode.  Others, like my first gen D-Reb, will throw a cast iron fit, giving an error code and refusing to function at all.  Also, some older autofocus lenses can be upgraded to function with digital bodies, some can't.  In many cases a lens will work with some bodies in a manufacturer's digital lineup but not with others.  You really do play roulette with your money in this respect.

Fortunately there are plenty of folks out there who feel the same pain.  If you have a particular lens/body combo in mind, you can probably hit the camera forums and find out if they are simpatico.

Brad

[KD5NRH]

It has to do with the autofocus stuff - that will no longer work.

All of my Minolta AF-mount film lenses work just fine on my Sony Alpha.  The reverse is even mostly true; "digital" lenses are often made for a cropped (18x24mm) sensor rather than the full-size (24x36mm) film frame, so they will vignette somewhat at the shortest focal lengths.  Using film lenses on a cropped sensor is actually an improvement, since the sensor only uses the center part of the lens, where the quality is usually highest.

[KD5NRH]

I thought old 35mm glass didn't interchange with digitals? Also, is it correct to say that glass between the brands isn't interchangeable ie if I want to share glass with my wife's Nikon I would need to buy a Nikon as well?

Everybody has their own standards.  However, when Minolta started making digitals, they kept them 100% compatible with the AF series glass, and most of the accessories.  When Sony bought out Konica-Minolta's lines, they maintained that compatibility.  The only issue I've run into is having four lenses of roughly the same size but different focal lengths, and two larger ones that are also similarly sized to each other, which is a pain when you're doing astrophotography and trying to change lenses in the dark.