Shying away from used gear

[Benjamin]

I agree to the point that used gears (especially L lenses) are sold not too much lower than its new price. It's more like 80-90% of it's retail value. That's why I always spend that a litttle bit extra to get new gear - peace of mind + warantee + return policy are totally worth 10% to me.


I'm fairly nice to my equipments so I can make sure that they will go off my hand easily at least 70-80% of its value when eventually I'm going to upgrade. That way any new gear won't cost too much anymore - because my old gear is sold at a good price.


I don't refuse to buy used, only when there's a deal and I'm sure that I can resell it for almost the same price or even more.

[HelenOster]

There is a big difference between our refurbished and used departments. The used equipment we hold in stock has been purchased from members of the public. Refurbished items are delivered to us directly by the manufacturer who has carried out the refurbishment therefore they have all been restored to the exact manufacturer specifications.


In the past Adorama warranted Canon refurbished for 90 days; since 1st May, all Canon refurbished products from Adorama come with a 1 year return-to-Adorama warranty; 14 days from date of receipt for a full refund, and the balance for repair or replacement.


Refurbs may be ex-store demos, possibly used in field tests or sales displays, or are items that have been ordered in error and returned to the retailer (who can't then sell them as 'new' so they have to be sent back to the manufacturer for refurbishment). They can also have simply been pulled from the production line if something appears faulty, or which haven't passed the final inspection. Most of the time it is a very minor issue that needs correcting, nevertheless, once they are pulled from the normal flow of production, they get flagged as a refurbished model, so you may actually get a model straight from the factory that really has never been used!


A refurbished item will have been checked over by the manufacturer by hand, inspected very thoroughly, diagnosed, and calibrated by experienced technicians, and could therefore turn out to be more dependable than a new item - which will only have been checked by a process of systematic quality control protocol (ie by random sampling as they come off the conveyor belt).





Helen Oster


Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador





helen.oster@adoramacamera.com


www.adorama.com

[Colin]

Given a choice, I'd rather have the refurbished...


However, sometimes you guys don't have it, and we have to buy new!

[Skippy]

Today I bought a manual focus minolta lens from a local camera shop. When I got home and attached it to my camera and looked through the viewfinder, I saw it had two black dots. The lens was a refurb. I was surprised to see black dots/specks in the lens. I thought a refurb would be okay. Taking it back on Monday. []

[Benjamin]

When I got home and attached it to my camera and looked through the
viewfinder, I saw it had two black dots. The lens was a refurb. I was
surprised to see black dots/specks in the lens.
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Seeing black dots in a lens through the viewfinder is unusual according to my limited experience. My 24-70L has a rather noticeable dust inside it but I don't realize anything at all in my viewfinder. It does not seem to show up in my images even at F11 or F16. However, I do see black dots in my viewfinder because my focusing screen inside the camera body has dust on it - that's 99% of the black dots I see through my viewfinder. They're rather easy to clean too.


You can have a simple check by unmount the lens and then look through the viewfinder under good lighting at a white wall. If the black dots are still there rather in focus while everything else are just white, it's the dust on the focusing screen not in the lens.

[Colin]

Yes, I get crap on my focusing screen that I can see easily. I'll never actually seen dots on a lens.

[Skippy]

When I got home and attached it to my camera and looked through the
viewfinder, I saw it had two black dots. The lens was a refurb. I was
surprised to see black dots/specks in the lens.

Seeing black dots in a lens through the viewfinder is unusual according to my limited experience. My 24-70L has a rather noticeable dust inside it but I don't realize anything at all in my viewfinder. It does not seem to show up in my images even at F11 or F16. However, I do see black dots in my viewfinder because my focusing screen inside the camera body has dust on it - that's 99% of the black dots I see through my viewfinder. They're rather easy to clean too.


You can have a simple check by unmount the lens and then look through the viewfinder under good lighting at a white wall. If the black dots are still there rather in focus while everything else are just white, it's the dust on the focusing screen not in the lens.

After reading this I attached one of my other lens and the black dots are in the same place. [:S] I have a 35mm film camera. How do I get the black dots off?

[Benjamin]

I have a 35mm film camera. How do I get the black dots off?
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Well, the easiest way is to unmount the lens, put the camera facing downwards and then use the BLOWER pointing to the focus screen to blow the dust off. Never try to use your month as liquid may be spread into the camera if you try hard. You can also use a sensor cleaning brush to clean the mirror as well as the focusing screen, but don't forget to blow the rest of dust off after you've done that.


You can also check by looking through the viewfinder WITHOUT a lens mounted at a white wall in decent lighting, see if any dust is still there. If it does, repeat the procedures above.


That's it.

[LoneSierra]

When I got home and attached it to my camera and looked through the
viewfinder, I saw it had two black dots. The lens was a refurb. I was
surprised to see black dots/specks in the lens.

Seeing black dots in a lens through the viewfinder is unusual according to my limited experience. My 24-70L has a rather noticeable dust inside it but I don't realize anything at all in my viewfinder. It does not seem to show up in my images even at F11 or F16. However, I do see black dots in my viewfinder because my focusing screen inside the camera body has dust on it - that's 99% of the black dots I see through my viewfinder. They're rather easy to clean too.


You can have a simple check by unmount the lens and then look through the viewfinder under good lighting at a white wall. If the black dots are still there rather in focus while everything else are just white, it's the dust on the focusing screen not in the lens.

After reading this I attached one of my other lens and the black dots are in the same place. [img]/emoticons/emotion-7.gif[/img] I have a 35mm film camera. How do I get the black dots off?

I found a tiny black dot today, but I think it's just a piece of dirt. Also, something to try....take your lens off and look through the finder. Look towards a light, then pan away. There is a piece of glass or something, that has a texture to it. With the lens on, it can make it look like microscopic specs. At least, that's how it looks on mine.


Maybe that will help?

[Ehcalum]

I had this problem with my 40D after heavy dusty environ use. What happens is dust gets inside the mirror box and on the inside of the focus screen, this also happens with the automatic sensor cleaning.


Best way to fix: remove thefocus screen, use a blow gun and blow out themirror box andfocusscreen area. Wipe the screen itself with a microfibre cloth.