Save yourself a bit of cash and buy second hand

Nikon D3 body. Private sale: £1900 as new boxed all software, instructions etc. Original price £2850.

Over recent years with the uptake of digital the second hand market has changed considerably.  Gone are the massive listings of 35mm film camera, in fact in some cases, even popular general use SLRs cameras from a few years ago are no longer advertised or becoming rare.  It seems that we just do not want them anymore.

What we will see though are listings of the more desirable items from times where we perhaps could not afford them.  For example a professional film SLR, the EOS 1N HS was listed new in 1994 at £1499.00, its second hand value in 2001 was £800-900.  Today you can pick one of these up for less than £300 in mint condition.  The same also goes for medium format cameras shooting 6x4.5, 6x6, etc.  These cameras when new would easily cost several thousands of pounds but because they are not ‘digital' a complete medium format outfit with standard lens, waist level finder, film back and body will only set you back £350-£600 depending on condition.

Be careful about purchasing even a desirable film camera as the cost of film processing will soon make it appear as a false cost saving.  Typically a roll of 135/36 at 6x4in will cost £5-£9 to process and print. After 20 or 30 rolls it will start to make you think.  I guess it depends how much you really want that camera.  Maybe your intention is to put it  in a glass display cabinet and become a collector!

The second-hand market is not just about cameras, there are huge lists of lenses, flashes, exposure meters, power packs, filters, studio equipment and lighting stands all at really bargain prices.  You may own a digital body but it will still accept lenses made in the film days.  Here are some typical examples of what you could hope to achieve.  A new Nikon 135 F2 would cost mail order around £850-£899, second-hand they are listed as mint at around £600-£650.  A substantial saving and it will possibly come boxed and in a case along with a 1 year warranty.  A Canon 100-400 IS sells for £799-899 second-hand but generally costs new £1150, mail order.

For the easiest and safest second-hand purchase I would suggest a large second-hand dealer.  Ensure they offer a decent length guarantee and ask about the condition of the item.  Usually this is described as exc, exc , exc , mint -, and mint.  From experience, reputable dealers do describe their equipment accurately for most items but it is best to check with them.  Some dealers take photos of the kit and display them on their website for you to see for yourself but be wary, sometimes I have noticed it is a picture of the equipment but not necessarily what you would receive and even if it's the exact kit, there maybe only one view presented. 

This brings me on Ebay, here you can purchase a wealth of photo items. The price is normally lower than a dealer as there is not usually a warranty, it's privately sold and you may have three or more different views showing the kit.  Some sellers go to great pains to tell you about the ‘scratch' on the bottom of the camera others will simply say it is in keeping with its age which of course is too vague.  Ebay can be a little more risky and you need to take more care.  Some items can be returned so offering some peace of mind.  Check where the item is before purchasing as the postage charges might be higher than the item!

Canon 400mm F2.8 IS.  New £5199 yours for only £2750 in original case, unmarked - beautiful.

Not surprisingly, the second-hand market has listings of digital cameras, memory cards, card readers etc. but I would be a little cautious.   Most of them will be older models and this generally means a poorer specification.  The camera may be inexpensive but will you be happy with it, even as a second body.  If you do go ahead make sure then you opt for the latest possible model and ask how many shots the camera has taken, is the sensor clean etc.  Digital cameras in general are much harder to find as they go out of date so quickly and they do not continue to carry the status as some of the top film cameras.  It may not even be sensible to purchase a second-hand Canon D30 for say £200 despite costing £2100 new as its value will still continue to fall and its design is very much out of date.

I expect you may be wondering how much do dealers and the like pay for your kit.  In general a dealer will offer about 1/3^rd of its current second-hand value which is not very much but they need to keep on the shelf and offer a warranty.  A private buyer from the back pages of a photo magazine will usually pay much more, normally £10-£30 less than its current second-hand value.  So a good rule is to sell privately but purchase from a dealer if you want a guarantee.

The second-hand market although not as buoyant as it once used to be, still offers a great deal to the photographer and allows the chance to obtain kit that perhaps you only dreamt about owning. 

Visit David Hemming's website for more information.