Photographers: What should I do with my camera?

[Antoneo]

I have a Minolta 400si, a 3500xi Flash, a Sigma 28mm to 200mm zoom lens, case, boxes, and documents as well. All in mint condition even after 3 three years because they have only seen occasional use. I have contacted B&H Photo for a price quote for my equipment and they said they would give me probably around $235 for all of it. Hmmm well I spent about $750 on this stuff at this photo/video store nearby me and wasn't too impressed with the pictures (it's either me or the lens I figure). I guess I should have sold this stuff off earlier.

My question is should I try selling them on Ebay (perhaps even the FS/FT here) or get $235 for it? I am looking to buy a Canon G2 but can't until I sell these. Perhaps anyone is interested in these (I wish to sell as a package)? Advice?

 

[Wallydraigle]

Ebay it. People are dumb on there. You could end up getting back more than you paid for it new. Auctions regularly end for more than retail.

 

[HiTek21]

$235? Ouch, I'd try selling it on Ebay set a reserve at a decent price. I'd hate to sell a nice camera for a low ball offer.

 

[Lucky]

first off, ask keh.com what they will give for it.
then try FS/FT
then ebay.

 

[MrBond]

Is that just what they'll give you in cash, or store credit? That's a pretty good camera (with a 35mm SLR, you should be able to take good photos unless the camera/lense are total crap (which I doubt) or you're inexperienced), so you might want to take a class on photography to learn the camera a little better.

Otherwise, if you don't want to trade it in and just want cash, I'd sell it on ebay or in the FS/T forum here (it doesn't cost anything to try and sell it here, and I trust the people/heatware more then I do at ebay)

 

[NogginBoink]

Before getting rid of the camera, see if you can find and fix the problem!

If you're not happy with the pictures that it's taken, take the prints to someone who knows about photography and ask for help determining what the problem is/was and what you can do about it.

Heck, it might be as simple as the processing machine at the grocery store hasn't been calibrated in eons and therefore the prints are mucked up. It might be that there's nothing wrong with your equipment or ability.

 

[joe678]

go to ebay...much better chance of getting more for the camera...and they wont pm you w/ lowball offers...

 

[Antoneo]

first off, ask keh.com what they will give for it.

Hmm.. well I just tried it and for the body 400si: $95, for the 3500xi zoom and its case: $76. Total $171. Sigh.

Well, the problem with this camera is that the photos that come out seem to be missing detail... its not crisp and the colors aren't true. I admit that I'm no pro and I 've asked around and all they could do is recommend a "better lens". Well I just didn't want to buy anything more (although buying the 28-200 was probably a mistake). I have tried different development places and they are all the same. My old point and shoot Canon takes equivalent pictures. So perhaps it is me .

I want to get a digital camera since I can take photos without having to worry about bad shots and plus nearly direct photo editing on the computer.

 

[T2T III]

I am looking to buy a Canon G2 but can't until I sell these.

I can't help you with advice on the sale of your SLR camera. However, the G2 prices have been going down over the past month. I'm in the process of returning my Canon S40 because the G2 has dropped to a price below what I paid for the S40. I started looking at the G2 when it was $589 + $29 (s/h) at Cameratopia.com about a month ago. The price hit $549.99 late last week so I placed my order. They are currently awaiting the shipment of the G2s, so it'll be about another week before I see my G2. However, the price dropped again to $528.99 + s/h, so I asked if I could get the "current" price since my camera hasn't shipped yet - and YES they are adjusting my price.

There were lots of sleazy camera dealers that I encountered when looking for the G2. Cameratopia.com basically does the same accessories push as the other vendors do, but they then back off when you tell them you basically just want to get used to the camera before buying extra batteries and filters. Plus, this company claims that their Canon features the 1-year warranty through Canon U.S.A. - which a lot of cheap vendors out there can't offer because of their "grey market" goods. Best of luck selling your SLR camera and hopping onto the G2 bandwagon!

 

[iamwiz82]

the camera goes fro $150 on ebay, the flash goes fro $100 and the zoom lens goes for $150. I'd split them and sell.

 

[mithrandir2001]

eBay will probably garner the highest price.

I used to own a Nikon N8008s, Nikkor 24-50/3.3-4.5, 50/1.8, 70-210/4 lenses, SB-27 flash, Bogen 3021 legset with 3275 geared head...about $1800 worth of equipment. I used it for about 2.5 years, got tired of getting one good shot out of 50 (hardly uncommon) and unloaded everything (as separate items) for $1200 on eBay. $600 wasn't a bad "rental" fee for that equipment for that time period.

 

[Antoneo]

However, the G2 prices have been going down over the past month.

That's good to hear . wje, so cameratopia is a legit place to buy a Canon G2? I faced a similar situation as well when purchasing my Sony TRV27 from JandR. Other places online like broadwayphoto.com (or something like that) had it for a ridiculous price like $550 when it retails at $999. They had horrible reseller ratings though and many people commented on their attempt to force you to buy accessories. JandR offered me $830... B&H was slightly cheaper at $800 but I came across their website after I ordered.

B&H Photo has the Canon G2 for $699 so it is kinda hard for me to believe that cameratopia would be a legit place with a price of $550. They are selling factory fresh items? :Q

On a side note about the Canon G2, did Canon fix the small crack problem in the casing?

Well, looks like I'm off to ebay and it'll probably become my first thing I sell online. Time to use the search function for tips on ebaying .

 

[Lucky]

wje, so cameratopia is a legit place to buy a Canon G2?

No, its not.. Just another NYC ripoff shop.

 

[HiTek21]

You should keep on eye out for dells stackable coupons, I bought my canon s40 there for about hundred dollars less, no tax, and free over night shipping.

 

[PsychoAndy]

Originally posted by: lirion
Ebay it. People are dumb on there. You could end up getting back more than you paid for it new. Auctions regularly end for more than retail.

That may be true for certain items, but believe me it is not seen reguarly. I've sold tons of equipment and I have yet to even meet retail pricing on the hundreds of auctions I have posted. On a general level, most of the auctions that surpass retail have shipping built into the price, or they have a disco'd model that is unique and unavailable. That or the one user is just plain stupid.

Originally posted by: joe678
go to ebay...much better chance of getting more for the camera...and they wont pm you w/ lowball offers...

Oh yes they will. Believe me.

Originally posted by: wje


There were lots of sleazy camera dealers that I encountered when looking for the G2. Cameratopia.com basically does the same accessories push as the other vendors do, but they then back off when you tell them you basically just want to get used to the camera before buying extra batteries and filters. Plus, this company claims that their Canon features the 1-year warranty through Canon U.S.A. - which a lot of cheap vendors out there can't offer because of their "grey market" goods. Best of luck selling your SLR camera and hopping onto the G2 bandwagon!

Lots of the G2 dealers found in HD have excessive shipping. IE: $55+ for ground on something that should be $10-$13 at most. I have an account and thats the price I pay. I dont expect them to charge more than the book rate. Lord knows there are enough Mailboxes etc around. Another thing is most dealers with the G2 were hawking gray market NON-US versions. Most people get on the bandwagon and wind up finding out too late. I cant tell you how many threads I've PM'd the mods with about that problem, as well as BVG price matching to them.

-PAB

 

[T2T III]

No, its not.. Just another NYC ripoff shop.

Yes, I read through Resellerratings.com before placing my order. I also read through some threads in the various camera forums and Cameratopia.com seems to be O.K. in the eyes of some and not so O.K. in the eyes of others. However, they do advertise that the G2 they are selling is a U.S. model and does include the 1-year Canon warranty. Also, the salesperson that I have been working with indicated that they get their cameras directly from Canon. Yeah, he may have been blowing smoke, but I'll soon find out how legit they are.

In regards to the cracked casing issue, I'm not too sure if this has been fully resolved. I haven't really seen any new posts from new purchasers complaining of this issue. It appears to have been an issue with some of the batches in the past. My guess is that Canon has modified their manufacturing process so, hopefully, it's no longer an issue.