Okay, this isn't a hoary old marque loyalty bunfight but an attempt to identify the problems a buyer might find when purchasing a used SLR. Fans of other manufacturers are welcome to join in with brickbats or bouquets.
Nikon: The light seals have perished on all the metal bodied Nikons I've had. Expect to replace them, easy and cheap with a kit from Interslice, but the gummy fallout before you do may have got into some odd places.
Plastic bodied AF Nikons are cheap and generally reliable as are the standard lenses and zooms but Nikon primes are expensive, pricey enough to be a risk buying unseen from auction sites. Plastic body catches are a weak point, some 90s Nikons have them, some don't. Repair isn't cost effective but bodies cheap enough to be disposable.
Shutters can fail on metal and plastic Nikons. FE ones come to my notice but AF Nikons aren't immune.
Canon: I'm a newcomer to Canon but I bought an A-1 with 'the cough'.(thanks for the lowdown Big Yin) a mirror pivot wear noise that gets progressively worse (and embarrassing) until the mechanism fails. The seller has refused to answer emails so I thought I'd do some homework. Of the A-series Canons I enquired about sellers have failed to reply or admitted there's a squeak. This leads me to think mirror wear is endemic on older A series Canons.
Lenses are good value, often supplied with a (failing?) body (perhaps to salve the conscience of the seller!). A definite case of caveat emptor.
This is a personal view, please add your own experiences.
Nikon: The light seals have perished on all the metal bodied Nikons I've had. Expect to replace them, easy and cheap with a kit from Interslice, but the gummy fallout before you do may have got into some odd places.
Plastic bodied AF Nikons are cheap and generally reliable as are the standard lenses and zooms but Nikon primes are expensive, pricey enough to be a risk buying unseen from auction sites. Plastic body catches are a weak point, some 90s Nikons have them, some don't. Repair isn't cost effective but bodies cheap enough to be disposable.
Shutters can fail on metal and plastic Nikons. FE ones come to my notice but AF Nikons aren't immune.
Canon: I'm a newcomer to Canon but I bought an A-1 with 'the cough'.(thanks for the lowdown Big Yin) a mirror pivot wear noise that gets progressively worse (and embarrassing) until the mechanism fails. The seller has refused to answer emails so I thought I'd do some homework. Of the A-series Canons I enquired about sellers have failed to reply or admitted there's a squeak. This leads me to think mirror wear is endemic on older A series Canons.
Lenses are good value, often supplied with a (failing?) body (perhaps to salve the conscience of the seller!). A definite case of caveat emptor.
This is a personal view, please add your own experiences.