Buying a second hand 50D. What should I do/check before buying?

Hi everybody,


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David and Sean,


thanks for the great advice, I wasn

Yes, the 50D does have a pop-up flash--and that's a good thing to check. The only cameras that don't have one are the 1D and 5D series as far as I'm aware.Also, great to point out the need for CF cards. I've been using them so long that I completely forgot that the XS used SD cards instead.

Pubs are usually dimly lit. Bring a small flashlight so you can get a good look. Check the inside of the battery compartment for any corrosion.


From the recent discussion on faulty pixels, take a frame with the lens cap on to make sure there are few or no hot pixels.


The 50D's shutter is rated for 100,000 actuations - if you're bringing your laptop, it wouldn't hurt to pre-install EOSInfo, and when you connect the camera to download your test images, you can also check the actual shutter count.

There is another thing to consider when buying any second hand DSLR. The Shutter Curtain Count!


There is a utility that you can download to check the EOS Info


If you use a Mac:
http://astrojargon.net/40DShutterCount.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1


For Windows:
http://astrojargon.net/EOSInfo.aspx


Shutter Curtain Life Expectancy for the 50D is 100,000

I didn't notice someone saying this but


I would run it through its paces in live view. If your going to take a computer, you just as well load up the 50D software if the guy will let you and check out the camera using the EOS Utility.


Keep in mind if you do not know, you have to have the EOS Utility for each different camera. Even if you have downloaded it from your camera now, you wont be able to plug in other cameras to it. At least my 50D-5DII-7D and 1D IV I had to reload it each time.


Take one shot after live view has been open for 30 seconds or so at a black object. Look for red dead pixels. (red hot spots). It wouldn't be out of the ordinary to see 1, but if there are allot I would steer clear.

Thanks all for the great advice. A lot of other deals popped up the last week, including one with a 50D and 17-55 f/2.8 for 1000 euro