Buying guides
Read one of these before you buy. They cover reading a shutter count on every brand, the red flags in an eBay camera listing, DSLR against mirrorless, choosing a lens system, a first full-frame body, and what to test in the first days after it arrives. If you only read one, make it the shutter-count guide.
How to Check the Shutter Count on a Used Camera
How to read the shutter count on Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Pentax and Olympus bodies, what the maker's rating means, and what to ask a seller.
Read the guide →Reading a Used Camera Listing on eBay: The Red Flags
What to look for in a used DSLR or mirrorless listing on eBay: real photos, the shutter count, what's in the box, grey imports and return policies.
Read the guide →DSLR or Mirrorless: Which Should You Buy Used?
DSLR or mirrorless on the used market: viewfinders, battery life, autofocus, lenses and adapters, stabilization and wear, and who should buy which.
Read the guide →Canon, Nikon, Sony or Fujifilm: Choosing a Used Camera System
Pick the mount before the body. How the Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Pentax and Micro Four Thirds systems compare for a used buyer.
Read the guide →The Best Used Full-Frame Camera to Start With
The used full-frame bodies that make the best first step up: Nikon D610 and D750, Canon 6D Mark II and 5D Mark III, Sony A7 II and A7 III, Pentax K-1.
Read the guide →What to Test When a Used Camera Arrives
A first-day checklist for a used DSLR or mirrorless body: shutter count, sensor dust and hot pixels, screens, buttons, card slots, focus and stabilization.
Read the guide →