c’t photography: buy used photographic equipment

The used market for cameras and lenses is huge. On the relevant online marketplaces and at dealers, devices can be found in a wide variety of conditions, from intensively used professional lenses to brand new private second cameras. And that saves a lot of money: a high-quality full-frame camera like the Nikon D800, for example, can be had for less than 500 euros. You still get a contemporary device with a very high resolution and very good image quality. A comparable model – for example the successor Nikon D850 – would cost from 2600 euros.

However, the price is not always the main argument for buying used goods. The reasons for this are as varied as the people behind the camera. New model generations often only differ from an older one in a few details and functions. If you don’t need it, you can confidently use the previous device. If you only want to use the equipment as a backup, a good used one is often sufficient. Sometimes your own camera is too valuable, for example if you want to go on a trekking tour on vacation, which is more robust. A used one as a second camera for special tasks or a special project can also make sense if you want to adapt old lenses or experiment with special functions.

For some people, the sustainability argument is also crucial. A long use of devices helps to save resources.

In the current issue of c’t photography, Cyrill Harnischmacher gives tips and a checklist on what to look out for when buying used, names the most common platforms and reveals how he arrives at realistic price estimates.

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c’t photography 05/22 (15 pictures)

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Other issues in the issue

food photos. Baked goods, elaborate menus and patisserie only succeed if you follow a good recipe as precisely as possible. Those who are interested in fine dining are often already used to thinking in terms of recipes. So it makes sense to also provide a recipe for attractive food photos.

Artistic collages. Many photographers want to get more out of their photography than pleasant postcard motifs. This often results in the desire to express oneself more artistically. Collages offer a good opportunity to develop your own form of expression. In this article we would like to inspire you not only to get a taste of the world of collage, but also to delve deeper.

Glowing photos. Lithophane is a technique that was used for objects made of porcelain or glass as early as the mid-19th century. A backlit object magically reveals a previously hidden image. Depending on the wall thickness, the light shines through brighter or darker. This is how so-called “light screen pictures” are created, which even today have lost none of their fascination. You can also use this technique for an extraordinary presentation of your photographs. You print out your images on a 3D printer, which is available from around 200 euros.

Special tripods in the test. Even in times of image stabilizers, tripods are indispensable in many areas of photography. Whether long exposure at the sea for silky water, serial pictures for later stacking, for self-portraits or as an additional support for long telephoto lenses. Every now and then, however, the average tripod reaches its limits. Then a specialist is needed. Photographer master Michael Jordan tested twelve solutions for special missions.

You can get the current issue of c’t photography (05/2022) for EUR 12.90 from the voonze shop. There you will also see a complete table of contents and information about the exclusive online supplementary material that we are now offering via a clearly designed user interface, as well as thumbnails and the editorial. The ePaper and the edition for Amazon Kindle each cost 12.49 euros.

Tip: If you subscribe to c’t photography, you can request our newsletter every Saturday. Week after week he offers additional stories, suggestions and information about the stories of the current issue – register on our newsletter page.

(tho)