Is It a Safe Bet to Buy a Used DSLR or Mirrorless/Hybrid-something for Video?
- Thread starter Jack Lynt
- Start date
buy it from the manufacturer or an authorized US dealer (if you're in the US, that is)
you guarantee your warranty is still good, item is brand new and you won't run into any hidden problems down the road. in my opinion there is just too much that can go wrong, too many issues that will only be discovered months down the road with heavy usage.
Plus, if you're like me, image quality is hugely important and buying used causes you constant paranoia that something is wrong with your camera and you'll be unsatisfied with your footage no matter how good or bad it is. Just buy new, dangit.
you guarantee your warranty is still good, item is brand new and you won't run into any hidden problems down the road. in my opinion there is just too much that can go wrong, too many issues that will only be discovered months down the road with heavy usage.
Plus, if you're like me, image quality is hugely important and buying used causes you constant paranoia that something is wrong with your camera and you'll be unsatisfied with your footage no matter how good or bad it is. Just buy new, dangit.
IMO, the camera is the one item you ought not buy used unless you knew the previous owner or it is cheap.
With camera equipment going obsolete so fast these days, does it make sense to buy something that is essentially obsolete already when there are so many cheap new options available... (Like the Alexa)
Obsolete is a state of mind. If it does the job and all the technology glitches are worked out, tried and true may be the best route.
are you saying that it's better to invest in lenses and then rent a camera as needed?
I'm of the opinion filmmakers need to own their cameras -- even after all the production work is done, you still need it for post-production work and fixes. The lenses is the thing to rent, and even then, only maybe.
IMO, if you need an expensive lens to tell your story, there's something wrong with your script. Blow money on expensive gear ONLY when someone is paying you to do a specific piece of work and the job calls for it. Otherwise keep your gear costs low and the quality of your story high.
Good luck.
yeah, my kit is relatively small (550D, 6D, EF 40mm f/2.8, EFS 18-55mm, aspherical EF Sigma 28-80mm, steadicam, tripod) but I agree with you, it's important for a filmmaker to own at least 1 camera if not just for post and fixes, but for easily accessible practice with using the camera itself, composing a cinematic shot, lighting test subjects and more.
As someone who just finally hopped the DSLR wagon and bought a used $300 t2i with kit lens, I can say that it can be done.
Like anything, you need to do your homework. I used eBay, they have a pretty good return policy if the seller misrepresented anything. So if the listing doesn't specify if this or that is working or in good condition, ask the seller. If they don't give you a satisfactory answer, don't buy it. If they do but lied or were wrong, you can get your money back.
As far as the obsolete question. Well, I'm not a DP looking for pro work. If I were, I would rent. But I can tell you that this camera is as good at making films as it was when it came out. Are there camera's with more fancy features that shoot 4k? Yes. But I don't need them, I can make a great picture with this little guy.
Just my two cents, YMMV.
Like anything, you need to do your homework. I used eBay, they have a pretty good return policy if the seller misrepresented anything. So if the listing doesn't specify if this or that is working or in good condition, ask the seller. If they don't give you a satisfactory answer, don't buy it. If they do but lied or were wrong, you can get your money back.
As far as the obsolete question. Well, I'm not a DP looking for pro work. If I were, I would rent. But I can tell you that this camera is as good at making films as it was when it came out. Are there camera's with more fancy features that shoot 4k? Yes. But I don't need them, I can make a great picture with this little guy.
Just my two cents, YMMV.
I have no problem buying used. Just remember, the outside of the camera represents the treatment and will reflect the innards.
Yes, you will absolutely notice sensor dust on a video. You'll notice dead pixels. There are some ways around this, but dust happens and isn't always the fault of the owner. It will happen to you when you buy a new camera.
It's very easy, if slightly risky, to clean your sensor properly. I've done it on all my cameras. It's also possible to reduce the dead pixels (and many have a way to compensate for them, making them invisible). I've seen dead pixels on broadcast tv before, and it's highly distracting once you notice it the first time. It can also be fixed in post, if you can make a map of them.
The biggest issue to buying a working used camera is not dust. It's batteries and cables, and possibly mistreatment of the sensor outside of dust. Batteries are often neglected or 3rd party, or even counterfeits that look original for popular cameras like the LP-E6. If the camera works when you get it, it'll probably be fine, but the batteries need to be run a couple cycles before you should trust them.
If you do buy used locally, TAKE A LAPTOP. Tell the owner to charge the batteries and bring all the cables and software. Download the software to your laptop just in case, and bring your own usb cable. If the owner shows up with depleted batteries, walk away. Do not ever hand over money until you know that electronics work, without a guarantee that they work (like on ebay).
If you need to, bring someone who knows the particular camera well. Take a few pictures with the camera, in raw if possible, and look at it on the laptop. Check the LCD for damage and if pixels are working... but the LCD isn't as important as the final image. Shoot something bright (like the sky) and overexpose it, and look for dead pixels on the lcd. Shoot something dark (like the inside of the lens cap) in manual focus to look for stuck pixels at both fast (1/500) and slow (1 sec). And look at all of these images on the laptop, enlarged. Scroll the pic around to find any low level pixel issues. To check for sensor dust, set to manual focus and defocus camera, set aperture to maximum (smallest), and overexpose a blank white wall or paper by a stop. Look at the pic on laptop. If there are large dark blotches, the sensor is dirty and probably needs a professional cleaning (which can cost between $25-100 if you don't know how to properly do it yourself). If there are tiny OOF specks, that's just a little dust that can be blown off and is normal.
Do not touch the sensor, pretty much EVER. The only thing that can touch it is a cleaning wand made for the purpose, or air from a hand-squeezed blower. If I'm selling a camera and anyone touches the sensor, they just bought the camera.
(BTW, most cameras will have a few dead/stuck pixels, so that's not a deal breaker if your software or the camera can fix it.)
Over 40 shooting days in two features with my second-hand bought Canon 550d and no problems so far.
The camera cost was 400e, if I would rent the equipment then the bill would be around 4000e by now (100e/day).
The risk to loose your money is quite small if you are buying basic DSLR cameras anyway ,since they are quite cheap nowadays.
The camera cost was 400e, if I would rent the equipment then the bill would be around 4000e by now (100e/day).
The risk to loose your money is quite small if you are buying basic DSLR cameras anyway ,since they are quite cheap nowadays.
pretty sure you are never supposed to touch the sensor with a cleaning wand. you may be thinking of the mirror.
Naw, you can clean a sensor. You just have to use something for the purpose. A qtip won't work well and will leave horrible streaks, usually.
You can get these flat, sensor-sized pads and wet cleaner for them for about $15. Works great when gunk gets on it. Just one swipe across it does a great job and won't damage it if you do it right. That's the catch.
You can get these flat, sensor-sized pads and wet cleaner for them for about $15. Works great when gunk gets on it. Just one swipe across it does a great job and won't damage it if you do it right. That's the catch.
With camera equipment going obsolete so fast these days, does it make sense to buy something that is essentially obsolete already when there are so many cheap new options available... (Like the Alexa
It can, depends on how much you use it (and what for). I bought my 5DmkII when it came out at the end of 2008. While it's no longer the cutting edge there's still clearly demand for them on the used market - I just picked up an A7s, so the 5D is going on ebay and should fetch ~$1800 for the kit (body & lens). So over 5+ years it basically cost me ~$1/day to own. I did some corporate work the first year I had it though to justify the purchase - ~$30k or so - so the reality is it didn't actually cost me anything over most of the time I had it or any of the 20-30 personal projects I shot with it.
100e/day is highway robbery for that camera! Realistically though the total rental wouldn't be that high - usually rental rates drop substantially after the first couple of days. For instance borrowlenses.com has the t5i for ~$160/40 days.
you did $30k worth of corporate work with just a 5DMKII? where do I sign up?
Just a 5DmkII? No, I had some lights and a laptop too, mics, etc. But those are just the tools I used, the equipment isn't particularly important as long as you can deliver the results. I charge clients for my skills, not my equipment.