opinion on price of used camera needed

[wsmith96]

howdy,
today I came across a used 40d on craigslist in my area for $200. The poster says that the flash doesn't work, but everything else is working fine. I was considering making an offer. I know this is an old camera, but ppl here seems to agree that the 40d does a good job. I'm not worried about the flash. If you were in my shoes, would you consider buying this?

ps. I'm currently using a t1i.

 

[paul13walnut5]

I would be asking, 'how has the flash been damaged?'

Ingress of water? Circuit overload? Dropped?

Unknown quantity. Indicatitive of a certain kind of life perhaps?

It could be the camera only has 4000 shutter cycles on it, that its been used only in a studio, and kept in a box filled with cotton wool and silica gel, and that the flash has just stopped working. Could be.

My second question would be 'why do you want to change at all?'

Your T1i has more resolution, so it must be either af (slight improvement) drive rate (slight improvement in the scheme of things) better pentaprism viewfinder (important to some for some applications) or better handling (larger grip, rear qcd, top lcd)

Really you need to spell out what you need that you lack in the T1i, that you think the 40d will deliver.

We can then help you get the most out of your existing camera or suggest other cameras.

I woildn't buy a camera with a serious fault. If, say there is internal corrosion, that could gradually kill the camera entirely, walk away.

 

[wsmith96]

Thanks for the sanity check. This isn't the first time I've looked at a 40d as an inexpensive way to get a higher fps for my kids sports activities, but you are right. I have no idea why this camera is in the shape it's in, but I focused on the wrong thing - the low $$$ (much like some of my photography where I focused on the wrong thing ). That's why I trust the CR forum folks to keep me on the level.

Walking away.

Cheers

 

[paul13walnut5]

Ok, the frame rate of the T1i isn't the best out there, but if you set the cam up to take JPEGs, set AiServo focus mode, select the centre af point and track, also maybe get a faster SD card? Class 10's are dead cheap now.

You might also fare better putting the 40D money on a faster lens. Something like a used 50mm f1.4 or 85mm f1.8.

The much brighter max aperture will really speed up focusing, and make it more accurate to.

With the cam set in Ai Servo, track track burst, track track burst.

It's not always the cameras buffer that slows things down, and you'll be surprised at the speed you can get with the right settings.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

howdy,
today I came across a used 40d on craigslist in my area for $200. The poster says that the flash doesn't work, but everything else is working fine. I was considering making an offer. I know this is an old camera, but ppl here seems to agree that the 40d does a good job. I'm not worried about the flash. If you were in my shoes, would you consider buying this?

ps. I'm currently using a t1i.

Yes, I'd consider it, but its not a replacement for a T1i

I bought a nice used one last fall for
$300, so $200 is not a super deal, many that are complete with extras like the grip sell in the $200-300 range on ebay.
Perhaps $150.

 

[dstppy]

Why not the 50D? That was a nice camera, there's got to be some people getting ready to unload them due to the 70D being more like it than the 60D, no?

 

[wsmith96]

Why not the 50D? That was a nice camera, there's got to be some people getting ready to unload them due to the 70D being more like it than the 60D, no?

The 50D wasn't available for where I was looking. I just thought I had found a deal.

 

[dstppy]

Why not the 50D? That was a nice camera, there's got to be some people getting ready to unload them due to the 70D being more like it than the 60D, no?

The 50D wasn't available for where I was looking. I just thought I had found a deal.

Gotcha.

 

[wsmith96]

Ok, the frame rate of the T1i isn't the best out there, but if you set the cam up to take JPEGs, set AiServo focus mode, select the centre af point and track, also maybe get a faster SD card? Class 10's are dead cheap now.

You might also fare better putting the 40D money on a faster lens. Something like a used 50mm f1.4 or 85mm f1.8.

The much brighter max aperture will really speed up focusing, and make it more accurate to.

With the cam set in Ai Servo, track track burst, track track burst.

It's not always the cameras buffer that slows things down, and you'll be surprised at the speed you can get with the right settings.

I'm right on with your suggestions - I've got class 10 cards, got some faster lenses, though I will be upgrading my 70-300 zoom soon to probably a 70-200 2.8, was just looking for some faster frame rate on the cheap. The only time I have buffer issues is when shooting raw, but for the sports events I always shoot jpeg and use center focus point with AI Servo, so no buffer issues there. You can see what I have in my signature.

Thanks again for your constructive comments. I'm passing on this 40D.