C500: Used c500 high Hours

ollywood88

ollywood88

Well-known member
Hi guys,

As mentioned I am looking at a used c500. I have found one for 3500 gbp.

However the hour meter reads 1345hrs this seems high to me being solid state should be ok.

Is there anything i have to be careful of?

Thanks
 
Also, The plan was to use both the c100 and c500 for a project for 12 months and then sell both and part fund the c300mkii.

Will the high hours make much of a difference I only thought resale value.

Thanks
 
Selling a heavily used C500 in 12 months, you may not be able to sell either very easily or if you do, you may have to sell them for very little money. Old technology devalues quickly. I would consider both of those cameras semi disposable in 12 months like a 5D MKII today. If you buy the C500 today for 3500 GBP, will you be okay only getting 1500 GBP for it at the end of 2017 or beginning of 2018? There may be a replacement like a C300 MKIII or a new C500 MKII by then which would devalue it further. You can buy used C100 MKIs today for about $1,800.00/1200 GBP. So in a year, what will that camera be worth?
 
The C500 is already a tough sale now...both cameras will be worth next to nothing in 12 months.
 
I thought so, however a new one is still 6000 GBP a used one is worth it as its a small outlay considered an a7sii is like 2k. Just extras I wanted to use it for 12 months and see what happens.

Hours meter is slightly high tho
 
NorBro said:
The C500 is already a tough sale now...both cameras will be worth next to nothing in 12 months.
Click to expand...

Don't you wish, so you can get one for "next to nothing"! That is your dream, but the camera won't likely drop below $7K for a new one. Even the C300 is selling for that price, so I don't see the C500 prices falling below that C300 threshold.

A quick search on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook will yield a great number of legacy C500 owners and new owners since the price drop. This camera is used all over the place and still in very high-profile roles like The Big Short (shot on film and the C500) and the IMAX film A Beautiful Planet (shot entirely on the C500, with time lapse by the 1DC). You would be amazed at how many major productions still use the C500 all over the world.

For example, here is an article on the legendary French director Claude Lelouch shooting a 4K feature film using two C500 cameras:

http://nakedfilmmaking.com/2014/05/17/claude-lelouch-a-man-and-a-canon-c500/

We are just lucky that a proper cinema camera has fallen into our laps for peanuts!

Having said that, there is no reason to buy a C500 with 1300 hours when you can get one with lower hours or zero hours (i.e., "new") for a little more money.
 
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Good input Kinok. Oliver, I think it is a mistake to look at any camera these days as an investment. They are all disposable to a point and devalue so quickly. If you look at the 3,500 GBP as rental fees for a year, it's a little under 300 GBP per month, which is dirt cheap. The fact that would will be able to still probably gain back 1/3 or 1/4 of what you paid in a year will just reduce that monthly 300 GBP even more. Kinok is definitely right that the C500 is a great camera and can be used at the very highest levels of production if you have the skills.
 
That is not my dream, lol. I liked the quality, but not worth it at the end of the day. Would rather get a C300 Mark II if the price dropped.
 
I think still s good buy c300mkii will stay at that price for a while.

Having high hours does it affect the camera at all? I know being solid state it won't unlike the tape days.
 
No one knows. In theory, it shouldn't, but they are electronics; they can fail at anytime or work for a very long period of time.
 
Actually, I'd argue that 1345 isn't a particularly high hour count anyway. And certainly no big deal in the age of solid state cameras. Plenty of rental cameras will log 4000-5000 hours before they're sold off or replaced.
 
1300 hrs is not much. Just look at the camera if it has taken abuse and you can see physical marks. However, if the sensor is fine, then I won't worry much. Just take it to Canon and get it serviced.
 
It is a little cheaper vs new at 6k in GBP saving over 3.5k which is very cheap. Only thing is selling it on to me that seems a lot of hours.

Is there anything I should be careful about?

Thanks
 
Cable connections would be your number one. Boot up the camera and jiggle every cable to make sure that the connectors are in good shape. Same with the ribbon cable for the VF make sure you move and check the eyepiece/VF. Hook up a wired microphone and make sure that the mic preamps are clean, no crackling or noise. Check the flip out screen for gouges or hairline scratches with the monitor turned off, then boot up the camera and check it for lit pixels. If possible, shoot some footage and review on a larger sized screen, full screen, looking for lit or stuck pixels. Remember than Canon EOS cameras ALL ebenfit from more black balancing than other brands, I don't know why but many have posted weird color issues here and many times just black balancing the camera takes care of it. Same with lit pixels. Check the lens mount. I assume the C500 is PL mount only so it should be okay because PL is rugged but if it's EF, check for play in the mount. If it were me, I would bring my LED loupe and examine the sensor and sensor cover to make sure there is no dust, particulate or hairs on the sensor. I would also check the handgrip threads, they can wear out on the EOS cameras. I would check the tripod plate thread, if the user has overcranked, the tripod thread can become cross threaded or loose in the body. I would funtion test every button on the camera body to make sure that they all function correctly, buttons wear out. I would just function test the camera, shoot it handheld on your shoulder, shoot it rigged up on a tripod with a longer lens. Check every nook and cranny on the camera for dust and lint. In looking at the camera overall, you'll get a feel on if the camera was abused or babied. I would not buy a used video camera if it's been bashed about and the body is covered with gouges and abrasions. You want to buy from an owner who valued their investment and took good care of it.

Post pics when you get it.
 
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