Tuesday

Used Cameras: Select and Test Before Buying

Photography is perhaps one of the most rewarding hobbies around that involves a gadget. Unfortunately, it is also one of the more expensive hobbies around. Most people who want to get into this hobby are usually turned away by the initial expense of purchashing that fancy, P 50,000+, digital SLR that a lot of us drool over. So, most newbies who are bitten by the SLR species of the photography bug look to other resources that are cheaper - 2nd hand/used film cameras.

There a lot of really good used SLRs out there in the market. Anywhere from the cyber allies of eBay to the known Manila alley of Hidalgo, a newbie can find an assortment of good, used SLR cameras. The trick would be finding one that works.

Today, I hope to provide info to newbies on how to select, test and buy used cameras. This short guide can be used by all of you guys who want to start a collection of classic cameras. Ready? Here we go!

Purchase Rules

It’s recommended that you have purchasing rules to guide your start in looking for a 2nd hand shooter. Since we all are conscious about acquisition cost, one of your rules should be a limit on your budget. Say, for example, your starting budget would be P 5,000 so you look for SLRs that are within this price range. The amount you budget depends on two factors: the amount of money you can spare and the age (plus possible condition) of the camera you’re looking for. The second item on your book of rules could be the seller seletction criteria - this is most important for those of us who transact through eBay. You might want to draft out a criteria that you can use to gauge sellers that you might possibly want to do business with. We all don’t want to get from a seller who has a bad reputation. The third could be the working condition of the camera e.g. you would only buy cameras that are in full working condition; you could buy cameras that are not in 100% working condition but fully-repairable at minimal cost, etc.

Selection

In selection a camera, there are two important items that should be on your check-list: the film type/format and the lens mount. For the film type/format, you obviously want to get a camera that uses 35mm film - maybe even those Polariod types. Stay away from cameras that don’t offer you the capability to buy film from your neightborhood film store. For the lens mount, you want to get a camera that can offer you the use of different lenses. Two of the most common camera mounts are the Nikon F (bayonet) mount, the Canon EF mount (also a bayonet mount) and the Canon F/FD/R mount, otherwise known as the breechlock mount. While there is nothing wrong with the screw-mount, the bayonet mount and the breech-lock mount can offer you faster times in terms of changing lenses since you don’t have to twist and turn several times to remove the lens. Between the bayonet mount and the breech-lock mount, changing lenses on cameras using bayonet mounts is faster.

Different cameras offer different power sources. You want a camera that uses a battery that is marketed/sold in the mainstream. Don’t go for cameras that could give you hassles in looking for batteries. If the used SLR camera you’re looking at uses AA batteries, it could be a good choice since you can buy Alkaline and rechargeable AA batteries practically anywhere. However, there is a trade off - cameras that use AA batteries are generally heavier than the LR44-type or SR44-type batteries found in other SLR cameras.

Pictures on web-pages and ads don’t tell the story behind the camera, Even if it’s being sold by a “reputable” seller, it would be prudent of you to take some time and do an ocular inspection of the camera itself. If it’s not possible to have a physical look at the camera, try to get in touch with the seller and ask for informaiton, Your objective: gather enough information to somehow assure you that the camera your thiking of buying is in working condition.

Checking

We all don’t want to buy SLR cameras that are lemons - even if they are used cameras. Even though it’s just a used camera, the money you would buy the camera isn’t exactly birdfeed. Therefore, you need to be meticulous when you are inspecting the camera you want to buy. Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Check the Lens - from assembly, optics to the shutter

From the optics to the lens body. See if it is free of deep scratches, fungi, mildew, haze and/or fog on the optics. The anti-reflective coating of the optics must be intact. When checking the lens, wipe it with a microbre cloth. Old cameras that have old lenses can have lens separation. Lens seperations means that the bonded parts of the lens are starting to fall apart. This can be characterized by a faint white line on the sides of the parts that are bonded. Lens separation is not easy to fix. In fact, it’s very hard to fix because re-centering the lens again optically is a next-to-impossible thing to do. You also need to check if there are spots. Spots on the optics is very bad - this means that the lens coating is breaking down. Look for dents on the lens body. If there are dents, check if does not impede the effective use if the lens e,g. still allows you to select the proper shutter settings. If the seller permits you, test the lens using all shutter speeds available, You need to “see” thay the shutters are not “sticky”. You would know that the shutter is starting to “stick” when you feel and/or here some frlction. To test if the shutters have friction, shoot pointing downwards. You might also want to check the diaphragm of the lens. Like the shutter, lends diaphraghm tends to stick with age. To check, set the diaphragm of the lens to the smallest appeture setting available, set the shutter speed to bulb. Now, look directly inside the lens and fire. If you see that the diaphragm closes the moment the shutter opens, the diaphragm is still okay.

2. Check the Reflex Mirror and the Viewfinder

An SLR camera with flawed SLR mirror is next to useless. So, you need to check the reflex mirror. Easy thing to do. See that it “opens and closes” properly when you release the shutter. Reflex mirrors have extremely sensitive coating. Check if these have any smudges e.g fingerprints. If the mirror does, forget it since it would be a chore to remove the smudge. If the mirror has even the slightest scratch, forget the camera and go look for another one. As for the viewfinder, you need to check if there is already fungi or mildew build-up. If you see that the fungi has started to eat into the optics of the viewfinder, then it is a sign that you need to look for another camera. The pentaprism is kind of diffcult to check but any flaws e.g. fungi, mis-alingment, etc, on the pentaprism would show when you test shoot a couple of rolls of cheap film, Then again, if the pictures come out flawed, it doesn’t automatically mean than the there is problem with the pentaprism - it could have been caused by a myriad of other problems.

3. Check the Camera Body

The camera body has a lot of working parts. While you might not be able to have a look-see at the inards, there are parts that you can get easy access to. If the camera uses a focal plane shutter, you need to test if this works. Test the focal plane shutter as you would testing the lens shutter - test from every available option. See if the FPS curtain returns properly. The FPS curtain needs to be smooth (no wrinkles) and should hot have microscopic holes. To check for holes, point a bright light source at the FPS curtain with the camera back open. If you see any microscopic light coming through, the curtain has pinholes - quite bad, If the FPS curtain has any tear of sorts, forget the camera. You would also want to check the film transport. See if all the transport cogs (spikes) are aligned and are not warped, chipped or have cracks. Turn the film advance lever once or twice to see if the cogs are working and are working in unison. The film rails need to be smooth and free of abrasions, scratches and especially rust. However, light abrasions, light scratches and even rust that is not deep set on film rails can easily be removed by sandpaper. You need to check if the film speed knob is turning and setting correctly. You might also want to check if the self-timer is firing the shutter off at the right amount of time as specified by the camera manufacturer. If you are into cosmetics, see of the plastics or the leather of the camera body is severly worn or damaged. While it does not affect the performace of the camera, it does affect the overall aesthetical and market value of the camera body. You also need to check of the shutter release button does not get stuck when you fire off a shot. I’ve seen a couple of used cameras where the shutter release button got stuck down and never came up. You also want to check if the seals are all light-tight, meaning no light seeps in. Unfortunately, the only way to effectively test this is to test shoot a couple of rolls. If the camera has semi to automatic features, then camera uses batteries, Check the battery terminals for marks of battery leaks or corrision. Corrosion can easily be removed but damage caused by a severly leaking battery is another story.

4. Check the Features of the Camera

If the camera features exposure metering, you would want to check this also. To test the metering system, you need to test the reading being done by your camera. To test, set the camera at around IS0-100 and set the F-stop at f/11. Set the shutter speed to 1/125 and take a reading. Go indoors and take another reading without changing the settings. The reading should drop by about 4-5 stops. If the camera offers semi to automatic features, you might want to check them out as well, most especially of you have the tendency to let the camera do all the measuring work for you most of the time. For semi and automatic cameras, you would also need to see if the electrical system still works since the camer uses batteries.

Except for having the need to test shoot a camera using film, most of these checks can be accomplished in half and hour - maybe even less of you are already an expert. But one thing is for certain: you do need to know what you’re investing in even if the investment is a used gadget, You need to spend some work testing the camera that you are thinking of buying. Close and meticulous scrutiny is always required when you are to purchase a used camera. After all, you didn’t pick the money you would buy the camera with from a tree - and I’m pretty sure you don’t want to spend several thousands of pesos on a lemon, most especially on a rotten one.

Happy hunting!

Tags: Photography