Considering purchasing a Elan 7/7e from ebay.

[steve_munoz]

I have looked through ebay and seen several mint or excellent

condition 7/7e going for about $150. I also saw a kit that came

with a 7e, a 28-105 3.5-4.5 lens, the vertical grip battery pack, UV

filter for the lens, and a new set of batteries for $305. Since I

wish to start to learn photography, and I will be going on a trip to

colorado soon, I want a camera that will let me learn as a newbie,

and still be usuable (let me grow as a photographer) once i gain

more experience.

I know everyone is going to tell me to go to KEH.com, but the

pricing there isnt much lower than buying a new 7n, usually only

about $40 less. I know its less of a chance than ebay, but going

with a seller on ebay with a good reputation and a good return

policy would work I think. Ive also seen alot of lenses that are a

good price on ebay aswell.

 

Just looking for any thoughts on this matter.

[randy_almquist]

i buy and sell on ebay and i can tell you that yes you can get a good deal on used camera equipment. you must buy from someone with near perfect or perfect feedback. i prefer to buy from individuals(its easy to tell who they are) with great feedback ratings because you can usually trust them to be honest.read feedback of prospective sellers especially any neg. email with questions well before auction closes so you have time to get q's answered, and be patient and wait for a good deal from a good dealer! good luck. p.s. im from colorado, enjoy your trip!

[adam3]

I mentioned KEH, but yes ebay is actually probably where I'd buy from next. My most recent purchase was a 28mm f/2.8 lens for under $100, in great condition. It works perfect. KEH price? Around $150 for one in the same condition.

 

Sounds like you are on the right track to me.

[steve_munoz]

Well i seem to be in abit of a pickle, and was hoping someone with a little more experience could help me out. I think the bulk of what i will want to be shooting is scenery/landscapes. I dont know whether to buy a 50mm 1.8, a 28-105mm 3.5-4.5, and a 100-300mm 4.5-5.6 or getting a 28mm 2.8, a 50 1.8, and a (85 1.8 or 135mm 2.8 sf). Since I will be mostly shooting landscapes, and most likely, indoor/oudoor family events, which do you think the better 3 lens combo would be.

[PuppyDigs]

"I have looked through ebay and seen several mint or excellent condition 7/7e going for about $150."

 

The final bid price was only $150? That's a steal if you can really get it. Normally, they finish higher if mint. I've noticed end of summer bids tend to be lower than spring bids, so now is a goof time to buy.

 

Incidentally, KEH is higher for used gear but they're extremely consistent about grading accuracy and stand behind their products. Ebay grading is usually loose and as a goose and sold "as is."

[digitalirony]

In my very humble opinion if you are going to be shooting landscapes then you would be better off with the 28mm 2.8, a 50 1.8, and a 7x-300 zoom.

 

My reasoning is that for family events you are not likely to need a longish lens and therefor buting a decent one for outdoors like the sigma 70-300 APO Macro Super II would be cheap but give you good results. Also the distortion on the wide end on the 28-xxx zoom would annoy you before long, I know mine does. The 50mm 1.8 or 50mm 1.4 would be an excellent lens for indoor family stuff in larger rooms and is worth having in your bag for zillions of reasons.

 

The only other lens I might recommend you consider that you could use for both indoor and landscape photos would be a 35 f2.0 but you didn't ask about that one.

 

Good luck and enjoy your photography.

[y._liu]

I just sold one (7E) and was a little disappointed in the sale price. I got it off CL as a backup to my EOS 5 since the command dial broke, but since fixed the command dial and decided to get a Leica M instead so I had no use for it. Never shot with it-- just one step under like new and went for 185 (I paid 200). I have to agree that August is not a good time for sellers. On the flip side, I got some good deals on lenses so it's a wash. I'll just have to remember to time it a little better. But, buy now. Just watch all the auctions and mark it on your calendar (set an alarm on your phone or something). You'll get a good deal if you're patient because closing prices fluctuate a lot depending on interest and sometimes luck in your timing.

[citizensmith1664875108]

Yeah $150 does seem a bit low. I sold my 7e last month and it went for $240 which seemed around average. That did include box, manual, strap, spare batteries, and 10ish rolls of film though.

 

ebay is great though. I bought a 100 f/2 for $295 about a year ago, and just sold it for $340.

[peter_kim2]

I am thinking about selling my Elan 7e...Although I cant understand how anyone would sell it for $150.

 

Ummm if you want to make me an offer I can garuntee the condition of the camera. I have a mint 7e with 50mm 1.8 and 28-105 3.5 lens...And when I say mint I dont mean a little beat up like what it usually means on ebay.

 

PS sorry if this isnt the appropriate place to post but I was responding to the poster.

[ribook]

Steve,</p>In response to your original question, the 7/7e is a wonderful camera and will more than fulfill your needs/wishes for a starter that will provide you with lots of room to grow. I won't address the question of where you should buy it because the choices are clear as are the benefits/risks associated with each one.</p>As far as lenses go, I'd recommend that you take a look at the 28-135mm IS lens from Canon. Initially, I would expect this to be wide enough for your landscape photography, and it also provides you with the versatility of a moderately wide to moderately telephoto range. This is a fairly high-quality zoom at the consumer level. And the 50mm 1.8 is, as many will tell you, a no-brainer--cheap, fast, sharp, small, etc. </p>Good luck. --Russ

[awindsor]

The 28-105/3.5 - 4.5 is actually a very decent mid-range zoom. It would do fine for

a first lens including landscapes. You should budget for a tripod since when

photographing landscapes you normally stop down. I use ISO 50 and 100 slide films

for most of my landscape shots to get minimum grain. The result is slow shutter

speeds. Since you can normally stop down to f8-f11 landscape work is actually less

demanding on the lens than you might imagine. The biggest problem with the lens is

apparently barrel distortion (hey my 17-40 shows barrel distortion as does my 28-

135- both well regarded lenses). This is a problem for architectural shoots but unless

it is huge (such as obtains from cheap wide angle converters) it is unlikely to affect

pictures of nature and people. If you plan on photographing many brick walls you will

not be happy with this lens. You should also budget for a lens hood if it doesn't come

with one.

 

I have had success bidding on ebay. I follow Bob Atkin's advice. I call the seller up on

a landline and have a chat. Once I met the seller and we exchanged goods and cash

face to face. In the end I have had no problems.

 

Hope that helps.

[christopher_bibbs]

I wanted to check these prices myself. KEH is selling a "Like New Minux" 7 for $254 and 7E for $275. A quick scan on eBay and the 7e that last closed went for $238. The first 7 is listed at $150, but the seller only has a feedback of 3. The next 7 has nearly two days left and is already at $156. I seriously doubt you'll be able to pick one up for $150, but even at $200 you'll save a few bucks. Good luck to you.

[melissa_eiselein]

My turn to throw in my thoughts....

<br>eBay *can* be a great place to pick up items at a good price. But you MUST be careful!

<p>1) Check the shipping price AND read every word in the ad before making a bid to make sure you are getting what you think you're getting at the price you think you're paying.

<p>2) Before making your bid, check the seller's feedback. If he/she doesn't have 97-100% good feedback, then consider passing up the "deal". If the feedback isn't perfect, check the reasons he/she got negative feedback. Maybe it was left in retaliation by someone who first received a negative for being a non-paying bidder--or maybe it was deserved.

<p>3) Look through his/her past auctions and try to figure out what he/she has been selling. Does he have 30 positive feedbacks for selling 30 $2 baseball cards before listing a $200 camera? If so, it may (or may not) be a scam in the making.

<p>4) Don't rely on a return policy from an eBay seller. It will be more headache than it's worth...that is, if you can get the seller to honor his/her policy.

 

<p>I have had some great deals on eBay. I bought several lenses, some filters, scrapbook items, some affordable jewelry and an Elan II camera (which you might consider if you want something good but a little less cost than an Elan 7/7e.

 

<p>But ALWAYS check the used prices on B&H or KEH first! I'd pay 5 to 10 percent more to get an item through B&H Photo that I know is reliable. I've seen some people bid higher on eBay than they could have paid new on B&H.

 

<p>Speaking of B&H...there are several Elan II cameras in #9 condition for $195 and a couple Elan IIe camera in #9 condition for $219.

 

<p>As for your lenses...it really depends on what and how you shoot. If you don't mind "zooming" with your feet, you can get some nice, fast "prime" lenses (24mm, 28mm, 50mm, 8Omm, 100mm, etc) at a much cheaper price than a zoom...and MUCH cheaper than a fast zoom.

 

<p>I'm a lazy photographer who likes to shoot photojournal style. (find a candid shot, zoom in and click before the shot is lost) I also learned that I needed a fast zoom for some of my shots to blur the background. (fast+zoom=BIG BUCKS)

<p>One of my favorite all-around outdoor lenses, perfect for vacations, is the 28-135IS. It's not cheap for a slow, consumer zoom, but it sure is handy. The focal range is great, the quality is good and while it's not fast, it can hand-held in slightly slower conditions than better than non IS lenses in it's class. Down side is that it's $400 new but, in my opinon, worth it. (you'll need the hood, which must be purchased separately)

<p>The 28-105 is about the same quality as the 28-135 without the IS and without the added reach. I had both and prefer the 28-135, but some people prefer the 28-105 because it's lighter.

<p>Finally, just for good measure, I'd recommend the 50mm f/1.8 in addition to whatever lens you get. It's cheap. It's sharp. It's fast. Combined with feet zooming, you can get some great shots that you can't get with a slow lens. In fact, if you are looking to start out really cheap, you might chose this as your first lens. Use it, use it, use it...then decide if you need longer, wider or can work with a slower f/stop. By doing this, you might save yourself a lot of money by not purchasing something that won't work for your needs.

[panos_voudouris]

I buy and sell on ebay quite a bit. I just make sure that the guy has 100% feedback and it is an actual person, not some kind of rip-off shop. At least you always have the address and can go and find them if the amount of money you paid is large enough.

 

The 7E is an excellent machine. I have one (upgraded from the rebel 2000). A friend also bought one for ?170 (about $200-220 I guess) from ebay lately and it works fine. As for lenses, I had the 28/2.8, 50/1.8 and 135sf ones and was very happy. I ended up selling the 28 to finance a 17-35 though (I love the super-wide angle view at 20mm) and the 50/1.8 just went to make room for a 50/1.4. The only reason being that the 1.4 is faster for low light which is what I want it for. As for the 135sf I just cannot stress how good it is! It is fantastic for portraits and as a short travel tele. The only reason I would sell it is if I had the (BIG) money for the 135/2L.

 

The zoom is a good choice (apparently, never had that one) and will be good to learn which focal lengths you like. And you can always sell it if you don't want it.

 

The grip, I had it for a coupld of months but the weight and size was not something I liked. It was very nice for vertical format photography but the weight/size disadvantages outweighed the advantage (vertical grip). Especially with lenses like the 28 and 50 that are tiny and light.