Digital cameras are just like any electronic device. They can last a really long time, but they don’t last forever. How long they last is usually determined by how well they’re treated, but, there is more to it than that.
Issues with old digital cameras
Batteries
One possible issue with older digital cameras is the batteries they use. Most old cameras use proprietary batteries that may not be in production anymore. If you can’t power your camera it doesn’t matter if it is in good condition or not, you’ll have to figure how to get it to turn on before you can use it.
Media
Some older cameras used obsolete media, such as Sony Memory Sticks, Mini Disks, Floppy Disks, VHS tape, Digital VHS tape, or even CD-ROMS. It might seem absurd to us today, but prior to the creation of SD cards, there were a number of cameras that used weird and potentially unavailable media. While a camera that uses a Floppy Disk is more of a collector’s item than a real camera these days, the point remains, there are some unusual old technologies that won’t be supported by a modern laptop or desktop computer without some effort on your part.
If you can verify that the used camera you’re interested in uses a media type that you are able to work with, and you can verify that it has new batteries available for it so you can turn it on, then you can start looking at the condition and functionality of the camera.
Condition
Condition and functionality is the most complex part of assessing a used camera. People often sell cameras that have sat in a basement unused for 20 or more years and nobody remembers if it was ever a working camera. Even if you know that you can get batteries and media for it, you may not be able to test it out right then and there.
Usually when something is brand new we can tell that it’s basically brand new because it has that “new car smell” so to speak. And that’s not just a fancy turn of phrase, smelling a camera or lens can give you a good idea of how nicely or poorly it has been treated. If a camera smells clean and fresh, it’s probably been kept in a clean and dry area for most of it’s life. If it has a strong, sharp plastic or glue smell, it could mean that the rubber or plastics are breaking down. And finally, if it has a strong musty or dusty smell that generally means it’s been sitting in a damp and dark place for a long time.
The problem with dampness and electronics should be pretty obvious. Over time, the dampness will ruin the camera or lens if it is left sitting in those conditions long enough. Dampness and musty basements can eventually lead to mold growth inside the lens, damaging lens element coatings, and usually forming a thin film of fog or haze on the lens. It takes a lot to ruin these old lenses, but some people seem to be working hard on figuring out how to do that.
I have quite a few lenses with small amounts of haze in the lens and they work great. As long as the haze isn’t too bad, it’s usually not noticeable, but when it does get bad, it can cause low contrast in bright light, or blooming around light sources. A professional might be able to clean them but they can be hard to locate.
Manual Lenses – The Panacea of Used Gear
If you’re buying manual focus lenses the truth is there isn’t much that can go wrong that you wouldn’t be able to figure out in the first 15 minutes of having it to look at and test.
Manual lenses can be easily adapted to just about any mirrorless camera, and once you get the hang of it, focusing with manual lenses is actually pretty easy, even for video work.
Aside from looking inside the lens to make sure it is clean and clear, there’s honestly very little that can go substantially wrong with a manual lens over its lifetime. The biggest danger is going to be mishandling the lens by dropping it.
As long as the lens is cared for and stored properly there’s no reason it won’t last for a lifetime or much longer.
AF Lenses – Some Companies Still Support Old Gear
Autofocus lenses are another story entirely. Technically speaking, just about any AF lens could be adapted to work on just about any other camera, but that requires lots of technical skill and reprogramming of computer chips. It’s not an easy task but it’s doable. The thing is, it’s a lot easier to just buy a new lens that works with the camera you’ve got.
A few companies like Canon make it easier to adapt old EF lenses to their new RF camera platform. Simply by using an EF to RF adapter, just about any EF lens can be used with no issues on an RF camera. If all you’re really after is a lens with good AF performance then many EF lenses are great options if you’re on a budget or just want a lens with a different look. I have some old EF lenses and I like all of them.
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