What should I do???

[CrystalLeanne]

So I am looking to purchase my first DSLR camera. I have been using a point-and-shoot and also my iPhone for some time and the limitations for me are boring me! I need more, I'm craving more, so on the search I go! Well, have I learned a lot. Learning about aperture and shutter speed also, that there are cameras out there the cost well over the value of my one of my vehicles! Not to mention forums and reviews, reviews, reviews, so I can't say that I've totally settled on a camera but there are a few that I'm looking into. I have tended to lean towards cannons as I'm really looking to learn the aspects of photography and I was considering purchasing something used. So there are a few reasons why I'm hesitant to purchase used and online. Scammers, I've seen many listings saying that the cameras are Japanese or Chinese made and that's something that I really don't want to have to deal with after waiting for so long and paying hundreds of dollars for the camera. Second, I'm totally new at this and have no idea what I'm doing so how do I turn the camera on. Or check to
see if it work right (like if I buy off craigslist) I am going to stand in front of someone who's asking for hundreds of dollars for a set up I don't even know how to use. I'm going to a big box store tomorrow to really get a feel for some of the cameras, put them in my hands. Now that I have reflected on my dilemma and anxiety lets get to my question. Online for $225, ( if still listed going to try to offer 175 here is the contents Here is what will be included with the purchase....
-Canon rebel Xti camera with stock 18-55mm lens
-A Canon 75-300mm lens for amazing distance shots
-2GB PNY optima pro memory card
-Canon battery charger with camera battery
-Camera to USB cable for uploading straight to your computer.
-A Tamrac carrying case that fits everything!
-all standard tripod
from what I gather this is well worth the price..... Thoughts and advice welcome, thank you

 

[CrystalLeanne]

Also a huge factor is financial cost, obviously I'd love to purchase the new Mark iii, but that's just not realistic for me right now. One of the reasons I'm looking into used cameras is because some of them come with lens is already and since this is my first one I'm looking to learn the ropes. I'm a mom to a two-year-old and a full-time student so I really would like to be able to use the lenses and take advantage of the used price. Amazon has the camera starting at around $200 and the 300 mm lens for about 100 of those two alone without the stock lens is worth more than he is asking. Should I just bite the bullet and buy a new body for 300 and then wait for my chance to invest in lenses..... I'm a Gemini, I hate waiting.

 

[sm4him]

Given the tight financial budget and your reservations about getting "taken" buying used from someone, you might try checking out some sites like B&H Photo, KEH.com, and Adorama.com--all of them are very reputable companies, and all of them have sections of their sites where they have used equipment for sale. I've gotten some really great deals on both camera body and lenses from them, and you get the piece of mind of knowing it can be returned if there's anything wrong with it.

 

[CrystalLeanne]

Thank you, I will look ninth those sites.

 

[hirejn]

I have just the article for you. This will walk you through the approach to buying your first DSLR, and it explains how to buy used, safely. Firstly, eBay is one of the best used markets because of the buyer protections in place, especially if you use PayPal. The seller ratings don't lie. It would be unusual for a seller with a 99.9% positive rating to offer you any junk or poor service. EBay has gotten much stricter with sellers in the last several years. Secondly, you can narrow search results to US only, which eliminates the Hong Kong sellers. Thirdly, call the serial number into the manufacturer to check if it's gray market. You don't want gray market. The article contains valuable insight.

 

[Solarflare]

Joel Nisleit Photography | How to Buy a New DSLR Camera Body, Or the Best DSLR for Beginners

Ugh. That article I dont like.

The first sentence is already a total disaster. Its rarely a good idea to detach yourself from emotion, especially not when it comes to art, and photography should be art. Being sensible about what you're feeeling is just as important as thinking clearly about a subject. You *cannot* be objective, ever, and giving yourself the illusion you would be wont help with that, but simply lead to worse decision making, because you just threw half of your instruments for descision making out of the window.

Thus you really should prefer a camera that you like, one that you enjoy to shoot, even better one that makes you *want* to shoot. That doesnt mean of course you should follow whatever current "hype" there is, but you should really not completely disregard your feelings either. Maybe the somewhat "inferior" camera is actually the better tool for you ! What you really need is "good enough for *ALL* my needs", not "best in some categories". Thus you should find out what you really need and find the best match of a camera for you. And knowing your emotions is actually even more important to find out what you really want, than clear thinking, the later of which of course is also required.

This bad intro is followed by an even more awful text that makes me want to stop reading completely. So what story does a landscape photographer want to tell ? Or a macro photographer ? Or a portrait photographer ? Storytelling is just one of the possible ways to approach photography. This is art. Its expression. Its not limited, except by the limits of your own creativity.

Also, I frankly never have met anyone who thinks the way the article described. People buy expensive cameras because they want great image quality, better controls etc. And they buy them because they missed opportunities and want a camera that will allow them to catch these opportunities next time. Another possibility is simply GAS - gear acquisition syndrome, people get in the rut of buying new gear even if they dont actually need it.

Okay, the article then gets a lot better. Yes, an entry level camera from Canikon (i.e. Canon or Nikon) is definitely a good, conservative start to sniff out photography. These cameras plus the kit lens plus a decent flash, while master at nothing, are pretty good for any kind of photography. However, this is a standard tip you can read in any photography forum - all the time. Its not exactly original.

Also of course people might have special demands on a camera. Want a small, lightweight system with great image quality, low light and best autofocus on moving subjects are not a priority ? Micro Four Thirds might be better for you. Want a stealthy camera ? iPhone. Want to shoot sports in low light ? Thats the most hardware demanding task for a camera, an entry level DSLR with a cheap lens might not cut it. Want best colors technically possible ? You might want to look into film. Want the best image quality possible ? Film, large format, tripod. Want to do street and be left alone while photographing ? Film or Fuji X100s (which looks like a film camera).

And then he goes into the typical "oh you need to use your gear to the max" loop of so many people. No ? You dont need to. You can totally, for example, but a DSLR and run it with nothing but a 50mm prime, thats a totally valid choice, you arent forced to have multiple lenses just because the camera supports it. What you need to make sure is that the camera has everything you need - but it can have stuff you dont need, it doesnt matter. My camera has tons of features I dont care about. So what ? Doesnt hurt me. I have the features that I actually need. I'm not required to use the ones I dont need, just because they exist.

And finally he goes all elitist on how *old* stuff he uses. Pfft. So he just goes to the other extreme. Go figure ! Better gear can make your task easier, theres no harm in getting it if you can afford it.

And for the record, treat careful on eBay. Many items are overpriced. You might have to monitor the market for quite a while for a good deal. So yeah, you *can* get good deals, but it might require time.

 

[robbins.photo]

Also a huge factor is financial cost, obviously I'd love to purchase the new Mark iii, but that's just not realistic for me right now. One of the reasons I'm looking into used cameras is because some of them come with lens is already and since this is my first one I'm looking to learn the ropes. I'm a mom to a two-year-old and a full-time student so I really would like to be able to use the lenses and take advantage of the used price. Amazon has the camera starting at around $200 and the 300 mm lens for about 100 of those two alone without the stock lens is worth more than he is asking. Should I just bite the bullet and buy a new body for 300 and then wait for my chance to invest in lenses..... I'm a Gemini, I hate waiting.

Crystal, I bought most of my equipment used - the camera body, most of my lenses, etc. You can get some really good deals used, the trick is to just be careful how you go about it. If you are going to purchase used at least in my experience your best bet is Ebay. Step one of course is to check the seller's feedback. If they have between 100 and say 5000 transactions or so and no negative transactions, odds are good that your dealing with someone reputable. If they have thousands and thousands of transactions and only a few negative transactions, again this is usually a good indication that you're dealing with someone who is trustworthy, when someone sells that much they are bound to get a negative feedback from at least a couple of people - there are some folks who just aren't satisfied no matter what you do.

The second step is to read the description carefully and look for not only what they mention but what they don't mention. If they don't describe something in detail, send them a message and ask for clarification. So for example if you see a camera and the description doesn't mention the actual condition of say the LCD screen, send a message and ask, "any scratches on the LCD?". I think you'll find most sellers are pretty good about describing any defects or anything that might affect the cameras operation, etc - but if you ever have any questions about an item always ask and get it in writing before you bid.

The last thing of course is never leave feedback until you actually get the item and take a day or two to look it over and test it out. Most ebay sellers take their feedback rating very seriously and I think you'll find that most of them are very careful about describing any defects or pointing out any area in which the item differs from being in like new condition. Funny thing is they will often overstate such things, when I bought my D5100 the guy who was selling it said it had a "nick" in the screen. I got such a great deal on it and since the LCD being pristine wasn't a huge deal to me I didn't really care that much about a small nick. When I got the thing I couldn't find a nick to save my life - I looked all over the LCD and it looked perfect to me - so I contacted him just out of curiosity and as it turns out what he was describing wasn't a scratch at all - it was something that was on the LCD and it was so small I couldn't even see it myself until he told me exactly where to look for it, I cleaned the LCD and it was gone.

Last thing of course about doing business on Ebay, always pay with paypal. As long as you use paypal you will always have the ability to file a dispute with Ebay should something every go wrong and as long as you can show that the item was not as described then you will never have to worry about the seller doing the right thing, Ebay will refund you through paypal. I've never had to go that route myself, I buy a ton of stuff on Ebay and I've never once had to have paypal force a refund, but it's always nice to know there is a court of last resort just in case.

 

[Gavjenks]

Scammers, I've seen many listings saying that the cameras are Japanese or Chinese made and that's something that I really don't want to have to deal with after waiting for so long and paying hundreds of dollars for the camera.

Just FYI: the Canon camera and lenses you were interested in are manufactured in Japan, along with all of the major camera products from pretty much every major camera company that does just about anything these days (Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Pentax, Sony, Sigma, Tamron...). That country probably has about 90%+ of the market share. Leica (German, very expensive) and Polaroid (American, do they even make digital cameras??) are the only non Japanese companies I can even think of off the top of my head in the whole industry. Every camera and lens I own is Japanese (except one very nice wooden film camera which is Chinese) If you "don't want to deal with Japan," then photography is not a very practical hobby to get into.

Anyway...
I also recommend you go to the store and hold some cameras and play around a bit. Then go ahead and consider those stores, but also consider first Adorama, B&H, KEH, as mentioned. Or Amazon. All have very good customer service and would allow you to return things if you feel you made a mistake.

I am a bit suspicious of the deal you mentioned in the OP. It seems a little too good, even for used stuff. But I don't know, they may be desperate or something. Definitely a little fishy. I think it is safer to go the more conventional routes described above.

 

[HelenOster]

.....you might try checking out some sites like B&H Photo, KEH.com, and Adorama.com--all of them are very reputable companies, and all of them have sections of their sites where they have used equipment for sale. I've gotten some really great deals on both camera body and lenses from them, and you get the piece of mind of knowing it can be returned if there's anything wrong with it.

Thanks so much for the recommendation for ordering from Adorama, which is very much appreciated.

BTW you are always most welcome to email me directly: [email protected] for advice or after-sales support with any order from Adorama Camera.

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

 

[Designer]

Online for $225, ( if still listed going to try to offer 175..

This deal sounds like a good deal to me, but you don't say where you found it. What website? Private or commercial dealer?

Usually if you purchase from a reputable commercial dealer, they will stand behind it.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I've bought quite a bit from Adorama and KEH and done well with both; I agree that a reputable dealer might be your best option. I've also bought used and then eventually if you wanted to upgrade you could sell/trade in the used items.

What I've seen sometimes on ebay is that the seller's description of the item and its condition don't always seem to be as shown in their photos; I've also seen listings that the photos of the item don't necessarily seem to be the exact item you'd be buying. I've also seen listings that give longer ship times than I'd expect from their given location which makes me wonder why.

Sometimes the seller's idea of 'good' and your idea of 'good' may not be the same for the condition. If someone is underpricing the items way below the going rate you see elsewhere, that might be an indication that there's a reason they're selling so cheap.

Adorama ships fast, same day, up to I think 7 or 8 in the evenings on Monday thru Thursday (I don't live as far west as you do so your ship time might be longer than it usually is for me).

 

[HelenOster]

.....Adorama ships fast, same day, up to I think 7 or 8 in the evenings on Monday thru Thursday (I don't live as far west as you do so your ship time might be longer than it usually is for me).

Yes, we do; up 'til 8pm ET! And now there is a handy little feature on each web page which tells you exactly how many minutes you have to place an order for same day shipping.