Here's what you should check when you're buying a camera.

If you buy a camera through us, obviously everything is going to go perfectly well and you will be forever successful in life and love (also the camera will work fine.)

But if we don't have what you're looking for, and you're heading out into the cold dark world to buy a camera from "some guy," here is a basic list of things you should do to make sure you don't end up with a total dud.

READ UP ON THE CAMERA YOU ARE CONSIDERING.
The most important thing you can do is understand how the camera is supposed to look, feel, and work. If you know how a camera is supposed to operate, you will be able to tell if something is not working right. Click here to go to Michael Butkus' extremely useful instruction manual page.

BRING BATTERIES, CARDS, AND FILM.
If a film camera needs batteries, find out what they are and bring them along. Bring a roll of test film to make sure the camera can wind and rewind it. If a digital camera needs a memory card, bring a suitable memory card with you.
 
CHECK BASIC FUNCTIONS.
Be sure that a camera turns on and fires. For a film camera, be sure that it advances and rewinds film. For a digital camera, be sure that it can read and write to a memory card. Be sure that the camera is not displaying any error codes.
 
BE AWARE THAT CAMERAS SHOULD FEEL & SOUND NICE.
If a camera sounds shrill, crunchy, or scrapey, something is wrong. If parts are loose, gritty, or move irregularly, something is wrong. This is subjective, but remember that cameras are precision-made mass market devices, and they should feel & sound that way.
 

CHECK THE SHUTTER.
It is most common for shutters to fail at higher speeds. With a film camera, here is how you check a shutter:

  1. Open the back
  2. Take off the lens
  3. Hold the camera up to a bright light and fire the shutter at its highest speeds while looking through the back.

You want to make sure that you can see light flash through the ENTIRE shutter opening as it fires. When shutters fail at high speed, some of the shutter will not let light through. If you only see light through part of the shutter, there is something wrong.

CHECK THE ELECTRICS.
A camera’s electrical systems should not be glitchy. LEDs and displays should operate smoothly. If LEDs are flickering or blinking, or if an LCD is not displaying all the information it should, the camera is not working right.

BE SURE THAT EVERYTHING YOU NEED IS INCLUDED.
It is difficult to find batteries and chargers for older digital cameras. Sometimes, these can cost more than the camera. Batteries and chargers are not accessories or extras for digital cameras, they are necessary parts of the camera.

BE SURE THAT FILM IS AVAILABLE.
If you are buying a film camera, make sure you can still buy film for it. Polaroid peel-apart and Spectra films are no longer made. Kodak instant film is no longer made. APS and 126 film are no longer made. You will not enjoy tracking this stuff down.

REPAIRS ARE NOT CHEAP OR EASY.
Repairs are expensive & often impractical. If someone tells you that a camera “just needs a CLA,” you should ask yourself why the seller didn’t simply have the camera serviced before selling it. I will tell you why: it is because the repair costs more than the camera.

ASK US IF YOU ARE NOT SURE.
If you’re looking at a camera and you want some advice, please don’t hesitate to ask us about it before you make the purchase. We have seen too many broken cameras and it is not even December yet. Please let us help you not waste your money. Thank you.