EOS Rebel T7 New vs Refurbished

[Wes66]

Good morning, I am a beginner and was advised by my brother (who is a Nikon guy), to purchase the canon EOS t7. He thought it was an all-around decent camera to learn toggery fee, techniques, and still remaining in my budget. With that said, he advised me NOT to buy used/renewed/refurbished. He’s pretty much a conservative consumer. Any advice from you wonderful folks out there? Thanks!

[zakslm · Accepted solution]

Right now, Canon has refurbished T7 Kits on sale for $219.

https://www.usa.canon.com/shop/p/refurbished-eos-rebel-t7-ef-s-18-55mm-f-3-5-5-6-is-ii-lens-kit

That is a smoking hot deal in my opinion.  New ones are $479.  

Canon refurbished products come with the same 12 month warranty as a new product and the current sale price of the refurbished Rebel kit would be really difficult to pass up.

I've not bought a camera from the Canon Refurbished store but bought a couple of lenses from them.  They looked brand new and work flawlessly.

The current price differential is so drastic (and stock probably won't last long) that with your savings, you may at a future date, decide to purchase a second lens with the savings.  I would recommend that you consider a used or refurbished lens if you do decide to pick up a second lens provided you stick with a reputable seller such as Canon Refurbished, KEH, B&H or others sellers recommended on this or other forums.  

Background:  1.5 years ago, I decided to get a DSLR.  I  decided to purchase a Rebel T7 kit and a 50mm f1.8 STM lens.  I was going to buy a refurbished kit from Canon, but my wife interceded and convinced me to purcase a new Rebel T7 kit and 50mm f1.8 STM from Amazon (Amazon was the seller and both the kit and the lens came with Canon USA warranties) where she had some credits or incentives to use up or they would expire and the cost differential ended up being quite small.  Once ordered, the camera arrived at 5am the next morning and I haven't looked back since.  

[zakslm · Accepted solution]

Right now, Canon has refurbished T7 Kits on sale for $219.

https://www.usa.canon.com/shop/p/refurbished-eos-rebel-t7-ef-s-18-55mm-f-3-5-5-6-is-ii-lens-kit

That is a smoking hot deal in my opinion.  New ones are $479.  

Canon refurbished products come with the same 12 month warranty as a new product and the current sale price of the refurbished Rebel kit would be really difficult to pass up.

I've not bought a camera from the Canon Refurbished store but bought a couple of lenses from them.  They looked brand new and work flawlessly.

The current price differential is so drastic (and stock probably won't last long) that with your savings, you may at a future date, decide to purchase a second lens with the savings.  I would recommend that you consider a used or refurbished lens if you do decide to pick up a second lens provided you stick with a reputable seller such as Canon Refurbished, KEH, B&H or others sellers recommended on this or other forums.  

Background:  1.5 years ago, I decided to get a DSLR.  I  decided to purchase a Rebel T7 kit and a 50mm f1.8 STM lens.  I was going to buy a refurbished kit from Canon, but my wife interceded and convinced me to purcase a new Rebel T7 kit and 50mm f1.8 STM from Amazon (Amazon was the seller and both the kit and the lens came with Canon USA warranties) where she had some credits or incentives to use up or they would expire and the cost differential ended up being quite small.  Once ordered, the camera arrived at 5am the next morning and I haven't looked back since.  

[Wes66]

Thank you for your insight! I think I am leaning towards a refurbished camera, but I will most likely get one from Canon rather than eBay…just not sure about eBay. Many thanks!

[Tronhard]

Hi and welcome to the forum:
I would add that there is a deal on with that camera body for a 75-300 lens.  I would strongly encourage you not to take that up - it is one of Canon's weakest optics.  The 18-55mm lens is a good enough starting point and you can eventually put the money you save towards something like the excellent 55-250STM or 70-300USM lenses.
One thing of note for the 18-55 lens sold with this body: there is a AF-MF switch on the side of the lens to go from auto to manual focus. You MUST turn to MF if you are going to focus the lens manually.   Normally AF works perfectly fine.

Above all, you have much to learn on your first camera, so rather than accumulating gear, accumulate knowledge.   Here are some videos that I recommend:  take your time to learn from these, they will save you a lot of frustration and help you control your camera instead of it controlling you.

And

[Wes66]

Super advice! What are your feelings on refurbished versus new camera? I appreciate you, including those YouTube’s. I will definitely watch those.

[deebatman316]

The T7 is a great entry level camera but Canon is withdrawing from the DSLR camera market. All of their focus is now on the RF Mount and EOS R series mirrorless cameras. The lens selection for the EF & EF-S lens mounts are getting smaller. As more RF lens and camera bodies are being produced. What is your budget to spend on a camera.

[Mike79]

What is a "Toggery fee"?

Thank you

[Wes66]

Yes, I tried editing after the post, but to no avail. Was dictating this into my iPhone microphone…it should have read “photography”.

[Mike79]

I sort of like "Toggery fee" - sounds like something out of the days of the Boston Tea Party (no, I wasn't invited), English tariffs on colonialists, and the closing of the Boston harbor to commerce. 

But, if your AI on your phone screwed up - well, that's not so glamorous...     ;  )     ;  )

[shadowsports]

Greetings Wes66,

What is your actual budget?

Also, along the lines with what zakslm mentioned, I will second.  I have spent thousands in the Canon Refurbished Store and have zero regrets.  Would I buy refurb from someone other than Canon, no.  Canon's refurb products come with the same 1 yr warranty as new.  You can save a bunch of money and get great quality gear.  

I have a real affinity for all cameras, but admittedly would go mirrorless over DSLR now.  If an entry level mirrorless body is within reach, start there if you can, as it will outlive and outshine a comparable DSLR.

If its not in the cards, I understand.  Trevor has provided some very helpful videos for the T7, which can teach you the basics.  The T7 was released about 6 yrs ago.  The R50 (example) came out last year.

Side by side for consideration.

Canon R50 vs Canon T7 Detailed Comparison (cameradecision.com)