Importing Used camera

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Lebseven

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I’m looking to buy my first camera and need advice. I want something reliable that won’t need upgrading for at least 3–5 years.

Entry-level cameras usually cost more in the long run (I made that mistake with my binoculars). I love the bush and wildlife, so I’ll mostly take outdoor stills, not video. To reach the lower midrange level that’ll last me a few years(future proofing), I’ll likely buy a used camera. Options are very limited on the local stores that sell used equipment .As a beginner, I prefer to avoid Gumtree and FB Marketplace.

Would it be a good idea to import a used camera from the U.S. through places like B&H, MPB, or KEH? Can anyone advise on customs, duties, and shipping to South Africa?
Here are some cameras I’m considering:
- Sony a6100
- Sony ZV-E10 (Mk I)
- Canon R7
Any thoughts or suggestions for a good wildlife/outdoor camera that will hold up for a few years.
 
Unless I see something while I'm travelling, I buy my used gear locally these days. Got my R7 from Orms for a great price.

FWIW the R7 has a bit of a rolling shutter problem so, while there are workarounds like switching to manual shutter, it might not be the best choice for fast moving things like birding.
 
garyc said:
You just need to keep an eye on the various local sites since the choice at any time is relatively limited. For example here is the ZV-E10 that you mentioned: https://www.ormsdirect.co.za/products/used-sony-zv-e10-mirrorless-camera-with-16-50mm-lens-s47296

BTW I don't know if the ZV-E10 is the best camera for the use case that you were mentioning, it looks more like a vlogging camera.
Click to expand...
You are quite right about the zv-e10 most of the reviews on YouTube talk about it as being the best entry camera for vlogging,which do you suggest I look at for my application
 
cameraworld.co.za

Cameraworld

We’ve been buying and selling cameras since 1983. Visit our shop in Bellville, Cape Town. The Safest and Quickest way to sell your unwanted Camera Gear.
cameraworld.co.za cameraworld.co.za

Great shop, great service and good prices.
 
Lebseven said:
You are quite right about the zv-e10 most of the reviews on YouTube talk about it as being the best entry camera for vlogging,which do you suggest I look at for my application
Click to expand...
Canon and Nikon seem to be the popular brands for wildlife locally. @bwana may be able to suggest the best Canon gear. Getting the lens right is particularly important if you look at the price of decent telephotos.
 
There you go, since it's Friday.... now give me a beer!

kameraz.com

Used Gear

KAMERAZ buys and sells quality Used Cameras, Camera Gear, Lenses and Accessories. Based in Stonemill Office Park, Johannesburg, we offer in-store and nationwide shipping on second hand camera equipment. All used gear comes with a standard 6 month warranty. We accept Trade-ins.
kameraz.com kameraz.com
www.ormsdirect.co.za

USED GEAR

www.ormsdirect.co.za www.ormsdirect.co.za
www.outdoorphoto.co.za

Buy Second-Hand Cameras & Lenses | Outdoorphoto | South Africa

Shop used camera gear and accessories at Outdoorphoto. Find quality second-hand cameras and lenses from top brands with a 6-month warranty in South Africa.
www.outdoorphoto.co.za www.outdoorphoto.co.za

Facebook

www.facebook.com www.facebook.com

---------------------------------

from what you said, I would just get a nice bridge camera.
your camera selections don't really make sense...

you can't throw the odd Toyota Yaris in amongst some decent Mercs.
 
for some odd reason I can't post a facebook link?

anyway the page is called :

South African Used Camera Equipment
Private group
42.0K members
 
Wrath of Khan MD said:
There you go, since it's Friday.... now give me a beer!

kameraz.com

Used Gear

KAMERAZ buys and sells quality Used Cameras, Camera Gear, Lenses and Accessories. Based in Stonemill Office Park, Johannesburg, we offer in-store and nationwide shipping on second hand camera equipment. All used gear comes with a standard 6 month warranty. We accept Trade-ins.
kameraz.com kameraz.com
www.ormsdirect.co.za

USED GEAR

www.ormsdirect.co.za www.ormsdirect.co.za
www.outdoorphoto.co.za

Buy Second-Hand Cameras & Lenses | Outdoorphoto | South Africa

Shop used camera gear and accessories at Outdoorphoto. Find quality second-hand cameras and lenses from top brands with a 6-month warranty in South Africa.
www.outdoorphoto.co.za www.outdoorphoto.co.za

Facebook

www.facebook.com www.facebook.com

---------------------------------

from what you said, I would just get a nice bridge camera.
your camera selections don't really make sense...

you can't throw the odd Toyota Yaris in amongst some decent Mercs.
Click to expand...
🍺 my selection is based on youtube influencers 😔
 
Lebseven said:
🍺 my selection is based on youtube influencers 😔
Click to expand...

that's fine... it's just the pricing is all over the place
you've got a R10k camera and a R40k camera body in the same group?

I promise there is no perfect camera. Do you want to make videos as well? First it starts with HD 30p then you see 240p, then it'll be 4k30... then 4k60.... then 4k120, 6k, 8k... wait rolling shutter?! :ROFL: it never ends! Wait you want IBIS, change again! 10/10 autofocus change again!

--------------------

First decide on what you want the camera for, you mentioned wildlife so let's use average wildlife let's call it that?

1) wildlife <-- static to a degree or bird flight
2) portrait
3) street photography, vlogging

-----------------

Nikon Z6III = R40,000
Nikon 180-600mm = R35,000
Total = R75,000

Canon EOS R7 = R34,000
Canon 200-800mm = R45,000
Total = R79,000

Fuji X-T5 = R32,000
Fuji 150-600mm = R35,000
Total = R67,000

Sony A7III = R35,000
Sony 200-600mm = R35,000
Total = R70,000

-----------

Sony being the weakest on the list with regards to video. Sony is overpriced, always. And yes at some stage you will like video... in slow motion, then the magic happens...

All have very good IBIS

All will have some degree of rolling shutter, if you worried about that then get the worlds best = Fuji X-H2S and start a movie studio lol.

Best autofocus would be the Nikon, the 180-600mm lens is by far the best in its class hands down.

Best colour science and pure perfect photos out the cameras and ease of literally no editing will be the Fuji...any Fuji, always that's a given.

-----------

Wildlife, go for the Nikon and yes you can get these at least 30% cheaper second hand, you just need to be patient and wait. A camera should be around 30% off the current asking price second hand. Nothing wrong with the second hand market.

-----------

If the above is too much and you're happy with just wildlife and really basic video, no IBIS etc, then please do look at a Canon 5d MKIV or even better the Nikon D850. You can get these cameras with decent low shutter counts for R20,000. Then get a good lens and you would have the best wildlife camera in the world from 8 years ago! Just think about that....
 
Wrath of Khan MD said:
that's fine... it's just the pricing is all over the place
you've got a R10k camera and a R40k camera body in the same group?

I promise there is no perfect camera. Do you want to make videos as well? First it starts with HD 30p then you see 240p, then it'll be 4k30... then 4k60.... then 4k120, 6k, 8k... wait rolling shutter?! :ROFL: it never ends! Wait you want IBIS, change again! 10/10 autofocus change again!

--------------------

First decide on what you want the camera for, you mentioned wildlife so let's use average wildlife let's call it that?

1) wildlife <-- static to a degree or bird flight
2) portrait
3) street photography, vlogging

-----------------

Nikon Z6III = R40,000
Nikon 180-600mm = R35,000
Total = R75,000

Canon EOS R7 = R34,000
Canon 200-800mm = R45,000
Total = R79,000

Fuji X-T5 = R32,000
Fuji 150-600mm = R35,000
Total = R67,000

Sony A7III = R35,000
Sony 200-600mm = R35,000
Total = R70,000

-----------

Sony being the weakest on the list with regards to video. Sony is overpriced, always. And yes at some stage you will like video... in slow motion, then the magic happens...

All have very good IBIS

All will have some degree of rolling shutter, if you worried about that then get the worlds best = Fuji X-H2S and start a movie studio lol.

Best autofocus would be the Nikon, the 180-600mm lens is by far the best in its class hands down.

Best colour science and pure perfect photos out the cameras and ease of literally no editing will be the Fuji...any Fuji, always that's a given.

-----------

Wildlife, go for the Nikon and yes you can get these at least 30% cheaper second hand, you just need to be patient and wait. A camera should be around 30% off the current asking price second hand. Nothing wrong with the second hand market.

-----------

If the above is too much and you're happy with just wildlife and really basic video, no IBIS etc, then please do look at a Canon 5d MKIV or even better the Nikon D850. You can get these cameras with decent low shutter counts for R20,000. Then get a good lens and you would have the best wildlife camera in the world from 8 years ago! Just think about that....
Click to expand...
The last paragraph solves my problems, thank you.
 
Lebseven said:
I’m looking to buy my first camera and need advice. I want something reliable that won’t need upgrading for at least 3–5 years.

Entry-level cameras usually cost more in the long run (I made that mistake with my binoculars). I love the bush and wildlife, so I’ll mostly take outdoor stills, not video. To reach the lower midrange level that’ll last me a few years(future proofing), I’ll likely buy a used camera. Options are very limited on the local stores that sell used equipment .As a beginner, I prefer to avoid Gumtree and FB Marketplace.

Would it be a good idea to import a used camera from the U.S. through places like B&H, MPB, or KEH? Can anyone advise on customs, duties, and shipping to South Africa?
Here are some cameras I’m considering:
- Sony a6100
- Sony ZV-E10 (Mk I)
- Canon R7
Any thoughts or suggestions for a good wildlife/outdoor camera that will hold up for a few years.
Click to expand...

Consider also checking out Japanese stores, whether Amazon Japan or a shopping/forwarding service like Buyee (aka Tenso). You can also buy Amazon Japan stuff not shipping to SA via Buyee.
You can search Japanese second hand market sites like Yahoo Japan auctions (now called J Direct) and Mercari, and stores on Rakuten and 100s of other smaller stores on Buyee via their search engine. They also have frequent discount coupons on their site for a few bucks off. Shipping via DHL is reasonable for items which don't take too much volume. You can consolidate stuff and storage is 30 days.
 
Last edited:
Mirai said:
Consider also checking out Japanese stores, whether Amazon Japan or a shopping/forwarding service like Buyee (aka Tenso). You can also buy Amazon Japan stuff not shipping to SA via Buyee.
You can search Japanese second hand market sites like Yahoo Japan auctions (now called J Direct) and Mercari, and stores on Rakuten and 100s of other smaller stores on Buyee via their search engine. They also have frequent discount coupons on their site for a few bucks off. Shipping via DHL is reasonable for items which don't take too much volume. You can consolidate stuff and storage is 30 days.
Click to expand...
Hmmm plus there are some few Seiko jdms and casio exclusive to Japan
 
Last edited:
airborne said:
How do you search that website in English?
Click to expand...

You put in the model number of your device or the product code, eg 4960759907283 or the Sony SKU: 4548736160828

「Sony ZV-E10」の人気商品一覧 | 安い商品を通販サイトから探す - 価格.com

"Sony ZV-E10"の人気商品をご紹介。価格.comなら今売れている商品やお得な商品を全国のネット通販ショップから探すことができます。価格情報や人気ランキング、商品をおすすめするクチコミ・レビューなど豊富な情報を掲載。"Sony ZV-E10"を比較・検討するなら価格.comへ。
search.kakaku.com search.kakaku.com

Then you find your item and add it to a site like Buyee on "Search on External sites" or a site like Neokyo etc.

You can also search direct on Buyee on "second hand sites" mostly Mercari and J Direct Auctions and J Direct Flea Market.

buyee.jp

【Buyee】Secondhand Sites: ZV-E10M2X Results /【Buyee】 Buyee - Japanese Proxy Service | Buy from Japan!

Search results for ZV-E10M2X on Japanese online shopping sites and auction sites. We currently have a large number of items available. You can easily get Japanese items from overseas.
buyee.jp buyee.jp

or search on new sites:

buyee.jp

【Buyee】Online Proxy Shopping from Japanese Stores | We'll deliver your Rakuten products worldwide

【Buyee】is a proxy purchase service for Japanese online stores | Shop at Rakuten
buyee.jp buyee.jp
or
buyee.jp

Search Results for "ZV-E10M2X" /【Buyee】 Buyee - Japanese Proxy Service | Buy from Japan!

Buyee - Bid on JDirectItems Auction in Real-Time and Shop on Popular Japanese Websites! Buy ZV-E10M2X from Overseas!
buyee.jp buyee.jp

If they say the item is prohibited, it usually means it mentions the word 'battery'. You then have to email them to allow it. They usually allow batteries if they're part of the device.

Some sites like BicCamera require their browser plugin to "add to cart".
 
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