Buying Canon DSLR Refurbished?

[amanne]

Hello all -

New to the forum and new to DSLR photography. I've been lurking around this thread for a few months now trying to learn about DSLRs before I make a purchase. I've finally decided on the Canon T3i. Personally I'm not looking to become a professional photographer, the pictures are for my own use (traveling, family, memories, etc.).

I've been shopping around and it seems like Amazon has the lowest price for the T3i kit. A friend of mine recommended that I try to see if Canon sells refurbished DSLRs and sure enough I found a refurbished T3i on there website. I was having trouble finding information on the warranty for a refurbished Canon which worried me a bit.

Here's my question - I've never purchased any electronics refurbished. Anyone out there an owner of a refurbished DSLR? Pros/Cons?

[NathanFranke]

Refurbished should technically be absolutely no different from a brand new camera. As long as you're buying from a reputable dealer (Canon should qualify), then it should be ok. They ought to have a customer service number/email that you can contact re: the warranty situation.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by amanne

... A friend of mine recommended that I try to see if Canon sells refurbished DSLRs and sure enough I found a refurbished T3i on there website. I was having trouble finding information on the warranty for a refurbished Canon which worried me a bit.

Refurbished items are warrantied by Canon for 90 days, rather than the standard 1 year warranty you get with new gear. From their webpage (italics mine):

Product Warranty Information
Canon U.S.A offers a one year limited warranty on the purchase of any new hardware item and a 90 day limited warranty on the purchase of any refurbished hardware item. The Product is warranted against defects in materials and workmanship under normal use. For more details on our warranty offering, please download the Canon USA Limited Warranty PDF document.

OTOH, you know the refurbished item have been tested/inspected by Canon Service, which is not the case with a new camera.

A lot of the refurbished items are simply cameras that cannot be sold as new [damaged packaging, open box models, etc.] and were shipped back to Canon by the retailer, but are, for all intents and purposes, new. Some of them, however, really are used-and-repaired models, so there is a bit of a risk involved.

Both of my Canon bodies, the 50D and 5D mark II were purchased through the Canon Loyalty Program (which gives you a further discount for trading in an out-of-warranty Canon camera) as refurbished bodies, and I've owned both for over a year, without any problems, and both came with less than 100 shutter actuations when I tested them, so in my case, it was worth the gamble, but everybody's tolerance of risk is different.

[taschrief]

I bought a refurbished 450D (XSi) and a refurbished 60D from Canon online store. Never had a problem with either. I put over 10,000 clicks on the XSi before selling it to get the 60D. My next body will be a Canon refurb, also.

[myleen]

I want to next month thanks for the info

[amanne]

Thank you all for the helpful information!