Photography is a fun hobby and a great way to express your creativity, but it’s one that you have to spend some money to get into. For creators starting out, that can be a daunting prospect. Not only is serious photo gear pricey, but some of the hottest cameras are in such demand that they sell for above retail price, when you can even find them in stock and ready to ship.
I’ve been a photo gear head for years and have a keen interest in vintage equipment (especially lenses), so I’m no stranger to buying used. Going secondhand is a great way to save money. Older cameras are fun to use and capture photos with a vintage aesthetic. Digital cameras that are four or five years old are mostly on par with the latest and greatest models. You’ll miss out on some upgrades and a factory warranty, but not much else.
Whether you’re shopping for your first camera, looking to upgrade your kit, or simply want to try out a vintage model, read on for advice on where to shop, what to expect, and red flags to avoid when navigating the used market.
Nikon Coolpix digital cameras (Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Where Can I Buy Used Camera Gear?
There are a few ways to purchase used gear: from a specialty store, a general retailer, or a private seller. Generally speaking, you’ll enjoy the best service and support from a camera shop, while general retailers may not do as good a job testing gear. Either way, make sure there’s a good return policy just in case you get something that doesn’t work. Private sales are riskier, but provide the best opportunities for bargain hunters.
Buying From a Retailer
The two largest national camera retailers, Adorama and B&H Photo, sell used equipment both on the web and in their brick-and-mortar storefronts. You should also check KEH and MPB, two big used camera dealers. Lensrentals is another good option; its Keeper program lets you buy select equipment after a rental, so you know exactly what you’re getting, and it also does used sales.
All of these retailers allow returns (with only shipping costs coming out of your pocket), and they provide short warranties, too. Amazon also sells used cameras, often acting as a broker for private sellers. It gives you some peace of mind with a return policy and user reviews of individual sellers.
KEH is the largest used photo dealer in the US. (Credit: KEH/PCMag)
If you prefer to buy local, try and see if there is an independent camera store in your neck of the woods. They’re as good a resource as online outlets, plus you’ll get the satisfaction of supporting a small business. And don’t forget about thrift stores, tag sales, and flea markets—you never know what you’ll find at Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or your local swap meet, though you’ll miss out on the service and support that you get with a photo retailer.
Buying From Individuals
Private sales carry the greatest risk. You may end up getting a great deal, or you may get scammed and stuck with a nonworking camera. Without a doubt, eBay is the largest marketplace and provides the strongest safety net for buyers. Still, it’s a good idea to look at a seller’s history and feedback, and carefully read the item description before buying.
You can also look at social media and web forums. There’s plenty of activity on Facebook Marketplace, and there are private user groups, too. I’m a member of the Camera Gear group, which has about 30,000 members and an active sales page, and is restricted to photo hobbyists and professionals. Likewise, discussion boards at DPReview and specialty forums like FredMiranda, GetDPI, and PentaxForums are also worth a look. I’ve personally bought and sold gear from forums and have yet to have a bad experience. You can also jump in and talk about photography equipment and techniques, and show off your work in these groups. I find that there’s an aspect of self-policing in these communities that weeds out sellers with bad intentions.
eBay is the longest running private sales platform on the web and a good place to look for used cameras. (Credit: eBay/PCMag)
Even so, you should be cautious of red flags. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Be wary of suspiciously low prices, items with stock images, or very poor photos. Don’t be afraid to ask basic questions like “Is this working?” and inquire about any obvious physical defects shown in product photos. Avoid sellers who urge you to use gift transactions to avoid payment service fees; it’s worth paying a little extra to PayPal or Venmo so you’re covered by their buyer protection programs. And this may sound obvious, but if you get a bad feeling about a listing, trust your gut and walk away.
What Kind of Camera Should I Get?
You can get nearly any type of camera—film or digital—on the secondary market. Which one you target is largely dependent on your desires. You can choose to look for a DSLR to enjoy the optical viewfinder experience, a recent mirrorless simply to save money versus buying new, or a digital compact or film camera to chase the trendy retro look.
Digital Point-and-Shoot
Let’s talk compact digital cameras first. These first hit the consumer market in the early 2000s, and were the de facto standard for family photographers and beginners prior to the advent of high-quality smartphone cameras. Point-and-shoot digicams are back in vogue today and often trend on youthful social platforms like TikTok. But since manufacturers scaled back production after smartphone cameras took off, there are far fewer models made today than a decade ago, and they are in shorter supply. You have to get lucky or wait weeks for delivery to get a trendy pocket cam like the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III today.
The Ricoh GR II’s 16MP APS-C sensor is a good performer even when compared with the newer GR IV. (Credit: Jim Fisher)
You can go down a couple of different roads with a compact. Premium point-and-shoots like the Sony RX100 from 2012 often combine a large sensor with a wide aperture lens, a recipe that nets blurred backgrounds and does well in dim light. Any version of the RX100 is a good buy, as are the Canon G, Fujifilm X, Nikon P, Panasonic LX, and Ricoh GR series. I still use my GR II when I have time, and took a Fujifilm X20 out for a retrospective last year—both hold up today. If you want a pocket camera that puts an emphasis on picture quality and has relatively modern tech, look for something with an APS-C, Type 1, or Micro Four Thirds image sensor. All of these were marketed to pros and shutterbugs. For some specific recommendations, check out my report on vintage compacts that hold up today.
Get Our Best Stories!
Your Daily Dose of Our Top Tech News
By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy
Policy.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
If you’re going for a more retro look, consider the Canon PowerShot, Fujifilm FinePix, Nikon CoolPix, and Olympus Stylus lines. These cameras tend to have smaller sensors that capture scenes with deep focus and bigger zoom power. You’ll have to turn on the flash in dim light, but you may want that. Younger creators are actually looking for cameras that can capture scenes with the washed-out direct flash look, which is not something you can coax out of the LED flashes common in smartphones.
A Nikon Coolpix digital camera (Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
You definitely want to check the age of a compact digital camera before buying it. If the one you’ve picked uses a rechargeable battery, make sure you can get a replacement. Chances are that the original battery won’t hold a charge. Additionally, be sure to check whether you can find a compatible memory card. There were some weird formats in the 2000s and 2010s that aren’t readily available these days. Also check the sensor type, as very old digitals use CCD sensors, which deliver excellent colors in bright light, but don’t do well in dim light when compared with newer CMOS tech. If you’re unsure about the tech in a camera, search the manufacturer’s website for an old model or look it up on Camera Wiki.
Digital SLRs and Mirrorless Cameras
Digital SLRs were top-of-the-line for years, but are now supplanted by mirrorless cameras. They are similar in concept, as both combine large sensor formats with interchangeable lenses. SLRs use optical viewfinders and include a mirror box that directs light from the lens to the eye. Mirrorless cameras drop the mirror and show the image from the sensor in an electronic viewfinder. Both types are easy to find at used shops.
I count the Pentax K10D, a DSLR from 2006, as the camera that really got me interested in photography. (Credit: Jim Fisher)
You can get a great deal on a used DSLR or mirrorless, and if you choose one that’s less than a decade old, you’ll be happy to know that image quality isn’t far behind the latest releases. The newest mirrorless cameras have better autofocus and video features, but picture quality has been on a plateau for more than a decade. You can score a great price on older entry-level and midrange cameras like the Nikon D3000, D5000, and D7000 series, the Canon EOS Rebel T5i and 60D or later, and Sony NEX and a6000, to name a few. And if you want a more serious camera, late model pro bodies like the Canon EOS 5D Mark III and IV, Nikon D750 and D800 series, and Sony a7 line are all quality options. You won’t have any trouble getting memory cards or batteries for these cameras.
If you want to go for an older SLR, you’ll have to live without some modern creature comforts. Cameras from the 6MP and 10MP era, like the Canon EOS XTi, Nikon D50, and Pentax K10D, have relatively tiny, low-resolution LCDs, clunky menu systems, and autofocus systems that aren’t as reliable as more recent cameras. Still, there’s a charm to using such dated tech, and these models are often dirt cheap. If you like to fiddle and tinker with older gear, it can’t hurt to try one out, but if you’re just looking to save money, try to get something released in the 2010s or 2020s.
Recommended by Our Editors
New Leicas are prohibitively expensive, so buying a used one like the 35mm Leica CL or digital M (Typ 240) is the only option for most photographers. (Credit: Jim Fisher)
I’ll also mention rangefinders, a niche type of manual focus camera made by the bougie brand Leica. New Leica M rangefinders are prohibitively expensive, and while I think that there’s enough nuance to justify a separate article, the M (Typ 240) and M10 are both relatively affordable and good performers to this day—I say relatively because even a used Leica will set you back a few thousand dollars. You can probably find an M8 or M9 for less, but both have issues and are costly to repair. The M8 requires you to use special filters for color photography, and the M9’s sensor corrodes and separates over time due to a manufacturing defect that wasn’t apparent until years after its debut.
With Film, Buying Used Is the Only Way to Get a Classic
There are a handful of film cameras made today, but most are low-cost point-and-shoots. If you want an SLR that takes 35mm film or a medium-format SLR, TLR, or rangefinder, secondhand is your only option. And since many of these are purely mechanical, with proper maintenance, they’ll work as well today as when they just left the factory. Because of this, my buying advice for film cameras is inverse to digitals—going older is often a better option, as film cameras from the 1990s and 2000s have electronics that can be difficult to repair.
That said, if the previous owner hasn’t kept up maintenance, you will likely have to send older film cams in for a standard service, referred to as a clean, lube, and adjust (CLA) in camera speak. There are unavoidable reasons to get a CLA, as many old cameras use foam to seal doors and prevent light from leaking in, and foam simply disintegrates over time. The lubricants used to ensure a smooth film advance can break down, and the shutter mechanism can lose timing without proper service.
Nikon F3, Rolleiflex Automat, and Canon A-1 film cameras (Credi: Jim Fisher)
So when you get a film camera, check for any obvious signs of problems—look for dried foam and use the shutter at various speeds to listen to the action to hear if speeds are obviously off. If the camera has a built-in light meter, make sure the battery compartment is free of corrosion and insert a fresh set of batteries (usually LR44 button cells) to check the meter’s accuracy. If all that looks good, shoot a roll of film, get it developed, and look for obvious issues like light leaks (visible as streaks of light on the film) or shutter issues. Overexposed images can be a sign that the shutter timing is off, and photos with part of the frame that’s brighter than the other signal shutter bounce, which happens when the shutter does not maintain a consistent speed when opening and closing.
It sounds like a lot of work, it is, but so is using film in a digital world. There’s nothing quite like using a classic SLR like the Nikon F3 or Pentax LX from the ’80s, or a rangefinder like the Leica M4 from the ’70s, and there’s no digital equivalent to medium format twin lens reflex (TLR) cameras. One of my personal favorite TLR cams is a 1950 Rolleiflex Automat, which uses one lens to focus and a second to take photos. Part of the charm of using it is its age—not a lot of tech lasts for three-quarters of a century.
Vintage Lenses Work Beautifully With Modern Digital Cameras
I’d be remiss if I didn’t touch on old lenses too, especially since vintage manual focus glass is so easy to use with new mirrorless cameras—check out my guide for more if you’re not familiar with mechanical adapters. Old lenses tend to show more character and flare than newer glass, and since manual focus lenses are purely mechanical, they last as long as old film cameras. With those, you should watch out for obvious issues like oil on the aperture blades, stiff or loose focus rings, and fungus growing inside the lens. Like cameras, you can get lenses CLA-ed, though fungus can be tricky to remediate and leaves etching on the lens elements that can affect picture quality. You shouldn’t worry too much about dust inside the lens or light scratches on the front glass, but deep gashes and scratches on the rear glass can show up in photos.
It’s easy to pair old lenses with mirrorless cameras. Here I’ve go the 1960s Leica Summicron DR on a 2011 vintage Sony NEX-5N. (Credit: Jim Fisher)
Newer autofocus lenses are also commonly available used, and are pretty safe buys. There are some things that can go wrong—autofocus motors can fail, for instance. There have been serious advancements in optical design in the mirrorless era, but late-model SLR lenses with autofocus are great values to pair with a used DSLR. Lenses tend to stay in production for a long time, so you can often find current entries secondhand to save some money.
More to Explore
Buying a used camera is a good way to save money or take a trip back in time, but I understand that many creators would simply prefer to pick up a fresh model and enjoy that new camera smell. Check out our top-rated point-and-shoot, mirrorless, or full-frame cameras if you’d prefer to go that route. And if you’re a fan of vintage, let us know about your favorite classic cameras and lenses in the comments below.
About Our Expert
Jim Fisher
Principal Writer, Cameras
Experience
Images, and the devices that capture them, are my focus. I’ve covered cameras at PCMag for the past 14 years, which has given me a front row seat for the changeover from DSLRs to mirrorless cameras, the smartphone camera revolution, and the emergence of drones for aerial imaging. I have extensive experience with every major mirrorless and SLR system, and am also comfortable using point-and-shoot and action cameras. As a Part 107 Certified drone pilot, I’m licensed to fly unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for commercial and editorial purposes, and am knowledgeable about federal rules and regulations regarding drones.
Read Full Bio
&w=1024&resize=1024,1024&ssl=1 "Calendário de lançamento de My Hero Academia Temporada 8: Veja lista de episódios")
