Beginitermediate chick needing help on choosing a refurb SLR.

Soliloquy · Jun 14, 2010

Eh, begintermediate*

Hello, could anyone point me, the chicken with her head cut off, in the right direction toward a trustworthy place to purchase a refurbished DSLR. I'm thinking of going for a Canon and was going to buy something through Amazon, when i realized i should probably get some input to avoid making an impulsive decision. Which is so unlike me

A little about what i'll be utilizing it for:

I am going to be taking some digital photography classes for graphic design and need something that will will come out supreme when blown up and transferred to the web.

My ultimate goal is to become a freelance photographer so all the bells and whistles one would need for that is essential. (manipulation of light, special lenses, effects you can't otherwise achieve on Photoshop) My main concentration will be on nature and people, outdoor shooting. Though, i want it to be just as good at indoor shooting. I plan to do a lot of closeup shots of insects, flowers, tree bark etc.

Looking to spend up to 400, but ideally 300 dollars.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Johnboy2978 · Jun 14, 2010

Adorama.com is a reputable site and does have some refurb models, mainly the higher end canon and nikon. Any other sites I would first check w/ www.resellerratings.com first.

Robin Usagani · Jun 14, 2010

I found amazing deals on craigslist. I wish I had not bought it brand new from the store. You will deal with someone locally so you can inspect it first. I think you need to add some money to the budget. I would say $500 to $600 including a lens or 2.

Wraith72 · Jun 14, 2010

I've purchased/sold a few secondhand lenses from www.fredmiranda.com and ebay, and I've had no problems.

I limit my ebay lens/dSLR equipment purchases to original owners with a 95%+ seller rating.

On the fredmiranda site, I've seen some Canon Rebel XTi's and XSi's go for $300-$400 recently.

Adorama and B&H Photo are probably the two most reputable online retailers of dSLR equipment/lenses, and they both sell refurbished equipment.

Good luck!

KmH · Jun 14, 2010

Why do you want a film camera (SLR)? Or did you mean a dSLR?

Canon warranties their refurbished gear for 12 months.

Nikon warranties their refurbished gear for 3 months, though the reputable sellers cover the Nikon gear for the remaining 9 months.

All Nikon dSLR cameras have color aware metering, only 2 of Canon's cameras do, the $1700 (new) 7d and the $5000 (new) 1D MkIV.

Mike_E · Jun 14, 2010

Keh.com

KvnO · Jun 14, 2010

A local store might have a used department too. Not to mention, the buy and sell area of this forum. No warranties, but good deals I'm sure.

And, it could just be me, but I think correcting her use of SLR is splitting hairs. Film or digital, they're all single lens reflex cameras (and, who's to say she doesn't want film?). Same goes for point and shoots.

Soliloquy · Jun 15, 2010

I changed my mind, I prefer a DSLR. I thought an SLR would have more options for effects, such as multiple exposure techniques. After much deliberation, i decided it's not that important. Though, can i do that on a digital? I am a little out of the loop. Thank you so much for the all advice and links!!

Soliloquy · Jun 15, 2010

For www.fredmiranda.com
They don't allow you to sign up with a free e-mail address, so what does that mean? I have to use Outlook or a paid for e-mail?

Wraith72 · Jun 15, 2010

With reference to the fredmiranda site... when they say that you cannot sign up with a "free" email address, that usually refers to a Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, etc. email account.

I used my Yahoo email addy, and I had no problems signing up. I'm not sure why they aren't accepting free email accounts, but I would try a Yahoo account to see if that works.

The next option is to use the email address provided by your ISP (internet service provider... like Comcast, Cox, etc.). Your ISP or college (if you're a student) should have given you an email account. This is the type of account the site wants you to use for signing up, but I would try a Yahoo email account first.

Oh, and this problem has nothing to so with using an email program like Outlook, Eudora, Thunderbird, etc. It has to do with your email address, specifically the domain from which your address originated.

I hope that helps, but if you continue to have more problems, let me know, and I'll be more than happy to help.

Good luck!

KmH · Jun 15, 2010

Soliloquy said:
I changed my mind, I prefer a DSLR. I thought an SLR would have more options for effects, such as multiple exposure techniques. After much deliberation, i decided it's not that important. Though, can i do that on a digital? I am a little out of the loop. Thank you so much for the all advice and links!!

Yes. Many digital cameras have the capability to do multiple exposures, but not many in the $300 to $400 range.

With photography, lenses are generally more important than camera bodies, when it comes to image quality and versatility.

In fact, a good lens can cost more than the camera body it is attached to.

Making a living wage doing freelance photography will require having a suite of good lenses. Figure on ultimately spending between $5000 and $10,000, just on lenses.

A pro freelance lens lineup for Nikon camera bodies would be: