Best places for purchasing used camera equipment

[KenElevenShadows]

Best places for purchasing used camera equipment

https://photofocus.com/photography/best-places-for-purchasing-used-camera-equipment/

 

[KuruPrionz]

Nice! 

I've bought from KEH, their standards are very high. The "Bargain" quality stuff that I've bought might have been called "Excellent" anywhere else. 

I'm guessing their "Ugly" stuff is probably pretty ugly but they are honest, pack well and ship quickly. 

 

I've bought on eBay, my Canon 6d was purchased there, is clean and in decent shape and the price was reasonable. Another good packer, they are not always good!!!!

 

We had a local shop, Quicksilver Photo Lab and I think they are still around but they downsized and don't have much used gear. Somewhere around 2007 I bought a Rollei 35mm SLR from them and a couple of lenses. That was a nice camera but I think I'm done shooting film unless somebody gives me an 8x10. 

[KenElevenShadows]

I occasionally say I'm going to use film but never do. If I do, it'll be something unusual like Lomography or large-frame stuff.

 

I have sold things to KEH but not purchased things from them. I'm sort of all over the place with purchasing stuff. A lot of my gear I've purchased used, including the Nikon D750, Pentax K-1, Pentax 15-30mm lens, Pentax 28-105mm f/2.8 lens, Pentax macro lens, and one or two other items. 

[KuruPrionz]

28 minutes ago, KenElevenShadows said:

I occasionally say I'm going to use film but never do. If I do, it'll be something unusual like Lomography or large-frame stuff.

 

I have sold things to KEH but not purchased things from them. I'm sort of all over the place with purchasing stuff. A lot of my gear I've purchased used, including the Nikon D750, Pentax K-1, Pentax 15-30mm lens, Pentax 28-105mm f/2.8 lens, Pentax macro lens, and one or two other items. 

I no longer own any film cameras. 

I do have 3 vintage Pentax lenses and a couple of adapters for Canon EOS mount. A 28 2.8 that is so sharp I can hardly believe it, a 50 1.4 that has lovely bokeh and an abused but still good 135 2.5, which was their least expensive 135. It seems like a good lens to me and considering I have about $15 in the set you can't go wrong. 

They all take good images on the 6d, keepers at this point. 

 

I'm having a hard time thinking of a single photography item that I bought new. So many people start in, think they are going to get into it and then 5 years later they sell everything after taking maybe 100 photos that were pretty OK. 

 

Some things are simply indestructible. I took a Nikon F to my camera tech in Fresno decades ago and he told me that he'd only had 2 Nikon F camera in the shop that he couldn't fix. One of them was found buried in the sand, underwater, at the beach. Salt water, ocean, not good for cameras!

The other was dropped by an idiot out of a 20th floor window in NYC and hit the sidewalk. It died. They are lucky it didn't hit somebody and kill them!!!! 😇

[Lou Gehrig Charles]

For film gear, I've gotten several items from the Classifieds section of the Rangefinder forum rangefinderforum.com  Despite its name, the forum isn't exclusively about rangefinders; I got my Rolleiflex there for example, and my old-style Gossen light meter.  I've been a member there so long I know enough of the members and know which ones I think I can trust when they're selling stuff.  So far all has been great.

 

I've only gotten a couple items from KEH....  A Nikon micro-Nikkor 80mm lens I use to "scan" negatives and slides, and a Tokina zoom which I eventually flipped at a swap meet for more than I paid for it.  They definitely do grade their stuff very conservatively!

 

I need a new D80 to replace my original D80 which died after about 12-13 years of use.....  I bought a used one on Ebay with less than 2000 clicks on it, and it arrived looking brand new.  But then it too died about a year later!  Stupid dumb luck I guess.  For the record, I also have a D7000 but I much prefer the D80 for outdoor, sunny bright light.  Something about the CCD vs. CMOS sensor I think.  And I like the DX format because it makes my 80-200/f2.8 lens behave like a 300/f2.8 LOL.  

[KenElevenShadows]

On 11/15/2022 at 11:02 PM, KuruPrionz said:

I no longer own any film cameras. 

I do have 3 vintage Pentax lenses and a couple of adapters for Canon EOS mount. A 28 2.8 that is so sharp I can hardly believe it, a 50 1.4 that has lovely bokeh and an abused but still good 135 2.5, which was their least expensive 135. It seems like a good lens to me and considering I have about $15 in the set you can't go wrong. 

They all take good images on the 6d, keepers at this point. 

 

I'm having a hard time thinking of a single photography item that I bought new. So many people start in, think they are going to get into it and then 5 years later they sell everything after taking maybe 100 photos that were pretty OK. 

 

Some things are simply indestructible. I took a Nikon F to my camera tech in Fresno decades ago and he told me that he'd only had 2 Nikon F camera in the shop that he couldn't fix. One of them was found buried in the sand, underwater, at the beach. Salt water, ocean, not good for cameras!

The other was dropped by an idiot out of a 20th floor window in NYC and hit the sidewalk. It died. They are lucky it didn't hit somebody and kill them!!!! 😇

 

I think I donated my Nikon N70 film camera to a middle school photography program. I think. 

 

Nikon F cameras....well, you could probably use that as a blunt tool for home construction. Those things were solid. A long time ago, I spoke to a National Geographic photographer. He said that he had dropped his off a cliff, where it plummeted over 50 feet. Still worked when he retrieved it. 

[KenElevenShadows]

On 11/16/2022 at 9:22 AM, Lou Gehrig said:

For film gear, I've gotten several items from the Classifieds section of the Rangefinder forum rangefinderforum.com  Despite its name, the forum isn't exclusively about rangefinders; I got my Rolleiflex there for example, and my old-style Gossen light meter.  I've been a member there so long I know enough of the members and know which ones I think I can trust when they're selling stuff.  So far all has been great.

 

I've only gotten a couple items from KEH....  A Nikon micro-Nikkor 80mm lens I use to "scan" negatives and slides, and a Tokina zoom which I eventually flipped at a swap meet for more than I paid for it.  They definitely do grade their stuff very conservatively!

 

I need a new D80 to replace my original D80 which died after about 12-13 years of use.....  I bought a used one on Ebay with less than 2000 clicks on it, and it arrived looking brand new.  But then it too died about a year later!  Stupid dumb luck I guess.  For the record, I also have a D7000 but I much prefer the D80 for outdoor, sunny bright light.  Something about the CCD vs. CMOS sensor I think.  And I like the DX format because it makes my 80-200/f2.8 lens behave like a 300/f2.8 LOL.  

 

Oh, okay, I am totally not familiar with rangefinderforum.com. I would think both the D7000 and the D80 would be good cameras. I used the D7000 for probably about eight years before deciding to essentially trade that in for a Pentax K-1, keeping the Nikon D750, which I am still using as well.

 

KEH is great so far, and MPB is good too. Those are probably two of the better places to shop for used camera gear.

[Lou Gehrig Charles]

21 hours ago, KenElevenShadows said:

 

I would think both the D7000 and the D80 would be good cameras. I used the D7000 for probably about eight years before deciding to essentially trade that in for a Pentax K-1, keeping the Nikon D750, which I am still using as well.

 

I think maybe I have my D7000 on some odd color setting possibly.....  It just never looks "right" in sunny daylight.  I should really delve into it further and figure out what is wrong with it.  Otherwise, it's a vastly better camera than the D80 - larger buffer, faster "motor drive", front AND rear IR receivers, zoomable live view, etc, etc - which one would expect being nearly a decade newer.

 

I also have a D750 too which remains at the top of my DSLR hierarchy, but I miss the D80 sometimes for the certain things it does well.

[KenElevenShadows]

12 hours ago, Lou Gehrig said:

I think maybe I have my D7000 on some odd color setting possibly.....  It just never looks "right" in sunny daylight.  I should really delve into it further and figure out what is wrong with it.  Otherwise, it's a vastly better camera than the D80 - larger buffer, faster "motor drive", front AND rear IR receivers, zoomable live view, etc, etc - which one would expect being nearly a decade newer.

 

I also have a D750 too which remains at the top of my DSLR hierarchy, but I miss the D80 sometimes for the certain things it does well.

 

I love the D750 for sure and use it all the time right alongside the Pentax K-1. 

 

I wonder if you investigated the color setting...I mean, that should be relatively easy to do. Are you shooting RAW? 

 

I went from a D7000 to a D610. Well, sort of. I kept the D7000, so I had two cameras. And the difference between the D610 and D7000 for color rendition and clarity and low-light performance were very noticeable, even when not pixel-peeping.

[KuruPrionz]

As a side note, once in a while I've seen bargains on "interesting" kit at thrift stores (and/or pawn shops), like the Alien Bee 800 complete with carry bag, cord and reflector that I got at Value Village for $15 last year.

It was in the lighting section, next to a bunch of lamps. Very clean, excellent condition and works perfectly, score!

 

You do have to keep your eyes open and you do want to be fast, at the very least stick the item in your shopping cart and evaluate it carefully before purchasing. 

 

 

 

[KenElevenShadows]

That's amazing that someone would leave an Alien Bee 800 at a thrift store.

 

I got a $175 rice cooker for $5 once. That's my best thrift store score. That's some of the best $5 I've ever spent. That thing is amazing. Rice always comes out perfectly without having to do anything more than pressing a button. Never burns. Easy to clean. Cooks all the way around. So nice.

[Lou Gehrig Charles]

8 hours ago, KenElevenShadows said:

That's amazing that someone would leave an Alien Bee 800 at a thrift store.

 

Imagine how many people walked right by it and didn't even know what it was! 

 

"Golly gee look at that dumb 'ol lamp!"

[KuruPrionz]

11 hours ago, KenElevenShadows said:

That's amazing that someone would leave an Alien Bee 800 at a thrift store.

 

I got a $175 rice cooker for $5 once. That's my best thrift store score. That's some of the best $5 I've ever spent. That thing is amazing. Rice always comes out perfectly without having to do anything more than pressing a button. Never burns. Easy to clean. Cooks all the way around. So nice.

 

3 hours ago, Lou Gehrig said:

Imagine how many people walked right by it and didn't even know what it was! 

 

"Golly gee look at that dumb 'ol lamp!"

Thrifting is sort of a "hobby" for me and it's been both profitable and fruitful time and again. 

You truly never know what people will donate or how the minimum wage workers in the back of the store will price things.

I've gotten all sorts of interesting photography gear, props, outfits, etc. at thrift stores. Also all sorts of music gear. 

It's always "buyer beware" but you can check stuff out at the store before purchasing. 

I passed on a huge Vivitar hot shoe flash the other day. First thing I check (always!!) is the battery compartment. If that's clean then I look at the rest of the unit. 

This one had a broken hot shoe, I left it - somebody else's problem. 

 

I'd be going today but I've got a busy day ahead. EVERY Monday Goodwill stores will price ALL the chosen color tag items that were on sale Thurs-Sun for $1.99 each. 

It's a great day to shop for clothes, I've gotten some excellent shirts and pants for $2 many times. 

 

My all time best score? Salvation Army in Fresno had a guitar behind the counter. I asked to see it. The label inside said "Third Planet From the Sun" and it was a Gurian guitar made by Michael Gurian from the New Hampshire era. It needed a bit of work but was not a wreck. $70. I pondered repairing it and decided to sell as-is. I got around $1,300 for it on eBay. 

2 years ago I bought a vintage Uke in need of some repairs, all flamed koa with rope binding. Sitting in the furniture at Goodwill - $5. Sold that as-is for $500. 

 

Most of the time I don't find doodley-squat and leave empty handed. So it goes, still fun!!!!

[KenElevenShadows]

Those are some great scores. I usually end up getting something small if I go at all, like a beat-up LP or tool or something like that if I get anything at all.

[KuruPrionz]

7 hours ago, KenElevenShadows said:

Those are some great scores. I usually end up getting something small if I go at all, like a beat-up LP or tool or something like that if I get anything at all.

Yep and like I said, most of the time I don't find anything at all. 

I've bought a few things that end up being not worth one single crap too. But I've never paid much for them so I'm still ahead in the long run. Probably not by much when you count gasoline and time. It's fun though!