If you’re on the market looking for a DSLR camera, you might be wondering if you should go with a brand-new camera or a used one.
A brand new camera is a risk-free option if you don’t have a tight budget. Otherwise, you should buy a used one.
However, deciding whether to buy a new or used DSLR camera is often more complicated than the price to risk ratio. To help you decide, we share some reasons for what camera you should buy: a new or a used DSLR camera.
Reasons To Buy a Used DSLR
1. Cheap Price
You can save anywhere from a few hundred to thousands of dollars with a used DSLR camera. Perhaps the most evident benefit of purchasing a used DSLR is spending less money than a new one.
The value of a DSLR camera tends to depreciate quickly, thus making it a whole lot cheaper than opting for new ones. That is because mainstream camera brands likely offer new camera models at least once every year, which drives down the value of older models.
If you’re considering buying a used camera, you can find online shops that offer a range of options, such as Camera World and similar ones. If you choose a used one, you can save up money for other purchases like camera accessories to enhance the specifications of your used camera.
2. Suitable For Practice or Backup
Unless you’re a pro photographer, you probably want to save money and stick with a second-hand camera you can use to practice your skills in photography. Or even if you’re a pro and established photographer, buying a used camera is still a good option if you intend to use it as a backup camera.
You can try out your hand in photography without spending too much. Or you can save money if the camera will only be used during emergencies. Sometimes, you have to assess what you actually need and the options that are available to you. By doing so, you’re spending your hard-earned money wisely.
3. Reliability
Most people think that ‘used’ means diminished reliability, quality, or lifespan. Although this may be true for most, electronics like DSLR cameras have insane lifespans.
Most DSLRs are so durable that their lifespans and quality are immeasurable in time. Unabusively and carefully used, a modern DSLR camera’s lifespan would be indefinite, limited only by the availability of the battery.
That said, you also only need to take note of the shutter count. It is the total shots that were taken by the camera. The rule of thumb is that entry-level DSLRs usually have at least 50,000 shots, mid-level cameras have at least 100,000, and professional ones can last up to 200,000.
To put that into perspective, if you take ten shots every day for the rest of your life, that is about 3,600 shots every year. Even if you’re using an entry-level camera, you can expect it to last over ten years. With a professional DSLR, that would be about 50 years.
Why Buy a New DSLR?
4. Risk-Free Purchase
Buying a brand new DSLR means you don’t have to worry about any hidden issues or end up with a defective product.
You don’t have to worry about the seller taking advantage of you or fraudulent transactions, especially online.
Plus, there’s also the benefit of having a return policy and warranties. It’s hard to find a seller of used cameras offering return policies or warranties for their used cameras. However, buying a brand-new camera from its official stores and authorized outlets allows you to take advantage of their return policy and warranty for peace of mind in case you get a faulty product.
5. Longevity
We did mention that DSLR cameras have a long lifespan. So, even if you buy used cameras, they are still reliable. Well, not all.
There’s always the possibility that the camera may have hidden issues or start to break down after all these years. Specific problems can lie dormant in a DSLR camera and only becomes apparent after extended use.
It is not a problem with brand-new cameras. Since you get them out of the box and you’re the first to use them. There will be no worrying about issues or problems caused by long-term use.
6. Possibly Save More Money
A brand-new camera can be expensive – there’s no denying that. And you may save some money with a used one, or may not.
As mentioned, some issues may arise only after using a used camera for some time. Thus, there’s the possibility that you may end up spending more on maintenance and repairs. So, any savings that you thought you had will disappear altogether.
With a brand-new camera, you don’t have to worry about early repair or maintenance. Since it’s new, you can guarantee that the product you bought is in its pristine condition. You can enjoy it at its best quality.
Conclusion
And there you have it!
As you can see, there are a few real benefits between a new DSLR and a used camera. These benefits are negligible to everyone but the most specialized or advanced photographers.
That said, if you’re torn between a new DSLR or used camera, consider the strengths of each option and weigh-in which will benefit you most.
