Refurbish camera from Nikon or Canon?

A buddy who is not a photographer just phoned me asking about getting into photography and was looking at refurbished cameras. He asked when Nikon or Canon sell refurbished cameras, what makes a camera refurbished? I had no idea.

Do you know how a camera becomes a refurbished camera?

Hi Uplander ,

I don't believe (at least I have not heard of – someone correct me if I'm wrong ) I don't believe that Nikon or Canon themselves refurbish cameras , but there have been several 3rd party companies who have done it then resold the items through discount camera shops , some of whose advertising and selling practices leave something to be desired .*

Refurbishing , from what I have observed , generally means just cameras that have been returned to a shop for being faulty or damaged , or not what the buyer really wanted , but they can not really be sold as brand "new" stock , because they are technically no longer new – they are now used . But may need some minor maintenance adjustments , or cleaning or "going over" to get the items to look acceptable to unsuspecting customers .

* There were some cases here in Australia in recent years where a couple of companies (registered in Hong Kong) and only had basically an online 'Australian' presence . They were advertising allegedly "new" Nikons and Canons for ridiculously cheap [ read 'greymarket' ] prices compared to the more credible bricks-andmortar dealers' prices .
It turned out that their allegedly "new" Canons and Nikons were actually found to be 'refurbished' Canons and Nikons , after being reported to and investigated by Consumer Protection Affairs office , who I believe managed to successfully prosecute them .
I guess the moral of the story is : be very wary of refurbished camera ads . Just a fancy word for used stock .

Adorama sells refurbished cameras.

"Refurbished" means a factory trained technician has had another crack at it.

Most refurbished cameras are ones that were purchased and returned. Since they can't be sold as new, they get a good going over because there's no telling what the original purchaser might have done to it while they had it. Unfortunately, they don't have the same warranty as a "New" camera would have, but the fact that a factory trained technician has examined it, repairing or replacing anything that needed to be repaired or replaced, makes it a good choice for someone on a budget.

If not for the shorter warranty, I'd buy all my gear "Refurbished".

Uplander wrote: A buddy who is not a photographer just phoned me asking about getting into photography and was looking at refurbished cameras. He asked when Nikon or Canon sell refurbished cameras, what makes a camera refurbished? I had no idea. Do you know how a camera becomes a refurbished camera?

According to Google:
"Refurbished cameras are gently used, demos, or open-box models that were returned to and checked by the manufacturer by hand, inspected carefully, diagnosed, and calibrated at their repair facility. They could be more dependable than new cameras because they've all been hand checked. Oct 19, 2023."

Hey thank you. I'm going to share with my buddy. Didn't KEH or MPB have a deal going where even refurbished had 12 month warranty?

Uplander wrote: Hey thank you. I'm going to share with my buddy. Didn't KEH or MPB have a deal going where even refurbished had 12 month warranty?

I'm not familiar with their refurbished warrantees, but it's possible. I've only bought one refurbished item, a lens directly from Nikon quite a few years ago - couldn't tell it from new and never a problem. I believe it had a 90 day warrantee.

Now is the time of the year for these deals.  

Oh, the mysterious world of refurbished cameras! It's like giving cameras a second chance at life, where they get to relive their shutter-clicking glory days. So, when your buddy asked what makes a camera 'refurbished,' you can tell him it's a bit like a spa retreat for cameras, but instead of mud baths and massages, they get screws tightened and sensors cleaned.

Basically, when Nikon, Canon, or any other brand sells a refurbished camera, it's like they're saying, "This camera has seen things, been places, but it's ready to go on more adventures." These cameras could be models that were returned by customers, demo units from stores, or ones that had minor defects or dings. They're the camera world's equivalent of a slightly-read novel - a few creases here and there but still a great read!

The refurbishing process is like a makeover session. The camera gets checked out from lens to LCD screen, ensuring everything is in tip-top shape. Any parts that aren't up to snuff get replaced, and the camera goes through rigorous testing to make sure it's as good as new, or at least as close as it can get without actually being new. It's like a reality show transformation, but for cameras.

And the best part? These refurbished cameras usually come with a warranty, so it's like getting the security of a new camera without having to shell out as many bucks. It's a win-win, especially for someone just dipping their toes into the photography pool.

So, when your friend looks at refurbished cameras, he's basically looking at cameras that have been given a second lease on life, ready to capture more smiles, sunsets, and maybe the occasional cat doing something ridiculous. Just remind him to check the warranty and return policies, because even in the camera world, it's nice to have a safety net!

Aren't these sometimes just units that someone opened box and got cold feet and returned?  Meaning nothing is wrong with it.  

Little Kate wrote: Aren't these sometimes just units that someone opened box and got cold feet and returned?  Meaning nothing is wrong with it.  

That is correct, many refurbished items are ones that have been opened up and they can’t sell as ‘new’ any longer.  

I would not hesitate to buy a refurbished camera, if it was refurbished by the camera brand manufacturer service people or one of their factory authorized technical facilities and come with some kind of guarantee. Buying a camera that was serviced and checked by a factory certified technician for that camera brand that also comes with a guarantee tells me that possibly some small problem existed that was discovered very soon after the purchase and it now received a complete check by this certified technician and the little problem was found, fixed, and the camera completely remade to be fully equivalent to new before being sold again. They could even be open box items, but with a complete check by a factory certified technician before being resold with a full or nearly full warranty, but lower price. 

All too often lately the "refurbished" market seems to be from some source that uses the word "refurbished" in their advertising, but in fact they are being quickly checked over by some salesman or back room uncertified technician and then just pushed back on the market at a slightly lower than list price along with little to no warrantee. I avoid these like the plague. You truly get what you pay for if you buy from reputable places who offer warrantees, but not when it comes from one of these other places. You likely will not even be able to find them when you discover a problem with the camera or equipment that you bought from them. 

Charley