Buying a second hand 5D Mark III

[davikokar]

Hi all, I'm considering to buy a second hand 5D Mark III camera. Do you have some suggestions on what I should pay attention to ?

thanks

[ReviewFever]

1) shutter count

2) age

3) repair histroy

4) physical presentation and functionality.

if you're purchasing it from a third party, things to consider:

is it coming out of a cardboard box lying next to some jumper cables and a piece of an engine block next to a gas can being delivered in the bed of a pickup that's more rust than metal?

consider your source for the item.  are they an established photographer? why are they selling it?

is the price much lower than the cost of a new one?  usually with a camera like the 5d3 even a slightly older one but one that has been loved dearly, will sell for nearing on the original mrsp.

ask if you can take both a cf and an sd card to mee the person and take a few photos in various lighting situations, and see if you notice any crazy abberations in your photography before purchse.

these are all things i'd keep in the back of my mind if i were pressed to buy another 5d3 and from a second hand source.

not too many people just JUMP into the purchase of a 5d3 so they most likely will take good care of it, but you can never tell if it was the one that fell off the dock while crabbing and had to be neetted up...  on the good side, eventhough you 'd end up paying a bit, Canon does have a great repair service.  So, if you do get offered one rather cheap with a few dings and scratches, a high shutter count, and that little rattle that doenst seem to come from anywhere in particular but you always seem to hear it... if it's not still warranteed, then just ship it off pay some money, and get one back that's probably as good as paying for one outright at your local dealer.

i hope these ramblings serve to help.

-j

[ebiggs1]

Caveat emptor!

Canon 5D Mk III's have actually risen in price since they first hit the stores. Adorama had them for $2800 and that is when I "jumped".

Now used ones bring that. 

Just a thought but a very good buy right now is the 1D Mk III. You can find excellent ones for $1200, even less sometimes. And the real steal is an old 1D Mk II.

[ebiggs1]

Oh, one other thing there is nothing like owning a 5D Mk III. Well unless you have a 1Dx. But who can afford that?

The 5D3 is a fantastic camera with few peers.