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The State of the Used Camera Market

Chris Gampat
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Last updated on 01/30/2025
01/28/2025
5 Mins read
Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Nikon Zf review update product photos Panasonic S9 with 18-40mm star filter 6.31-250s800 1
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Last Updated on 01/30/2025 by Lara Carretero

The camera in the lead image is my personal Nikon Zf. It’s a beauty, right? I got it refurbished on eBay from Map Camera. That’s right, they had a special edition of the Nikon Zf in gray refurbished. That means that I didn’t need to wait for a brand-new camera to be made for me; I got it cheaper. Because it’s refurbished, it went through stricter quality control checks. More importantly, it came from a reputable seller. It’s been tempting two of my very good friends who are photographers; and both of them have been considering getting a camera used instead of brand new. That’s the thing: on the used camera market, you can get older full-frame cameras at a solid price so you don’t need to bother with smaller frame options. This is the state of things right now.

That’s the thing: no one cares about the resale value of their cameras until they’re ready to upgrade. But the truth is that it’s a very important factor. Canon, certain Fujifilm cameras, and Leica cameras all tend to hold their value. Sony, on the other hand, never really does. The same goes for Panasonic Lumix, OM System, some Nikon bodies, etc.

By all means, the used camera market is a buyer’s market. And the tech is so good in used full-frame cameras now that photographers who don’t care any bit about video don’t need to buy APS-C cameras and make the compromise. Of course, small sensor compact cameras are fine.

Two Canon EOS 5D Mark III cameras with attached lenses sit side by side on a dark, padded surface. Both cameras have neck straps, and one is connected with a carabiner clip. The image is in black and white.
Two Canon EOS 5D Mark III cameras with attached lenses sit side by side on a dark, padded surface. Both cameras have neck straps, and one is connected with a carabiner clip. The image is in black and white.

More importantly, Gen Alpha and Gen Z as well as those thinking like them are buying DSLRs. I’ve seen this several times in my personal experiences but also saw it with one particular young man who emailed me. A young man still in high school named Ian Lewona emailed me a while back telling me that he wanted to get the Canon 5D Mk II. This is the camera that I bought when my career in journalism really took off; so I was curious to know why this young man wanted it. “I currently have an 80D which is good enough for a fast action camera, and I wanted to get something for portraiture or other still subjects that still has the old school canon color science,” Ian told me via an email. “I read your article about the 5dm2, and after doing a blind test between my 80D and a Nikon Z6 mark II at my school, I also want to get a 5dm2 to get those unique colors. I also am thinking of getting into analog photography, but I’m honestly scared to do it, so I figured maybe getting a 15+ year old DSLR might help me slow down and make photography less of a run and gun thing.” He continued to state that he wanted to upgrade to a full-frame camera.

Truly, we’re now at a point where anyone that wants to get into photography should just go for a used full-frame mirrorless camera. And I really stand by that statement — the Canon EOS R, EOS R6, Sony a7r IV, and Nikon z7 II are all good values for what they are.

My buddy really wants a Nikon Z8 — but because of other complications in life, he can’t justify purchasing it. He wants more megapixels for sure and he loved using the Nikon Zf. So I’m recommending the Nikon Z7 II to him, and we’re seeing it online for around $1,200 or so. With the firmware updates, it’s been able to hold its own to the older Nikon D850. If you think that this isn’t saying something, consider that the D850 is arguably the last great DSLR for full-frame that was made.

Sure, it’s the photographer who makes the images first and foremost. And this, if anything, is one of the strongest arguments for not needing to buy a new camera. The used camera market is doing very well right now — and if tariffs come here in the US, then prices are bound to go up. So why not get a used camera?

More importantly, the tech hasn’t gotten all that much better.

I’m ending this article with photos from our archives that I shot with the Canon 5D Mk II years ago. You can see that it held its value.

A person with short dark hair and facial hair looks slightly upward. They are wearing a checkered shirt. The background is a blurred neutral tone.
A person with short dark hair and facial hair looks slightly upward. They are wearing a checkered shirt. The background is a blurred neutral tone.
A person with short, curly hair is standing against a textured beige wall. They are wearing a brown shirt and have their arms crossed, looking directly at the camera.
A person with short, curly hair is standing against a textured beige wall. They are wearing a brown shirt and have their arms crossed, looking directly at the camera.
A person with a beard is looking upward. They are wearing a plaid short-sleeve shirt and standing against a plain dark background. Their hands are resting at their sides.
A person with a beard is looking upward. They are wearing a plaid short-sleeve shirt and standing against a plain dark background. Their hands are resting at their sides.
A man with short dark hair and a beard is smiling at the camera. He is wearing a black shirt over a blue T-shirt. He is sitting in front of a brick wall with black metal railing.
A man with short dark hair and a beard is smiling at the camera. He is wearing a black shirt over a blue T-shirt. He is sitting in front of a brick wall with black metal railing.
A person with long brown hair and a beard wearing glasses. The background is blurred with soft lighting.
A person with long brown hair and a beard wearing glasses. The background is blurred with soft lighting.
A bearded strobist stands on a paved path in a park, wearing a black beanie, leather jacket, and plaid shirt. Trees and light snow are in the background, with a row of benches on the right. The sun sets behind buildings, casting a warm glow perfect for creative photography.
A bearded strobist stands on a paved path in a park, wearing a black beanie, leather jacket, and plaid shirt. Trees and light snow are in the background, with a row of benches on the right. The sun sets behind buildings, casting a warm glow perfect for creative photography.
A person dressed in a pirate-themed costume walks on a boardwalk, holding a black flag with a skull and crossbones. Another person in a green costume gestures in the background. Spectators line the boardwalk behind a metal barricade.
A person dressed in a pirate-themed costume walks on a boardwalk, holding a black flag with a skull and crossbones. Another person in a green costume gestures in the background. Spectators line the boardwalk behind a metal barricade.
Two people dressed in mermaid costumes participate in a parade under a clear blue sky. The person in the foreground, shirtless and wearing a seashell crown, smiles. The person behind has blue hair and a shimmering outfit. Bubbles float in the air.
Two people dressed in mermaid costumes participate in a parade under a clear blue sky. The person in the foreground, shirtless and wearing a seashell crown, smiles. The person behind has blue hair and a shimmering outfit. Bubbles float in the air.
Person standing on a boardwalk in a mermaid costume, featuring a shell bra and a blue sequined tail. The background includes signs and people, with the sun shining brightly.
Person standing on a boardwalk in a mermaid costume, featuring a shell bra and a blue sequined tail. The background includes signs and people, with the sun shining brightly.
People in colorful, eclectic costumes walk along a boardwalk. The person in the foreground wears a black top, red accessories, and holds a red and purple cone. A gift shop is visible in the background.
People in colorful, eclectic costumes walk along a boardwalk. The person in the foreground wears a black top, red accessories, and holds a red and purple cone. A gift shop is visible in the background.
Two individuals pose near a chain-link fence. One has purple hair, metallic body paint, and a creative outfit. The other has body paint with a red and green design. They are on a boardwalk with a beach and crowd in the background.
Two individuals pose near a chain-link fence. One has purple hair, metallic body paint, and a creative outfit. The other has body paint with a red and green design. They are on a boardwalk with a beach and crowd in the background.
A person in a sailor-themed outfit and large white sunglasses stands on a crowded boardwalk. They are smiling with hands on hips. The background shows people and signage for Pio Pio Riko and Dons Snack Bar.
A person in a sailor-themed outfit and large white sunglasses stands on a crowded boardwalk. They are smiling with hands on hips. The background shows people and signage for Pio Pio Riko and Dons Snack Bar.

Cameras canon fujifilm full-frame leica nikon panasonic sony used used camera market
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Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.
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