Refurbished....to buy or not to buy?!

12 years 7 months ago #145986 by 135 Mark
I have been constantly stuck between the 50mm and the 55-200mm lenses. I know they are 2 different kinds but I want them both....=). I found both refurbished at Adorama for a decent price. Is it a good idea to buy a refurbished lens?


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12 years 7 months ago #145992 by Johnson Studio
'Refurbished' products are often as-good or better than 'brand new'. With many refurbished products, they have been pulled out of the assembly stream because they failed some sort of inspection. The problem gets fixed, but it can not be put back into the normal assembly process, so it get's sold as 'refurbished'. And because it's been 'fixed', it's often more accurately assembled than the 'new' ones in the assembly line.
There are also some that have been sold & returned, so they might not look new anymore, but it's likely that they have been 'fixed' and re-inspected, so they are in good working order.


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12 years 7 months ago #146009 by 135 Mark
Really? Wow, I always thought refurbish was mainly someone returning an item and the company just put it back out in the market. I didn't know about the products that fail inspection.


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12 years 7 months ago #146342 by KCook
And .... "refurbished" can mean a used (lots of wear) item that is traded in. Then refinished so as to look good as new, without undoing all that wear. That is what I ended up with when I got a refurbished lens. A used (not refurbished) "E" or "like new" rated item might beat a refurbished item.

Kelly Cook

Canon 50D, Olympus PL2
kellycook.zenfolio.com/

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12 years 7 months ago #146346 by MLKstudios
If you buy from a reputable dealer, they will likely stand behind it. Their reputation is on the line.

You're right that a 50mm and a 55-200mm are two totally different animals, and serve different purposes. You need both.

Matthew L Kees
MLK Studios Photography School
www.MLKstudios.com
[email protected]
"Every artist, was once an amateur"

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12 years 7 months ago #146354 by chasrich
Refurbished can be a bit of a gamble... A reputable dealer helps reduce the risks. There is a good possibility that a camera, for example, is bought, tried out by it's owner, found to be too complicated and sent back. It can't be sold as new but can be checked over and sold as refurbished.

I bought refurb Olympus point and shoot cameras then resold them for a small profit to people that were impressed with the "newness" of the items and the low overall cost. I had extraordinarily good luck so I'm optimistic about refurbished stuff. Your mileage may vary... :woohoo:

“Amateurs worry about equipment, professionals worry about money, masters worry about light, I just make pictures… ” ~ Vernon Trent
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12 years 7 months ago #146366 by Screamin Scott
I've bought refurb's from Cameta Camera....No problems with any of them...

Scott Ditzel Photography

www.flickr.com/photos/screaminscott/

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