Buying Used Can Mean Buying Smart

Buying Used Can Mean Buying Smart

Words and Images by Jerred Zegelis

Are you intrigued by the newest offering from the camera manufacturers? There’s a lot of cool stuff out there using new technology in ways that are astounding. One case in point is the use of AI to help a camera recognize and track faces, eyes and even birds with stunning speed an accuracy. It’s something unimaginable just 5 years ago.

If you can afford it and the new piece of equipment can actually benefit you, then go for it! A landscape photographer, for instance, might want to consider a new camera with pixel-shift technology, allowing for photos that are hundreds of megapixels in size. This allows the photographer to print giant, sometimes wall-sized photographs. (Just be careful of the wind with pixel-shift!)

But you know what? All of the photos you see on this page were taken with used equipment that I happened to pick up for really great prices. These photos are pretty awesome too, even if they weren’t taken with some kind of fancy new advanced feature.

Remember, photography is the art of “seeing.” It’s painting with light. You can create photographs with a light-sealed shoebox, a pinhole and a piece of light-sensitive paper!

I’m not saying pinhole cameras are something you can use professionally, but I am saying that you can get fantastic results from cameras and lenses that are years old.

Take this one, photographed using a used Fuji X-Pro2 in a difficult lighting situation (a dimly-lit courthouse wedding):

Getting Married by Jerred Zegelis

 

This shot might have been taken in great lighting, but it was photographed with a second-hand Fuji X-T1:

Couple by Jerred Zegelis

 

And the following shot, also with the X-T1, is one that I’ve blown up to 40” wide, even though the aging camera is only 16 megapixels (although I did use enlarging software).

Open road by Jerred Zegelis

 

So, all I’m saying is that if you’re looking to upgrade or try something new, you don’t have to go and get the newest of the new in order to produce great results.

And at Rockbrook Camera, you’ve got not only a wide selection of used equipment to choose from, you can try it out in-store, and get personalized, expert results from our staff of photographers.

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