What to examine on used camera before buying?

[darkblue-x]

I went on Kijiji (canadian version of craigslist) and found someone selling a Nikon D3300 with Kit lens, that still has Warranty supposedly with a photo company called Henry's until Dec. of this year.
I was able to get the seller to agree to selling it to me for $300 CAD ($220 in USD)...seems like a pretty sweet deal as he said he hasn't used it much.

Please provide details on what I should examine on the camera when he and I meet.
Should I call Henry's to ask about the warranty?
Are there certain things on the camera to look at most particularly.

I just want to make sure I don't get a lemon so if anyone could provide me their professional assessment of what to examine, that would be most appreciated.

Cheers

 

[Derrel]

Shoot some photos. If it takes pictures, it is likely fine. The D3300 is not that old a model...it's almost a new model, so it ought to be perfectly fine. No need to worry about warranty either, THis is a low-priced camera, and if it goes bad, you might end up replacing it with a bhigher-end camera. But chances are, it will work for years and years without any service needed.

 

[tirediron]

Read through the manual (available on-line from Nikon) so that you're familiar with the basic operation and know how to turn it on, load a memory card (ensure you bring one just in case), and take a picture. Look the camera over carefully - especially on the "corners", edges, etc (The surfaces that would hit first if it were dropped) for any signs of hard impact. Minor rubbing (I guess we can't call it "brassing" any more) is not an issue. Press/turn/operate each control. Even if you don't know the function, you will know if it feels "wrong". Look through the viewfinder and look all around; it should be relatively clean. A few dust specks don't matter. Do the same with the lens, remove and re-attach the lens a couple of times. Ensure it feels smooth and firm. Take a few photos, look at them on the rear LCD to ensure they seem reasonably exposed and focused.

 

[unpopular]

I agree. Dont worry about the warranty on a 200$ camera, but henrys i think is fairly reputable. No idea if they honor their warrantys or not, but at this price id think of it as icing on the cake.

 

[Solarflare]

Low shutter count is typically something to look for.

I also would avoid cameras that are visibly beaten. Not because thats an issue by itself, but it means the camera was mistreated once.

My D600 only fell to the ground once ... and it instantly was a complete loss. Thats how fragile cameras are or can be.

My D750 fell to the ground once too and survived without any issue, so you can have luck. Either way there might be residual issues from that.

Theres a LOT more to test with lenses, because they last a lot longer and theres much that crucial to test.

 

[darkblue-x]

Guy took really good care of this. Everything is clean. No damage. The thing pretty well looks new regardless to it being 1.5 years old.
The warranty is valid with Henry's until Dec. of this year. He included all the papers, invoice and receipt.
To add on, I just check the shutter count online and it is just short of 2000.

What a steal that was, pretty happy about my purchase.

 

[unpopular]

I also would avoid cameras that are visibly beaten. Not because thats an issue by itself, but it means the camera was mistreated once.

Not sure if "mistreated" is the right word.