Issues when buying a second hand camera(5d mkII)

K

krizard

Active member
Hi , i am buying tomorrow a canon 5D mkII from a guy , and i would like to hear from you guys the top things to search to see if the camera has any problem before buying...Cause this guy makes really nice prices(winch sometimes are strange) ,and i don't want to buy something that is damage or has any type of bugs......
so please help me on this one...
thanks
 
Ask these questions:

Why is he selling?
How many shutter actuations are there?
Who owned the camera before, and what did they do with it?

Make sure the camera is fully functional - check all functions with a lens on it.
Look the camera over and determine if any marks on it are indicative of it being dropped.
Check all sockets for wear or dirt and if you can, plug into them to verify function and especially look at video image on a monitor to determine if any dead or hot pixels.
 
I assume it's not eBay (cus there you got buyer protection, for whatever it's worth).

1. Take a laptop with you & check the shutter with EOSInfo
2. Flip up the mirror and study the sensor with a flashlight (also mechanical check; take some pics looking in to it, + test shots with a lens of course)
3. Not everyone is a scumbag, locally one can find good deals. I paid 1300 euros for my Mk2 and with 48 shutter actions.

General condition check... iv'e seen some movie production 5D's on ebay in very harsh condition being out on sets etc, then it doesn't matter the shutter count (wich is replaceable for 250 bucks, by the way)
 
If the price is very low or 'strange' as you put it, be careful that it is not stolen. A few casual questions might give you warning signs pretty quickly - things like "What type of stuff do you usually shoot?" or "Which lenses were you using it with?" will help you find out if actually knows anything about photography and the equipment. If he doesn't have a clue, alarm bells would be going off in my head.
 
guys the thing is, i never used dslr, i am about to buy one to start, and it will be a bit hard to do that kind of test...
is the manual for those cameras available online for free so i can follow some on the tips to do those tests?
 
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