Spring is here again and with the colours of the first plants poking up from the ground comes the annual speculation of what camera manufacturers are going to do in 2017.
The forums are also speculating with members guessing what Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji and Pentax will offer this year. Yes, it is so intoxicating for anyone that has money to spend in his or her pockets.
With the digital camera revolution came a new kind of photo enthusiast that seems to be as excited about changing their camera model as they are about photography.
The good thing for those consumers is that by summer time the prices on new cameras will start to drop. The bad thing for those that decide to sell off the cameras they have been using for the last year or two is they will join thousands of others doing the same thing and the price of their 2015 and older cameras will be much less than they were new.
As manufacturers compete and put sales on 2017 models, 2015 models will take a sharp drop, and the photographer wanting to sell his or her 2013 or 2012 camera will loose even more. And like a stone rolling down a steep hill those that have held on to cameras that have reached five years (considered old in this digital world) are having a hard time selling.
However, for those that just want a newer model than what they have been using, spring camera prices are as welcome as the green grass on the hills and the fields of flowers I see along the roadways on my drive to town.
Now it is the time for those of us that don’t mind a two-year old model that comes without a warranty. Sure, there might be some scratches on the bottom where the tripod is attached, but as long as the memory card door isn’t broken, and the rubber isn’t pealing off, it’ll be just fine.
Buying used is a great way to participate in the yearly new camera frenzy. One might be a couple years behind, but the money saved can be put towards that used dream lens.
Cameras aren’t like cars. Used cars might hide worn out parts, but that’s hard to do with a camera. My quick advice is to bring a memory card when testing that “new” camera. Take some pictures inside with a high ISO and then some outside with a low ISO.
One should always take the time to do some research before purchasing. I remember spending months reading magazines when I wanted to buy my camera back in the 1970s. But now I can find out everything I need to know about any camera in 10 minutes by searching online.
Read the reviews and join some forum and just ask the question. “I am buying X-00 camera what do you think?” It’s as easy as that to have a good understanding of what used camera to buy and which ones to avoid.
And lastly another reason to buy used is instead of loosing hundreds of dollars when selling the loss (and there is always a loss), the loss on that used camera won’t be as painful because it was purchased for a lot less than it would have cost new.
Enmanscamera's Blog - Kamloops 
Good advice, though I’m sticking with what I’ve got for the foreseeable future. 🙂
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Yep, me too fragg…I am content with the cameras I have. But who knows what the future might bring…
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Nice post. Thanks for sharing!!
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Thanks bk.
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The other thing is that depending on the marque, camera changes are increasingly incremental so buying second hand becomes correspondingly more viable.
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Yes, I agree Murray. Some models, even though a year newer don’t give buyers much of an upgrade. Making buying used as you wrote, “more viable”. As always, I appreciate your comments.
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Interesting and thought-provoking article. Then I got a sudden thought – Is the camera becoming more important to some of us than the pictures it takes? Des.
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Thanks Des, glad you liked my article. I think you are right about the importance of cameras vs the importance of a good picture. A friend remarked that he thought some cameras are regarded as jewelry. That makes sense for those that “must” have the newest model as soon as it is released.
Ah…its those that allow use to get great deals on used equipment!
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Great article and comments! I did lots of research before recently deciding to get back into photography. So now I have 3 cameras with I am very pleased with – my Samsung 5 cell phone – which I take half of my images with – super sharp closeups with 16mp. A Canon G5X (20mp) for portability and indoor shots – with a bright EVF. And as of January – Panasonic Lumix G85 mirrorless with 28-280 equivalent zoom – which is marvelous for outings and nature shots and again has a bright EVF – important for me wearing glasses. I’m quite happy with this combo and only need to add a 10ND filter to capture some of those dreamy-flow water shots.
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Hi Michael, although I have never seen one, the reviews on that Lumix G85 are good. And if one wants a point and shoot pocket camera for memories I expect the Canon G5X is a good as any others. I am sure you’ll have a great time with them. (I don’t comment on cell phones)
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Thanks John – I wouldn’t expect a comment on cell phones. I shouldn’t have admitted to doing serious photography with it. haha … though I am happy with these crocus shots I took with it … https://michaelhoffmannphotography.com/2017/03/22/crocus-spring-up/
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I don’t like the poor image quality and lack of control cell phones have. The extremely small sensor and cheap plastic lens leave me wanting in a day when the major manufacturers are building exciting sensors and extremely sharp lenses. That said, I pulled out my cell phone to take bDay pictures at the restaurant. For memories ya can’t beat ’em.
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I agree. Although if most folks look at those crocus shots, they would think it was taken with DSLR. Of course, I always do post-processing to tune up the images. I also took the shots of my post “Spring Vines Up” on my Samsung 5. However, it would probably be a challenge to make any good sized quality enlargements from them – but I think i’ll give it a shot. Also – one thing for certain – I never use zoom on cell phone – absolutely horrible! Thanks for all your comments and feedback John. I look forward to meeting you someday.
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Interesting post – although just to add a little devilment into the discussion: my Nikon F2SB is now worth twice what I paid for it (used) although I did get Sover Wong to look at it for me. 🙂
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Hi David, I stayed away from collectables on purpose. You’ll note that I only mentioned DSLRs.
Regarding possible collectables like your Nikon F2, my thoughts are that one must be very careful when they wander among collectors an the prices they set.
I expect you would have had a heart attack at the prices an F2 was going for at the Vancouver Swap meet I attended earlier this month.
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I did say my comment was a little mischief…. (cool)
I have always wanted the F & F2 but you are right about cost – took me a long time finding both at a price I could live with. I wanted both to use as it’s criminal keeping them just for show.
Unfortunately DSLRs seem to sit in a strange position of being both a practical tool for image making & yet on the other hand a consumer item with a fashion statement.
Like a lot of things these days, It has allowed the manufacturer to profit from the idea that the latest item has got to be better than what has gone before.
Sorry – one of my rants again.
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Yes, well put David.
I’ll mention that like you, I am a user not a collector. I really enjoy touching and looking at any camera, and I’m delighted to see other people’s collections.
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PS: that was not for you to be cool it should have come up as ‘sunglasses’ emoticon hiding my badness.
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Ha, I guess I need to expect you to put forward a “perspective” that will make us all think..
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Good advice. I am still using my many-year-old pentax k100d because I cant seem to make a decision (and because it seems like it may be time to jump the Pentax ship, but I have all those lenses!)
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Why not stay with Pentax Colleen? Pentax makes a very good digital camera and if you like your old lenses they will be fine on any Pentax DSLR.
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They don’t seem to be keeping up with the competition with the consumer level dslrs with video. I still love my k100d, but want the video option.
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Canon, Nikon and, of course, Pentax, all will allow the video option.
My camera of choice is Nikon, but I have friends that will explain why they prefer Pentax over Nikon or Canon “till the cows come home.”
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Good Day to You,
Your talk about selling used cameras reminds me of trying to sell a used car.
“Sure, there might be some scratches on the bottom where the tripod is attached, but as long as the memory card door isn’t broken, and the rubber isn’t peeling off, it’ll be just fine.”
Don’t forget to make sure it’s compatible with your computer’s Windows 10 operating system!
Great advice for testing used cameras!
My Best to You
Arth
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Thanks Arth.
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