How to "kick the tyres" of a used camcorder before buying?

L

lowep

Well-known member
I have bought a few used cars and in the process learned to "kick the tyres" and do other less theatrical tests to make sure I am not buying a lemon (and out of ignorance ended up with an occasional lemon) but have not done this with a camcorder before. Now I have found a used semipro camcorder that I am interested in buying from a fellow film maker who I have not met before who has kindly agreed to permit me to test the camera before I buy. If you were in my shoes what would you do to check the camera is working properly: no signs of being dropped? dead lcd pixels? accurate focus at infinity? smooth zoom...??? This is the first time I buy a serious camcorder rather than a consumer one so any suggestions for how to go about this will be most appreciated.
 
After giving this a try I found out for me the most important thing was not the camera but the reliability of the person who it is bought from...
 
There are so many things that could be wrong with a camcorder that it is not easy to test for issues.

And, you cannot rely 100% on what a reputable seller says about a camcorder - he/she may have used it under quite different situations/circumstances than you plan to.

I took one year to pick a camera and then another year to get used to it.
 
only one year!?! :-)

the way I am going it will probably take twice as long... just happy I like the ex1 enough so far that looks like the effort it is going to be worthwhile
 
I think you listed a few important things already. Here are my two cents worth of additions

- try out all the ports, does the usb work, do all the connections feel solid, etc.
- what firmware is the camera on ( on some cams the upgrade to the latest version might not be free)
- if the cam has an sd card slot or similar for saving/restoring settings test that

On digital media cams I wouldn't think the hour meter has much value anymore, but there must be some reason cams all still have it :)
 
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