Is it worth getting third-party warranties on lenses?

Question

I've just taken the plunge & ordered a refurbished Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 lens. Refurbished & on sale, it's still expensive -- about as much as my T1i + other lenses put together! I think my primary usage warrants it, but this still makes me a bit tense.

The Canon warranty on refurbished products is just 90 days. In that time, I'll certainly play with it, try to test sharpness, etc., so I will hopefully feel confident it's not a lemon. But given that this is a small, valuable, highly portable item, is it worth getting a third-party warranty on it?

Asked by khedron

Answer

It would help to know if you're an amateur or professional. If it's for professional/paid use then it should be listed on your insurance anyway. Insurance takes care of liability and equipment problems.

If you're an amateur then you might consider a personal articles policy for insuring your equipment. In the US camera equipment is not generally covered by homeowners or rental insurance. If you obtain third party insurance then it will cover not only damage but also theft and misuse. In my opinion, this is much more valuable than a third party warranty.

Here in the US a good option is a personal articles rider on your homeowner's insurance. You can cover a pretty significant dollar value of equipment for a small yearly fee.

Answered by nwcs

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How risky is to buy a used camera?

Question

Obviously there must be some judgement (the seller, no visible flaws).

But yet, is there a significant risk of buying something which will break in the next few weeks buying an used camera?

Asked by Paolo

Answer

The risk is in the seller being dishonest about something that is already wrong with the camera. If it is good working order, then there is no reason for it to suddenly break within weeks of buying. Equipment does break down, so it is always possible that it will coincidentally develop problems.

If buying from a dealer, ask for a 3 month warranty period (or longer). If you can physically inspect the camera, do. Take along an SD card and shoot some images and review them. Borrow the camera for a short period for a "test drive". If buying from eBay or similar, go by the seller's reputation/feedback and description of the product. Ask questions, does it have any problems, so that if it does you have some recourse because they misled you.

Answered by MikeW

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How do I identify unknown thread mounts?

Question

A local thrift store is selling a macro bellows with thread (screw) mounts. The mount is not identified. I have a cheap digital caliper. What are the likely mounts that it could be, and how can I distinguish them through measurements?

I know, for example, that there's a nominal 42mm "Pentax" screw mount, but what are the actual measurements that I should expect from measuring male and female mount diameters? Do I need to be concerned about thread pitch?

Answer

At 42mm, the mount could be either M42 (Pentax/Practica/Zeiss) or T-mount. The difference is thread pitch -- the M42 has a 1mm thread pitch (the "wavelength" of the thread, measured from "peak to peak"), and the T-mount has a 0.75mm thread pitch. So, three grooves in three millimeters is M42; four grooves in three millimeters is T-mount (or one of the variations on T, like the Sigma YS).

There's also a slight chance that you might run into an M39 (39mm Leica) mount, but that's vanishingly unlikely on a bellows unit. A bellows is almost useless without TTL focusing (as in an SLR ro a view camera), and the M39 is pretty much a rangefinder-only mount (the exception being the early Leica reflex box that sat between the camera and the lens).

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What are good websites to buy second hand/after market lenses?

Question

Besides the obvious eBay and Craigslist, are there any good sites for second hand lenses?

Answer

KEH and B&H Photo would be the big two in the US. Other big camera dealers like Adorama also sell used gear.

B&H offers a 90 day warranty on used gear. KEH has a 6 month warranty and 14 day no questions asked return policy

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What should one look for when buying a used film camera?

Question

I'm planning to buy a used Nikon F5. I've no experience with a film camera and i want to know what all should one be careful of before buying a used film camera and more specifically an F5.

Thanks.

Answer

Nikon film cameras are practically indestructible so unless used heavily by a professional photographer, who mostly switched to digital five to ten years ago, it should appear to be in pristine condition.

The F5 is old now so you will probably need new batteries. Specific areas to check would be the mirror, film winders, and lens mount. There should be no sign of wear except maybe on the grips. If the camera looks old, tatty, or worn then just walk away and look for another. Lots of owners will also expect an unrealistic price because they were so expensive when new, shop around to get an idea of the right price.

You could also consider the the F80 if you want something lighter and cheaper or an F6 if you want the 'end of the line' camera.

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What's the easiest and safest way to sell photo gear?

Question

I'm looking to make some upgrades in the next couple of months (new camera body, new lenses, new tripod); and will no longer be needing some of my equipment (old camera body, some old lenses).

I'd like to sell the stuff I'll no longer be using in order to lessen the economic impact of the new purchases. I've heard great stories about eBay, Craigslist, and local classified ads; and I've heard horror stories about eBay, Craigslist, and local classified ads.

I'm trying to strike a balance between ease of sale, and not shipping my lenses to someone who has no intention of paying. I'm curious as to where you've had successes, or failures, selling your gear.

Answer

The easiest and safest way to sell photography equipment is to sell it to people you know! I've had the good fortune to be able to do this in the past. Failing that, I've also sold stuff on eBay and not had any problems. You only ship when the buyer's funds are in your paypal account, and using an insured & signed for delivery system prevents them from claiming they never received the goods. I'm not an eBay expert but it seems relatively safe these days and gives you access to a very large market.

With any service you have to use your wits to spot potential scams, it's usually fairly easy to tell if someone's a photography enthusiast or not. I would recommend selling to those who are!

Remember, the scare stories you hear are always the exception to the norm, "man doesn't get ripped off on eBay" isn't as newsworthy!

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Where to buy used Nikon lenses in the USA?

Question

What are some of the sites available for buying used lenses for the Nikon D-90 camera body? Do any specialize in Nikon or have enough supply to deeply cover Nikon lenses?

Answer

Apart from KEH that MikeW already mentioned, take a look at Grays of Westminster. I found their collection pretty good and complete. It is an exclusive Nikon shop. The shop is in UK and referred to as "The High Church of Nikon". Their website, unlike other online store websites, is very well organised.

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Can I use old camera accessories with a new DSLR camera?

Question

I found a good price on a Rebel X. It comes with a flash and a couple lenses. Could I use those accessories with most new DSLR cameras? Would I be limited to Canon cameras?

Answer

Rebel X (EOS-500/Kiss XS without pop-up flash) is a fairly recent entry level body. It uses EF lens mount, so the lenses should work fine with current Canon DSLRs. The flash hot-shoe is also compatible with current models, although Rebel X did not support E-TTL. The flash will work on a Canon dSLR, but the features it will offer depend on the flash and cannot be determined from model number of the body. Any EX-series flash can be used with E-TTL metering.

The lenses can be used on Canons, and any other camera system (e.g. micro four thirds) that has adapters for Canon EF lenses (with limitations imposed by the adapter). The flash can be used in manual mode with any modern dSLR (except Sony/Minolta); advanced features, if there are any, can only be used on a Canon.

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What should I look for in a second-hand DSLR with a nice long zoom lens?

Question

I am considering buying a cheap second-hand DSLR with a nice long zoom lens (at least up to 200mm) for photographing nature in particular. I have a lovely Panasonic LX5 which takes great macro pictures, but I am missing the capability to take pictures at a distance with nice bokeh.

I am not looking for professional quality images, but it would be nice to have a reasonably fast autofocus to capture fast-moving subjects. There are plenty of older Nikons and Canons (and everything else) on eBay; any suggestions as to what I should look for and what I should avoid?

My budget would be under €400 - and yes, there do exist cameras with OK zoom lenses at that price second-hand; however, I think the question can probably be answered usefully for different budgets as well.

Answer

Craig is correct — the DSLR and lens should be considered separately. If you do find a bundle that has both you want then, of course, you can buy it, but first decide which cameras and lenses would be satisfying.

As I am mostly familiar with every lineup, I'll speak from that perspective ;)

Going used is a great opportunity to find excellent values. You may be missing low-light performance or the ultimate gimmicks — I mean features — like video capture and live-view, but you'll get more of what matters.

Every brand has a low-end lineup and one or more high-end lineups. You should really go for the higher ones, because they are built to be more durable, and so have a better chance of staying in good shape and having shutter-cycles left. Usually, the are rated to take between 3× and 10× more photos. As a bonus, you will get better ergonomics, more direct controls and larger viewfinders.

If you go with Canon, for example, an XXD camera like the 30D or 40D falls into this group. For Nikon, that would be the D70, D80, D90 or any Dxxx, like the D200.

Since you are considering telephoto and nature photography I would actually go with Pentax, Sony, or Konica-Minolta (acquired by Sony). The advantage is that these cameras have in-body stabilization which will save you money on the lens since you do not have to pay for in-lens stabilization.

You may be able to find the Konica-Minolta 7D which is built like a tank, the Sony A700, the Pentax K10D or K20D which are great. These last two Pentax cameras are weather-sealed as an extra bonus. A quick search on eBay shows the K10D for under $300 and the A700 for just over.

Then, you can find a compatible lens. On the cheap, you have to compromise on image quality and speed, so I suspect you will want to go for a 70-300mm or 75-300mm of the respective brand or a third-partly like Sigma. I see a Minolta 75-300 for Sony or KM cameras for under $100 on eBay. Most other brands go for a similar price.

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Where can I buy used photo studio equipment?

Question

I am looking for a place to find used or inexpensive photography equipment like tripods, light stands, backdrops, ext.

Answer

Beyond ebay & Craigslist, here are a couple other ideas:

• Watch for refurbs at Adorama. I think you can find these from some other vendors, too. At a minimum, use these prices as absolute top-dollar for used equipment (if you can buy it refurbished for $X, you wouldn't want to pay more for it used).
• Adorama (as well as many camera shops) also carries used equipment, but you won't find too many steals on this stuff. The only benefit is that these guys will do a good job of grading equipment, so if they say it's in good shape, it's in good shape.
• Watch for used stuff from rental outfits like lensrentals.com -- this stuff is well-used, obviously, but it's also (generally) well-maintained. If a lens comes back w/ a complaint about something, it'll be serviced before it's rented out again. On top of that, the people who are renting from these vendors are serious about their camera equipment, and they're likely to know how to take care of it (you don't ship in a 400mm f/2.8 lens for Billy's birthday party).

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