how to buy cheap used dslrAre you an amateur photographer and looking to buy your first DSLR, here are some tips on how you could source a good used one and save some $$$?

Couple of weeks back, my friend was looking to buy a new DSLR camera. Our budget was about $400. We knew we could not get a fancy brand new DSLR camera. We were looking for a used one. The plan was that once my friend is fully aware of all the functionalities and get used to it, he would then get a brand new one after few months.
My friend was interested in sports photography. He has never done any photography course, but he had some idea about it. Thanks to some online videos from Lynda.com.

What is DSLR?

DSLR stands for “Digital Single Lens Reflex Camera”. It is widely used by a lot of professional photographers. We started looking out in few retail shops to get an idea about the actual cost to get a new one. The cost for a new DSLR started from $500 and depending upon the quality of the camera and the lens the cost would vary. We wanted to make sure we also get a 50mm lens along with the camera body. The lens helps you to zoom into the object while taking pictures. We were told by one of the staff from a reputed retail outlet that if our budget is less than $500, don’t waste your money and just use your iPhone6 if you do have one, I do agree to some extent about his response.

CHECKING ONLINE

We then started looking online. We noticed that the cameras from amazon were cheap compared to the ones selling in eBay. However, you cannot order the one from Amazon as most of the items are shipped from US and Amazon does not deliver to Australia. Going through Amazon website did give us a lot of information about the different types of DSLR with the reviews shared on their website. There were some great reviews for DSLR cameras from Canon, Nikon, Sony, and other brands. Since we could not buy from Amazon, we started looking in eBay. The used ones were a bit expensive and also most of them did not have any warranty.

OUR FINAL STOP

The next day, we decided to check in some retail shops where we could find some used ones. We were very surprised that the first shop that we visited in Chapel Street, Prahran had a lot of DSLR cameras. This was definitely cheaper than the ones in eBay and also most of them were having the extra lens that we wanted, but there was no warranty. We decided to check in at a local Cash Converter Shop. We found a Nikon 3000 DSLR in really good condition. The total cost was $380 along with the 50 mm lens. After having some discussion with the staff, they were generous to give us an offer of $330 along with 3 months’ guarantee. We were excited. My friend has got his first DSLR and was couldn’t wait to get some few great shorts of his favorite sport “Volleyball”.