Second Hand D/SLR article

[barney britton]

Hello forumites, forumists, and forumphiles, AP is planning a piece on second-hand SLR cameras in a forthcoming issue, and although I have a rough idea of the models that I'd like to cover, any suggestions for second-hand bargains would be gratefully received.

Specifically, if you use a last (or last but one, or the one before that) generation D/SLR that you love dearly, what is it about the camera that you hold so dear?

Do you have any tips/tricks for how to get the most out of it? Any pointers for prospective buyers? (i.e. are spare batteries still available, does that knob on the top come off after hard usage? - no sniggering at the back)

Feel free to email or PM me. My email address is barney(UNDERSCORE)britton(AT)ipcmedia(DOT)com.

Thanks!

Barney

[Malcolm_Stewart]

I always thought that email addresses weren't recommended to be published in an open forum...

[barney britton]

You can't trust anyone these days, can you? I've edited my email address in my last post to prevent robots from attacking it.

[Roger_Provins]

Maybe you could investigate the possibility and ease or otherwise of converting older dSLRs for infra-red only use?

[barney britton]

We covered IR conversion (using Advanced Camera Services) in our Christmas issue - I think converting a range of DSLRs to see which was easiest would soon become prohibitively expensive!

[FujiSigmaNolta]

cough...cough...Sigma SD10...cough...one screw out...cough... IR conversion...

[spinno]

cough...cough...Sigma SD10...cough...one screw out...cough... IR conversion...

bad cough you've got there...is it dust on your sensor?

[Mojo_66]

cough...cough...Sigma SD10...cough...one screw out...cough... IR conversion...

SD14, one click and no screwing involved, hopefully soon to be last generation!

[TimF]

cough...cough...Sigma SD10...cough...one screw out...cough... IR conversion...

bad cough you've got there...is it dust on your sensor?

Either that or a fair impersonation of Sigma's autofocus clunking into action while the tog goes off to prepare dinner.

[Benchista]

cough...cough...Sigma SD10...cough...one screw out...cough... IR conversion...

bad cough you've got there...is it dust on your sensor?

Either that or a fair impersonation of Sigma's autofocus clunking into action while the tog goes off to prepare dinner.

Was it you that had a Sigma film SLR once, Tim?

[TimF]

I did recently pick up a used Canon 1Ds Mk I to use with my Leica R lenses. The screen is cr_ap compared to the real mccoy, but it'll do for now. At 11 megapixels the image quality still stands up against any but the 20+ set.

[Learning]

Does the '/' in the title mean that you are includiing proper cameras as well as digital?

[barney britton]

Does the '/' in the title mean that you are includiing proper cameras as well as digital?

It does indeed. For those of you that notice such things, sorry for the late post (3.25am and counting) but I was working tonight at possible the most ridiculous gig I've done all year. As far as I know, the band is still playing... silly people.

[PaulatUKcamera]

I think there are three avenues worth exploring:

1. SLRS, absolute "last of the line - top of the range bargains" like the Nikon F100/ EOS 1 which now fetch £150-£200

2. DSLRS last gen "quality models" that still have most of the features (& the pixels of course!) of the latest models.

As `I know to my cost, last year's D200 at £1000+ is now £425-£450 How does it stack up against a D90?

3. As there are a vast raft of "super cheap" DSLRs now, so the prices of the original 300d & D50 are now hovering about the £125 mark. Good buy?

Paul

[parisian]

Well the D2x was seen as Nikons finest ever camera by Simon Stafford just a couple of years ago and has of course now been blown completely out of the water by the new pairing of D3/D3x.
As a semi regular wedding photographer the D2x still cuts the mustard for me. Easily prints beyond A3+ for framed work and for the albums the combination of camera and SB800 is unstoppable for the look I want.
The build is superb, the feature set is more than I will ever use and yet in the market place it is dropping down to 'scrap' prices.
The low light capability of the D3 is probably the only thing missing for me. I certainly don't need the increased pixels of the D3x and when you think about it; the quality of good glass just working on the 'sweet spot' with the APSc sensor gives just about the best quality I could ask for.
The only change we are making is in the aquisition of a Leica M8 for the second shooter (my wife) she currently wanders around the edges of the action with the Nikon D70. The M8 will be more discreet we reckon.

[Malcolm_Stewart]

In addition to the suggestions already posted, I think it would be helpful if the typical prices of some of the more popular, or even specialist, lenses was part of the survey. If it's also possible to indicate how commonly available these are on the used market, that could be a bonus. (Very difficult, I know!) One recent feature that isn't available in many older bodies is user AF MicroAdjustment or whatever it's called. It's beginning to sway me in favour of bodies which include it...

I regularly trawl the Mifsuds, LCE, ffordes and MXV sites for used lens prices, and check Camerapricebuster for new.

[Benchista]

If we're posting our thoughts in here, here goes:

EOS 5D - typically available for around £850 now, there can't be much better value on the market. A camera that still outperforms the vast majority of current models on image qaulity, it's a relatively simple tool that does what it does very well indeed. Batteries are easy to come by, and the biggest snag in living with it is the dust issue.

EOS 10D - now pretty cheap, this is still a camera that produces decent results. Compared to recent models, it's very slow starting up, and the LCD screen is tiny by modern standards - but it's an excellent base for IR conversion.

EOS 30D - similar to my 10D comments, but it starts up much more quickly and has a respectably-sized LCD. Can be a real bargain, and much preferable to the 20D, if only for that screen.

EOS 350D - can be very cheap, an ideal backup camera or for use if you're worried about potential damage to a more expensive one.

EOS 3 - an excellent film camera that does just about everything you can imagine, including producing excellent results.

EOS 1V - unimaginably cheap now, but one of my favourite film cameras. Similar to the 3 but without eye-controlled focus, but it feels absolutely perfect to me - a really nice tool.

[Learning]

For those of you that notice such things, sorry for the late post (3.25am and counting) but I was working tonight at possible the most ridiculous gig I've done all year. As far as I know, the band is still playing... silly people.

Great to be young. Why did you leave? You are meant to be on holiday aren't you. (or was that remark for Tharg the Mighty)?
To business. F100, already received mention but seconded. Simple, relatively light, reliable, works well with AF, AF-D and AF-S lenses, and usable with AIS. Uses AA batteries but not too heavily. Mine is not for sale. FMn2 lighter, reliable doesn't need batteries at all if you have a Johnson's exposure calculator and a bit of experience. If you must have the meter then the battery is still available and last for months. Works at very low temperatures after a relube with solid lubricant. No AF but a good default screen for manual focus with most lenses. Downside is that you cannot use G series lenses; the lens must have an aperture ring. Again mine is not for sale.
I suspect that both these cameras command quite high prices for their age.
How about the Pentax K1000? Very long in the tooth. The K mount version of my Spotmatic and even that still works, albeit with a short life replacement battery (Wein Cell MRB400).

[TimF]

OK, I'll jump on this bandwagon too!

Canon EOS 1Ds (1st version) - I picked up mine for £850, so if that's reasonably typical it's in the same region as the 5D Nick mentioned above. For that you get a better build quality body (although with a size/weight penalty). The 11 against 12 pixies difference is effectively meaningless, and still compares well with more current models with similar counts. AF on the 1 series body is almost certainly superior. For those who may wish to use manual lenses via adapters, the 1 series cameras don't have the problem of variable mirror size that apparently occurs with the 5D, and can cause problems with certain lenses on one body, but not another. The Mk II seems to go for about double the price.

Moving on to film cameras, the much missed Contax range has come down greatly in price; the RX for example can be had for under £300 now, and the Zeiss lenses will still match or beat most of the competition (and of course most will go on a Canon body if desired).

The Leica R8, which sold new for the thick end of £2000 regularly turns up for under £500 now. The viewfinder in this is second to none in modern cameras. I prefer the handling with the Motordrive R8 fitted, which does increase the bulk, but it's still smaller than the 1Ds. The sole potential problem will be long term availability of batteries for the drive.

I'd agree with the Nikon F100 as mentioned by a couple of people. A great camera, which I think is the finest Nikon AF film body. The F5 is also still a very nice piece of kit. Although I did have an F6 briefly, I never really got on with it; for some reason it felt to me like what rumours of the time suggested it was - a test bed for the development of the D2X rather than a camera in its own right.

[RonM]

My thoughts would go along the lines of

Dynax 7D still a good DSLR with in body image stabilisation so all Alpha mount lenses have IS/VR and relatively holding its price around £250 mark

Dynax 7 my favourite AF SLR and does everything you could possibly want of a 35mm camera, also the data screen is pretty unique for a film camera