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Technique
Ross
Hoddinott
Ross is one of the UK’s leading
landscape and close-up
photographers. He is a
multi-award winning artist and
the author of several books.
Ross is an Ambassador for
Manfrotto, a Nikon Alumni, a
LEE Filters Master and a
Global Icon for F-stop Gear.
He co-runs Dawn 2 Dusk
Photography and also offers
bespoke 1-2-1 tuition and
workshops. Visit http://www.
rosshoddinott.co.uk.DURING my teens and early twenties, I simply
didn’t have the budget to buy new. As a young,
aspiring pro, all I could afford was used kit and – do
you know what – it never let me down. Most of the
items I bought were like new – boxed with all
original accessories – yet I saved hundreds.
Obviously, today, there are so many places where
you can source used gear: for example eBay,
Facebook Marketplace and Amazon. Most will be
reputable sellers I’m sure, with bargains to be had.
However, it is always best to know your seller.
Speaking personally, I would favour paying a little
extra for the peace of mind of buying from an
established and dedicated camera shop that knows
exactly what they are doing and will be able to offer
sound advice. In the past, I’ve relied on Mifsuds
Photographic (www.mifsuds.com) and MPB (www.
mpb.com/en-uk/). Both have a great reputation for
quality used kit that is clearly and honestly graded
and sold with a three or six-month warranty for
extra reassurance – optics will have been checked
thoroughly for dust and fungus prior to purchase.
My very first macro lens was an old
Sigma 90mm f/2.8 macro, which I
had for my then Minolta Dynax
7000i film camera. But, in
subsequent years – once I had
moved to Nikon – I invested in used
Sigma 105mm and 150mm macros.
They served me well for many years.
Buying second-hand allows
photographers to build their camera
system at an affordable cost. If I ever
needed to buy used again, I wouldn’t hesitate.Sigma 150mm
f/2.8 EX DG
HSM Macro
This lens was a bargain
buy and when I nally
switched to the Nikkor
200mm Micro, I still got
decent money for the
Sigma lens in exchangeThis damselfly close-up
was photographed with
a used Sigma 150mm
macro – a fantastic
lens, with bitingly sharp
optics, that I bought in
mint condition and
used for many years
Nikon D300, 150mm, 1/200sec at
f/16, ISO 200