Best Places to Buy Photography Gear on a Budget

Frequently I hear students say that they don’t have much in the way of photography gear due to cost of ownership. It is true that photography gear is not cheap, unless it’s cheap quality and hence gives cheap results. I’ve had quite a few students ask me how I have acquired so much gear in the last 18 months and I tell them all the same thing, you have to know how to find the deals.

1. Craigslist - Craigslist can be one of the best places to get a good deal on most anything, especially camera gear and lenses. I have bought numerous pieces of gear on this site, but you have to watch out for scammers and always meet people in public places like a coffee shop or store parking lot during the day.

2. eBay - eBay is handy for buying items too as you can find more sellers on there since they are world wide. The problem is you also run into more scammers. Also since you are buying on-line, there is no way to check out the item in person and you can get burned.

3. Pawn Shops - Pawn Shops are a great place to buy used gear and they often have no clue what they have. A person goes into a Pawn Shop to pawn their gear and the shop looks at what the gear sells for on eBay and then offers the seller like 25% of the actual value. If the person forfeits and the Pawn Shop can then sell the item, it is usually months later and the shop doesn’t really keep track of the value, they just price it to make a profit.

4. Local photography clubs - Often times you can find local photography clubs and there will be members selling gear from time to time.

5. Warehouse stores - Another good place are warehouse stores like Sam’s or Costco. Here you are buying new and getting a warranty and you get the better pricing offered by someone that can leverage volume pricing.

6. Amazon - Amazon is another great place to get camera gear and anything else. They have a wide selection of lenses from Canon’s FD to EF and Nikon, Sony and others as well.

                                          70-200mm F/4 L USM and 70-300mm IS USM

    The big thing to remember buying used gear is that you can get burned if not careful. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is but sometimes you do get lucky and the person has no idea what they are selling. I personally bought a Canon EF 70-300mm IS USM lens at a local pawn store for $200 in mint condition. This lens new retails for $900. I also bought a Manfrotto tripod at the same store for $50 and it was missing the release plate that attaches to the camera. I bought a  new plate for $7 on Amazon, the tripod with the fluid movement head turned out to be worth $500. Just remember, if you buy used, test it good before you part with your hard earned money. Meet them somewhere public for safety and test the lens or whatever it is on your own camera body to make sure it is fully operational, NEVER take the seller’s word for it.

    Good luck with buying more gear and get out there and make some awesome images!

Comments/Questions

Where Should I Shop for Cameras and Equipment to Get the Best Deals?

Where’s the best place to buy a camera or other photo equipment? With so many options now, how is someone supposed to know where to start?

Obviously when you start shopping you should check out options and prices on the internet. Now be careful when you are looking at a particular product, be it a camera, lens, or other photography equipment, that you know what you are getting. When I bought my Canon 5D Mark II, I found sites that offered Canon 5D Mark II at really low prices, from Asia. They are call “knock off” products for a reason. They tell you they are the same, but the quality is usually lower AND (important point) there is no manufacturer’s warranty from Canon.  So Lesson 1: Make sure you know what is being sold. 

Lesson 2: Purchase from a reputable dealer. You CAN get great deals online. I purchased my camera used through Amazon.com. It actually was being sold by a pawn shop out west. It was an amazing deal. Because it was through Amazon, I had their guarantee policy. So as soon as it arrived, I tested the entire camera out and found that there was a row of dead pixels in the sensor. I contacted the seller and told them I would either return the camera, or they could pay for the repair work to be done by Canon. They agreed to pay for the repair work, which was $250 dollars. (Actually they credited the $250 back to me and I paid Canon). BINGO! I had a perfect camera totally repaired and certified by Canon. I only paid $1500 for the camera body including the repair. I already had Canon DSLRs so my lenses transferred to the new camera.

I almost always check Amazon first when looking for camera and accessories because most of the major camera equipment stores sell through them, and may offer better deals through Amazon than on their own websites such as B&H or Adorama. When you look at something on Amazon, see where it is being sold from. If you look up an L-series 24-70mm lens today, there are a bunch of used ones being sold from Japan. I’d stick with stateside purchases. Check out some used dealers also. One I trust is KEH.com. Also check in Rangefinder or Professional Photographer magazines for dealers.

Lesson 3: Get great deals at trade shows at the national photography conferences. When I attended the WPPI convention a couple years ago, I spent a lot of time at the trade show. I learned a lot and made some great vendor connections I’m still using today. I also found fantastic deals, most which were good for 30-60 days after the convention. This is how I bought my Westcott studio light package. I saved about 50% of the total retail cost. I also purchased template software for albums, photo collages, and marketing materials for a fraction of the normal cost. Beside all the valuable training and classes and interaction with great photographers, I was able to make great purchases, and plan for future purchases. (It was at the Canon booth that I learned that I wanted a 5D Mark II and L-series lenses to regain the quality I lot switching from medium format film to digital. So when I was ready to purchase, I could spend time looking for a great deal.)

The most important thing to remember when making photography equipment purchases is (Lesson 4) that YOU are the most important piece of equipment that will determine how your images turn out. Save BEFORE and buy when you can pay cash. While you are learning, you don’t have to have the best equipment. Learn to use what you have now to make great images. Then when you can afford to upgrade, you will be that much further ahead.