How to check a mirror camera when buying: advice of a colleague-photographer

About 10 years ago, SLR cameras could be seen only in the hands of professional photographers. Anyone can afford such a device right now. A few people know how to check a mirror camera when buying. What are the main points to pay attention to first?

Housing

Let's start by looking for obvious mechanical damages: scratches, dents and others like them. "Yes, why this is needed, the camera can be ugly, the main thing is to shoot well!" So it is. But only one slight drop can be enough to damage the lens or other important details.

Lens

The next step is how to test a mirror camera when buying, inspect its lens. As a rule, such devices are equipped with a lens with "rings". They are designed to adjust the focus and zoom. Twist them in different directions - the rings should turn easily and do not make creaking and crunchy sounds. To test the lens, you need good lighting. Turn the lens at different angles: chipped, turbidity and scratches can not be seen right away. It is worth looking for as defects in the optical system (for example, condensation accumulated between the lenses), and faults in the mechanics. In particular, during such a check, it is easy to detect damage to the diaphragm blades.

Connectors

Be sure to check the status of all connectors that are equipped with a digital SLR camera. This is the Micro USB connector, and the hole for the memory card, and all the others. On the damaged connector, you can easily notice cracks. In this case, the contact is unreliable, the card or cable will wobble, drop out.

Test shooting

First of all, it is necessary to check the CCD-matrix for the presence of so-called "stuck" pixels. To do this, take a picture by closing the lens with an opaque cover. Keep the photo in the highest quality available in the model. Examine the picture on the computer with a large approximation - so you can easily detect the defects of the CCD-matrix.

Check the mirror camera for any defocus. To do this, remove several items that are at different distances from you, as well as the same object from different distances. For greater accuracy, shoot from any stable surface: so you can get rid of extraneous noise and vibration.

An important test in how to check a SLR camera when buying, will be shooting in low light conditions and macro photography.

In the latter mode, the camera should confidently aim at the object removed by 10-20 cm. If this does not happen, and you know that this mode will be used often enough, you should look for an alternative. Be sure to make sure that the camera focuses well in a room illuminated only by ordinary incandescent lamps.

Try out the flash. Although professional photographers avoid using it, giving priority to natural lighting, one must be prepared for everything. Experiment with the flash in different light conditions. Make several frames, being at different distances from the light source.

I hope this article has helped you learn more about how to check a SLR camera when buying.