How to check the quality of the camera before buying

On the quality of the camera depends on the life of the device and the pleasure of seeing the photos and videos obtained with it. Not always novice photographers can buy a decent technique, so it is important to learn the basics of checking the camera when buying.

How and what to check

In the store, when you buy a camera, you need to pay attention to the following important points.

1. Warranty. This point is important when buying a new device. Warranty may be provided by the manufacturer. Technique brands Nikon, Canon, Sony is usually offered with an official guarantee, attached warranty card with a list of service centers of the manufacturer. Warranty can provide and trade organization.The difference is that the equipment with the official guarantee is more expensive, and its repair is carried out in the branded service centers. Under the guarantee of the seller, repair is provided in the service centers of the trade organization: DNS, M. Video and other large networks.
2. Visual inspection. You should carefully inspect the box itself so that there are no jams or other signs that the package has been dropped or opened. Next, you should carefully inspect the case of the device and accessories: they should be in hermetically sealed packages without traces of opening. If you have any doubts, you can ask the sales assistant to take out another packaged copy. You need to check the camera for visible defects. If you find scratches on the case or cracks visible in the lumen, hairs and darkening, then it is better to refuse to purchase such equipment.
3. Tripping mechanisms and buttons. You will need to fix the lens, insert the battery and memory card. During assembly, it is necessary to evaluate the ease of opening and the quality of the mountings of the lens and the caps. It is desirable to evaluate the performance and speed of response of all buttons.You can take several shots in automatic and serial modes to evaluate the performance of the shutter and flash, the overall quality of the shooting.

The listed items are not enough to assess the quality of semi-and professional photographic equipment. For complete clarity, you need to check the matrix of the camera for broken and hot pixels. This is one of the key points in checking the purchased device.

How to check the quality of the matrix

Broken and hot pixels are a hidden defect, and it is often found on relatively inexpensive devices supplied to the Russian market using gray schemes. And even if the seller provides his guarantee, it is far from a fact that all units of the goods are of high quality.

Under the broken and hot pixels, you should understand the faulty parts of the matrix. On photos from the device in any modes, broken pixels appear bright dots. Hot pixels in the photo appear as colored dots and will be noticeable when shooting with a long exposure.

If there are many such points, there is a high probability that the life of the camera will not be long, since a large percentage of insensitive pixels leads to the destruction of the matrix that determines the resource of the mirror camera.

The verification steps are as follows:

• broken and hot will be well visible on black backgroundAnd in order to make several frames on a black background, you need to cover the lens with a cap;
• disable autofocus mode;
• set the minimum iso value (usually 100) and the maximum resolution;
• Take a few shots with different exposures - short, medium and long (1/30, 1/60 and 3 seconds).

After that, carefully review the resulting images. If you notice in the pictures more than 5 colored or bright dots, refrain from buying this item. You can ask the seller to show another camera.

Check focus accuracy

An equally important point when choosing a SLR camera is to check the correct operation of the autofocus mode. To immediately get a decent optics, you should definitely check how accurately the device is adjusted.

From the manufacturers' point of view, small deviations of the focus (front focus or back focus) are not considered a fatal defect. In the service center, if necessary, eliminate this problem.

But it is much better to check the device for the accuracy of focusing, so that after the purchase it will not solve this problem. The testing steps are as follows.

1. On the assembled device, you need to enable the mode that allows you to see on the display the image formed by the matrix. So you can first assess the clarity of future frames.
2. Better yet, take a few pictures and view them. on the screen of a tablet or laptop (you can take with you). Sellers, as a rule, do not refuse to help buyers.
3. To check the clarity of the autofocus operation can be removed desktop or wall calendar. Shooting should be carried out at different angles up to 45 º. Pictures will help identify the accuracy or inaccuracy of the focus. The date on which the center of the frame falls must be clear; if this is not the case, it is better to abandon the acquisition of this instance.

How to evaluate shutter wear (mileage)

When buying a camera, usedIn addition to external visual inspection of the integrity of the parts, checking the work of the mechanics, focusing and the matrix on broken pixels, it is important to know the mileage of the camera.

The term mileage should be understood as the number of frames taken with the device. High mileage - is one of the main indicators of wear technology.

How intensively exploited the camera, the seller can only say approximately.But it is important not only to trust, but also to be able to check. After all, unscrupulous sellers can offer copies of restored after use to a subspecies of new technology. Each camera is equipped with a shutter that opens and closes at the time of shooting. Initially, this mechanism is endowed by the manufacturer. limited resource and as wear is subject to replacement. The cost of this repair costs around $ 200.

Shutter Count Viewer

You can determine the number of shutter releases with the help of specialized software.. The Camera Shutter Count program, for example, or its other analogues, reads a recorded digit of JPEG or RAW formats, finds the service information and displays it in a readable form on a computer screen. So you can determine the serial number and mileage of the camera. You can find the program and instructions for it with the support of the model you are interested in on thematic sites by photo.