topic Re: What does Canon do to a 5D Mark III when refurbished? in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

What does Canon do to a 5D Mark III when refurbished?

billt — Sat, 25 Apr 2015 12:01:48 GMT

What specifically does Canon do when refurbishing a 5D Mark III? I'm considering an upgrade to it from the MII?

Re: What does Canon do to a 5D Mark III when refurbished?

ebiggs1 — Sat, 25 Apr 2015 13:15:13 GMT

They check it for proper working order. If a part is found to be faulty, it gets replaced.

Re: What does Canon do to a 5D Mark III when refurbished?

RobertTheFat — Sat, 25 Apr 2015 13:52:40 GMT

@ebiggs1 wrote:
They check it for proper working order. If a part is found to be faulty, it gets replaced.

I suspect they also clean it up a bit. Whenever I take one of my cameras to the Canon shop for an inspection, it comes back looking like new.

FWIW, a friend of mine bought a refurbished 5D3 from Canon and is very happy with it. Knowing that I was considering a FF camera, he strongly recommended that I do the same. In the end I bought a new one, partly because the photography I do leaves slightly less margin for error than his does, but mostly because I'm anally risk-averse. I don't think you (OP) would have anything to fear with a refurb. They come with a pretty good warranty, don't they?

Re: What does Canon do to a 5D Mark III when refurbished?

ebiggs1 — Sat, 25 Apr 2015 15:10:46 GMT

"Whenever I take one of my cameras to the Canon shop for an inspection, it comes back looking like new."

I use CPS Gold and you are right. They have been great to me.

Re: What does Canon do to a 5D Mark III when refurbished?

amfoto1 — Sat, 25 Apr 2015 15:13:17 GMT

Refurbished cameras might come from any number of sources... They might have been a demo unit at a trade show or in a retail store, a loaner camera (or lens) in the Canon Professional Services arsenal, a customer return or exchange for any number of reasons, overstock or simply had damaged packaging that prevented it from being sold at regular retail. So what's done with them before being offered as refurbished likely varies a lot too.

At the very least, they are closely inspected and, if needed, cleaned up. A refurb likely gets more careful individual inspection than a brand new camera coming off the assembly line. If any fault is found or has been reported, that would be repaired.

IMO, refurbs are a great way to save a few $. Before Canon established their online store, refurbs used to be sold off through a few of the major retailers (B&H, Adorama). I've bought both cameras and lenses that way. Now they are mostly just sold direct through the Canon Online Store. I haven't personally had occasion to buy a refurb direct from them, but wouldn't hesitate to do so. They come with the same warranty as new, anyway. I buy my gear to use it anyway, not for show... so I don't care about a minor cosmetic issue or if the box is a plain one, so long as the gear works as it should and has plenty of "life" left in it.

***********
Alan Myers

San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7D(x2), 50D(x3), some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
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