Amateur Photographer - UK (2020-08-22)

http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk

SCORING WITH SECONDHAND Technique

MPB

● http://www.mpb.com ● 0330 808 3271

Park Cameras

● http://www.parkcameras.com ● 01444 237070

What’s been changing as a result of the virus and

how is it affecting customers?

As well as offering great prices, we have speeded up

and improved the collection and delivery process

because of the developments this year. We used to

offer free collection for any used gear over £1,000 but

it’s now anything over £350 and we may reduce this

even further. Of course, people are very welcome to

come into our stores, all that’s changed is how we

interact with customers. So store staff always have a

fresh pair of gloves, there is lots of anti-bacterial

products around and so on. We would recommend

that people clean their gear before bringing it in too,

just to make the experience a bit more comfortable

for everyone. We keep used gear for 72 hours before

putting it on sale, as an extra precaution.

What kind of used gear is selling well at the moment

when you buy it in?

There aren’t many close-up and macro lenses on the

market so when they do come in, they tend to go out

the door quickly. The demand for Sony E mount bodies

and lenses has also been insane and again, both new

and used gear tends to go out the door quickly. So

because we need a steady turnover of these items

coming in, we offer good prices. A lot of it comes down

to what is popular at the moment. With the Canon

EOS R5 or R6 out, now is a perfect time to get a great

price for used EF lenses. We’re also seeing a lot of

people with EOS Rs, 5D Mark IV and Mark IIIs

contacting us trying to get the best price in order to

upgrade to the EOS R5 – so move fast!

Have you seen a lot of Olympus owners trying to sell

or trade in their gear following the recent news?

A few owners have raised concerns but Olympus has

launched new products since the recent news. There

are still lots of reasons to buy Olympus.

Why shouldn’t sellers just go on eBay or Gumtree?

We take away all the hassle with fair pricing, a rapid

service and trade-in available for newer models,

sometimes with trade-in bonuses. Our customers can

get the quote from our website, have the goods

collected free of charge and we aim to have it all

turned around in 72 hours. We won’t reduce the quote

if the gear is as described and once the goods are

with us, there is no obligation. We will send them back

free of charge.

Exclusive reader offer: get an extra 5% on your

trade-in by quoting AP-PARK-USED

What kind of used gear is really in
demand at the moment?
Canon remains top of the pile but we’re
seeing an increase in Sony and Fuji lm
users over the last 12 months. Recently
with many people restricted over the
lockdown, we have seen a spike in
macro equipment, but the bestselling
camera and lens combination remains
the Canon EOS 5D Mark III and
24-105mm f/4 L lens – a classic combo
to suit a range of scenarios.

What are the biggest issues and
problems you see that reduce the
potential value of sent-in kit?
Some repeat reasons we see for
potential adjustments are high shutter
counts not taken into account, dead
batteries, scratches to glass on lenses
and misquoted models – for example
customers misquoting their Canon
50mm f/1.8 II as the Mark I.

Are there any real deal-breakers, e.g.
fungus inside the camera body or lens?
How would a seller go about checking
for this before trying to sell their gear
to MPB?
If you’ve got fungus, unfortunately there
isn’t much that can be done if it is
serious. The best advice is to be
careful with storage, don’t leave your
gear in a damp corner of your house.
Also if it’s sitting on a shelf and you’re
not using it just move it on as it will
generally depreciate or attract the
dreaded fungus.

Will having the original boxes/
packaging and body caps or lens caps
help push up the price you offer for
used gear?
A lack of caps and boxes won’t typically
affect the price we offer, unless they are
very speci c telephoto/ sheye/cine
lenses. We do value the important

accessories such as tripod collars,

carry cases, lens hoods, and these

are re ected in the prices on our site,

and quotes.

How much of a problem are scratches

and the occasional minor dent on

camera bodies or lens bodies?

Scratches to paintwork won’t meet our

‘Like New’ rating, but can still fall within

our Excellent/Good condition grades,

and it’s the same with minor dents.

Larger dents can indicate a signi cant

impact and so are more likely to be

downgraded. Do make sure to look after

your lens as signi cant marks will be

unattractive to other buyers – a cheap

 lter is a good way to protect your lens.

It is however, worth pointing out that we

will buy across all conditions. We will

still happily buy a very well-used

sports lens, but we just ensure it is

graded correctly so the buyer knows

what they are getting.

Should sellers get their camera sensors

cleaned or lenses calibrated before

sending on to you, in order to get the

best price?

Our product specialists can take care of

cleaning sensors but do take great care

of your camera’s sensor as any

irremovable marks will have a signi cant

impact on the quote. As many lenses

are calibrated, or  ne-tuned, to a speci c

camera, it doesn’t have much of an

impact with us. You’d be better off

spending the money getting any ‘new’

used lens you buy calibrated to your

existing kit.

What is the most valuable camera body

or lens you have ever been sent?

We’ve recently had a couple of the

mighty Arri Alexa Large Format camera

bodies but the cream of the crop has

to be the Canon EF 1200mm lens.

Fewer than 100 of these were ever

made and our team went all the way to

Korea to pick it up!

Any other tips?

Safely storing your gear is key. As

mentioned before, simple things like

protective  lters, such as UV or

polariser, and quality bags help to

maintain the value of your gear. One hot

tip is to put silica gels with your stored

equipment – they will suck up any

moisture before getting to your lens.