We've discussed a whatever alternatives of purchase utilised so far, but today let's verify a countenance at the someone of every utilised stores: Your topical Goodwill.
Goodwill, Good Stuff
This is added info whatever of us photographers ingest as a resource, and I belike shouldn't be mentioning it here for the fact I'm feat to hit rivalry when I voyage the aisles of my topical Goodwill store. But that's ok.
When I purchased my Nikon D100 backwards in the season of 2002, I didn't hit whatever lenses. In fact, I had none. I had a 50mm f/1.4 lense on the way, and an AF-S 80-200mm in transit, but that didn't support my underway situation--I necessary to place a lense on my camera NOW, or I was feat to fortuity downbound and scream aforementioned a lowercase girl.
The aforementioned period I'm conversation to my grandfather, and I study I got a digital camera. He said something to the gist of, Hey, I've heard of those! After a whatever moments of explaining the generalized digital camera to him, he says to me, So, you're feat to be ornamentation discover at the frugal stores, aren'tcha.
Whah? Huh? Goodwill stores...ehhhhh, yeah, ok whatever.
After effort soured the phone, I definite I had null to retrograde (except for my dignity, and since no digit knew most my soon-to-be activate to the Goodwill, I was clear). My prototypal meet to the Goodwill was a loss. I didn't wager anything eliminate for a whatever utilised useable cameras (I hit no intent ground they were there--maybe had a whatever pictures mitt on it likewise take?) and individual of those Get A FREE 35MM Camera! thingies you wager when you obtain your assign bill statement, and most a whatever dozen promotional materials start out. Yes, that category of 35mm camera.
I definite to start to added Goodwill which was in a inferior laboring location. As presently as I walked in the face door, I glanced at the render counter, and I saw the Nikon study on what appeared to be a 50mm lens. I directly went over to verify a closer. Yep, trusty enough. It was a 50mm lens. It was an senior AI-S 50mm 1.8. Price? Well, you meliorate set down. $15. The lense was in beatific condition, not excellent, but it was trusty worth the $15 I directly whipped discover of my notecase and said, I'll verify that lens, thanks.
Will you ever encounter a someone aforementioned this at a Goodwill store? Probably not. However, that variety of ruins the cerebration and occult catch for treasure, today doesn't it. I crapper verify you, that you hit a such meliorate quantity of uncovering a care there, than another places. A lawful activate every weekend trusty isn't feat to blackball you, and it could clear soured considerably.
Pawn Shops
Now, help shops aren't every what they utilised to be. Today, help shops hit a highly increased toll attach on most of their items. You strength as substantially go to a lawful camera accumulation and clear the toll of a newborn component because you wouldn't be stipendiary such more. In whatever cases, you strength be stipendiary less. However, there is a quantity you haw encounter a pretty beatific care on a lens, tripod, or modify a camera. Tripods commonly delude for rattling cheap, and I would definitely propose hunting around your topical help class clump if you're in a super city, because you module belike encounter one. And considering if you're in a diminutive town, you module belike encounter an modify meliorate deal. Why? Because there isn't the category of goods liquid finished and the skillfulness is not as inform as, say, a moneyman in New royalty City or Los Angeles. Most of us haw springy in large cities, so don't wait to intend a Manfrotto for $20, but there are another brands which become rattling near to the broad and strength tripod brands, and are extremely discounted. Velbon for example. I've seen $150-$200 Velbon tripods delude for $35, in strike condition. Did I acquire it? Well, daylong news short, I didn't undergo it was this pricey until I remembered the help number, went online, had a hunch seizure, then directly crowd backwards to the help shop.
It was gone. You intend some...you retrograde some.
In the incoming conception of Choosing A Digital Camera, we module handle whatever of the camera features you should rank when purchase a digital camera. Yes, it haw intend technical, but I module be there with you every travel of the way.
2005 by Jason Busch (DigitalDingus)
Choosing A Digital Camera (Part 3): Goodwill, Good Stuff
A conception of The DigitalDingus Guide To Photography series.
