Refurbished DSLR advice?
I'm going to be buying a DSLR camera when i have the money, not one of the top of the range ones that are crazy expensive! Just a kind of entry level, i like the look of the Nikon D3100 & a few others (as well as the Canon eos 550D- way out of my budget!)
Anyway! Is it worth looking at a proffesionally refurbished dslr rather than getting the same model brand new, if they work the same? I'm not going to buy online, unless it is from somewhere trusted (like PC World or whatever)
And before anyone says anything, i KNOW to take good pictures you can't rely on the camera 100%, the photographer has to have talent as well.
My daughter purchased a refurbished DSLR several years ago and had no problem with it. Others have purchased new and had problems. Sometimes it's the luck of the draw/
Yes I would buy a refurbished DSLR if I got a good price for it and as long as I got at least a 30 day warranty, and 90 days would be better. DSLRs don't last forever and you would eventually have to replace it anyway so the risk wouldn't be big. And it's a great way to start building a DSLR system.
I bought a refurbished digital camera and it has proven to be an excellent buy. With the camera I got a leather case, a memory card and guarantee. This bundle saved me over £120.
If you do go ahead do not buy from PC World. They have a very bad reputation for after sales care. There are plenty of sites on ebay which is where I bought mine from that offer good value and a good product. I look at it like this, if it has been refurbished because it was faulty and slipped through quality control. They will make very sure that it will be perfect when it leaves.
Most sites on ebay have customer feedback saying what their experience was like. Let that be your guide and you should get yourself a bargain.
We bought a refurbished Nikon D50 and lens 5 or 6 years ago and it's still perfect. We got it from Cameta, who is a very reputable dealer in new and refurbished photo items. I think they sell refurbs with a 90 day warranty, but if the item is new enough, it might even have a 12 month warranty. They are worth checking out, in my opinion.
Before buying you need to know WHY it was refurbished…
it might have been a display model or broken…
hopefully it has been repaired and tested thoroughly…
get a years warranty and hope for the best…
There are a few retailers (PC World is NOT one of them) that offers all the major manufacturers refurbs from time to time, sold with full manufacturer warranty, one is SRS Microsystems in Watford, who I can recommend.
http://www.srsmicrosystems.co.uk/
Usual disclaimer, just a satisfied customer over years of trading.
The refurbs are in such small quantities that they tend not to advertise them, ring to find out if they have any.
OK with a refurbed product, it could be refurbed because it was faulty, in which case it's a good thing as it'll usually be quite well sorted. Personally I don't see much wrong with refurbed products, as long as it's been refurbed by the manufacturer and has a full warranty.