Help me buy a used HVX

[John Godden]

Greetings

I'm going to look at a used HVX on Sat. :)

Can you good folks give me some tips on what to look for? I've never used an HVX so I'll be at the mercy (to a good extent) of the seller in terms of exercising the camera. I did ask him to bring a P2 card to verify capture.

This is a fairly "high-mileage" camera so please give me some tips to look out for.

THANKS and wish me luck!
JohnG

[Jim Carswell]

Obviously look for cosmetic damage. If the camera is badly scarred it's usually a good indication that the camera was poorly treated. Kind of like buying a used car. Secondly, listen to the lens as you turn it. If you hear a grinding noise that should raise a red flag. Test the zoom for smooth operation. Examine all the connections for damage. In fact, make all the appropriate connections and make sure they operate properly. Look for DEAD PIXELS. Push all the buttons, spin all the dials, flip switches and kick the tires. Examine the glass for scratches. Look to see if the battery tabs are broken.

That's a good start.
Jim

[John Godden]

Obviously look for cosmetic damage. If the camera is badly scarred it's usually a good indication that the camera was poorly treated. Kind of like buying a used car. Secondly, listen to the lens as you turn it. If you hear a grinding noise that should raise a red flag. Test the zoom for smooth operation. Examine all the connections for damage. In fact, make all the appropriate connections and make sure they operate properly. Look for DEAD PIXELS. Push all the buttons, spin all the dials, flip switches and kick the tires. Examine the glass for scratches. Look to see if the battery tabs are broken.

That's a good start.
Jim

Hi Jim

Thanks for the tips.

:kali: ............. The seller sold the camera to someone else. I thought we had an agreement but that's the way it goes.

JohnG

[Jim Carswell]

If that's the way he treats potential customers... you are better off.
Jim

[John Godden]

If that's the way he treats potential customers... you are better off.
Jim

Yeah, on the one hand I'm really pissed but you're exactly right. I don't want to deal with folks like that, regardless of how good the deal looks.

Regards
JohnG

[wgzn]

id be a bit leery of buying used gear (especially used gear that youre not super familiar with in the first place) - you never know what small feature may or may not work. unless the price is like 50% of new or something, id rather pay for the comfort of knowing i had reliable gear.

ive seen folks buy used stuff only to find out it had an issue that was more costly to fix than to replace...