First DSLR - used Canon T1i?

fender101punk

TPF Noob!
Joined
Sep 20, 2010
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
First of all, hello people. I'm the new kid. I like to take pictures. Thats why I'm here :mrgreen: I sell a lot of things and I'm always taking pictures to put up on my ads. I've been quite surprised at some of the shots I've taken with my little point and shoot. I'm also in a band and like to take pictures and videos of my own and other bands. So, I'm thinking about buying a better camera. The thing I like about the Canon T1i is that it's a pretty nice camera and takes nice HD videos all in one, which I love. So it could also replace my cheap Sony Webbie HD camcorder. I normally don't like to buy things brand new to save money, so I tend to look for the used, but like new things. Anyways, I found a 1 year old Canon Rebel T1i with two batteries, the original charger, a travel charger and a 4G Sandisk memory card. The seller told me he bought it in China and doesn't have the box and the video cable. This sounded kind of fishy to me, but maybe it's nothing to worry about. He said he would take $500 canadian which is $485 USD.

Sounds like a good deal to me, but just thought I would check with people who would know more about it than me. If I go to look at it, what are some things I should check for? as I said it will be my first DSLR and I haven't had much of a chance to use one.
 
I guess some people don't mind buying used items and yet others do. (above post)

I have bought 2 Rebel Xt's, a 40d, a 50d, and 10 lenses and I haven't had problem with any of them.

There are obviously certain risks by buying used, but if you're careful enough you can save a lot of money. This is similar to buying used or new cars, though lenses usually do not depreciate as much as a new car will.

Anyway, you really need to make sure that all the mechanical parts of the camera are in proper working order. The t1i is a relatively new model, so wear should be minimal. If there's lots of wear it could mean that either it was extensively used or not properly cared for, both of which could be troublesome. Make sure the flash works, pops up normally. Also, look for scratches on the screen, and for any dust particles in the sensor or focusing screen. All those things together can tell you how well the camera has been cared for.

You don't mention anything about lenses, but the same applies. If there's a lens included, make sure auto focus is working well. If it has IS that it's working, and that switches are working well. Then look for any dust particles inside the lens elements.
 
If they got in China and they are already trying to get rid of it I would pass on it...you dont want to pay 500 bucks for a knock off, if he got the memory card in China that is probably a knock off also...and if its the original charger you may need an adapter to fit US plugs...or where ever you are from.
 
Thanks for the replies! The lense is the stock kit lense but he also has a Tamron 18-200mm lense he bought this summer.. I've been asking all the questions I can think of and trying to get him to throw that lense in the deal, but that might be asking for too much. He confirmed that everything is in mint condition and the only reason he is selling it is because he just bought a Mark 2 and he wants to sell the T1i to buy some accessories.
 
For just a little more than $500 you're better off getting a used 40D if you're at all serious about photography. Trust me, I wish I had gone this route instead of getting a rtebel. Here: Canon Digital 40D 10.1 MEGAPIXEL WITH BATTERY & CHARGER (CF CARD ) DIGITAL SLR INTERCHANGEABLE LENS CAMERA - KEH.com

$678.95 USD after shipping. Thats about $700 Canadian, plus I would have to pay 13% tax when it crosses the border. This will be my first DSLR so I don't want to go all out. I'm only 18 and have tons of other things I need to save up for. Thanks for the suggestion though!

Edit: and thats just for the body.. from the looks of it I would have to buy a lens on top of that
 
For just a little more than $500 you're better off getting a used 40D if you're at all serious about photography. Trust me, I wish I had gone this route instead of getting a rtebel. Here: Canon Digital 40D 10.1 MEGAPIXEL WITH BATTERY & CHARGER (CF CARD ) DIGITAL SLR INTERCHANGEABLE LENS CAMERA - KEH.com

$678.95 USD after shipping. Thats about $700 Canadian, plus I would have to pay 13% tax when it crosses the border. This will be my first DSLR so I don't want to go all out. I'm only 18 and have tons of other things I need to save up for. Thanks for the suggestion though!

Edit: and thats just for the body.. from the looks of it I would have to buy a lens on top of that

Ah, you're in Canada. That complicates things. As to the lens, a 50mm 1.8 is only like $100 :)
 
Suddenly I don't think this camera is that great. I asked about the shutter count and the guy told me he thinks it's "one hundred thousand times" which tells me it's been used ALOT. I'm not sure what the life expectancy on these things are?
 
Suddenly I don't think this camera is that great. I asked about the shutter count and the guy told me he thinks it's "one hundred thousand times" which tells me it's been used ALOT. I'm not sure what the life expectancy on these things are?

About 100k shutter actuations. Still, 100k over a year is 270 pictures a day, every day.
 

Most reactions

Back
Top