What exactly is a "refurbished" camera?

The closest thing I can think of to refurbished would be a certified used car. It could have had problems in the past, the problems have all been reviewed/resloved by a more in-depth process than buying pure used, and based on the review they are willing to warrant the product will work. In this situation, Canon is offering a 1 year warranty.

"Refurbished" means returned to the manufacturer (if it is identified as a manufacturer-refurbished product) for whatever reason. These are items that cannot be sold as "new."

I've bought some refurbished electronics without any problems, but not a camera. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Canon-refurbished item. Others on this forum have bought refurbished Canon bodies (not 6Ds) and I don't recall any complaints being reported. You could do a forum search on this.

I've never heard refurbished equipment coming with any explanation for why the item was refurbished. A one-year manufacturer warranty should cover any latent defects that might appear subsequently. I've had a camera repaired under warranty by Canon, and the repair was a good one that has lasted to his day.

Yes, as others have said, the camera was returned to the manufacturer. You will never know why if you buy one. Many (I think most) times the camera was never purchased but returned from distribution because a problem was uncovered by quality control. So it was returned, opened and repaired without ever leaving Japan. Basically it is brand new.

I recently bought a refurb 5D MK lll. It was not focusing on anything. Canon gave me the option to return it or get a replacement. I had 15 days when I bought it to check it all out. It comes with 1 year warranty.

Most of the time they are customer returns. Somebody's wife finds out about the purchase, or they discover they really have to pay the rent, or they find out the new camera doesn't turn them into Ansel Adams like they thought it would, or they just needed a second camera as a backup and didn't want to rent one...

I heard lots of folks happy buying refurbs. A few have problems but for most it is a pretty good deal, especially if you can find one using the Canon Loyalty Program, which gives you an additional discount.

They charge sales tax, so you have to consider that. It used to be that the warranty was shorter, but they changed that so it is now 1 year. There is a 15 day return period, so if the shutter count is too high or there are other problems, you can back out of the deal.
--
- Bill

Bought by someone else -> Got broken -> Fixed -> Re-sold by manufacturer or distributor.

Sometimes these get get fixed by sending to the manufacturing factory or main repair centre, often they get fixed in store / distribution centre.

Usually these are in perfect working conditions, however cameras like that might have some signs of wear inside.

rstone said:

Basically it is brand new.

Click to expand...

I bought a refurbed 40D that was actually brand new. QC does not touch every camera. If a camera goes in to be refurbished the camera is completely checked out and fixed by Canon technicians. The same can't be said for every new camera. I would only go through an authorized Canon dealer though. I think getting a refurbed camera is a good way to save a few dollars.

.

Plastek said:

Bought by someone else -> Got broken -> Fixed -> Re-sold by manufacturer or distributor.

Sometimes these get get fixed by sending to the manufacturing factory or main repair centre, often they get fixed in store / distribution centre.

Usually these are in perfect working conditions, however cameras like that might have some signs of wear inside.

Click to expand...

I think most often the "got broken/fixed" part doesn't even happen. They are mainly just returns with non zero shutter counts so they can't be passed off as new.

Some are repair jobs though.
--
- Bill

I've bought a couple Canon refurb bodies, most recently a 7D for $950. In both cases they appeared as new and were most likely returns. Neither has shown any problems.

Can also mean it was overstocked units returned by merchant to Canon. Never opened - but have to be counted in the 'refurbished' category. I spoke at length with a Canon rep on this topic and that led me to purchase a 7D refurb at significant discount 3 years ago and has never failed me.

I wish I could participate in this topic by knowing and telling the answer but I don't therefore I can't. I can be helpful by sharing my experiences with refurbed equipment.

My 5D3 was refurbished and along with Canon's Loyalty Program which alllows a decent trade-in for the rotting corpse of an old dead DSLR I had laying around, I am really happy about the ultimate price price I paid. $2375. The refurbished camera came with a 1 year warranty which I reasoned would be enough time to ferret out any intermittent malfunctions in an obscure corner of the camera. It could be argued that essentially, a refurb is a camera or lens going through a 2nd round of quality control checks, this time, by an actual human being.

In the past, I've purchased several refurbished lenses. The resale of such lenses can be more difficult as potential buyers may take pause at the news that the lens was a refurb. Usually, when I sell a lens, I am not desparate to make the sell. Someone always comes along that understands that a refurb is mechanically the same as a new lens if not actually functioning at a higher level than a new lens because a human took a 2nd look at it. The reason why I have purchased just several refurbed lenses is because the lenses I am usually interested in are too new in the market to be on a refurb list. I'd buy "all refurbed" if they were available when I wanted to purchase.

A refurbed 6D quoted on DPR for $1200

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/52421552

http://www.canonpricewatch.com/canon-refurb-stock-tracker/

This apparently requires a coupon code (ZOMBIE2143) which I just used to purchase the 6D. I guess I am replacing my 5D2 sooner than I thought.

Unfortunately, this coupon code does not work with the 5D3.

mistermejia said:

I have seen this 6d refurbished deal going around. What exactly is refurbished mean? Does canon tell you what "was" previously wrong with the camera and do they tell you what they did to the refurbished camera that you will be getting?

What if the camera is intermittent and when nikon tested it they didn't find anything and they resell it to you? Has anybody ever ended up with a bad "refurbished" camera?

Click to expand...

I would buy one of these cams if budget matters .

rstone said:

Yes, as others have said, the camera was returned to the manufacturer. You will never know why if you buy one. Many (I think most) times the camera was never purchased but returned from distribution because a problem was uncovered by quality control. So it was returned, opened and repaired without ever leaving Japan. Basically it is brand new.

Click to expand...

This is only the case for cameras sold in Japan. It is not economic for Canon to export refurbished models from Japan. The refurbished models available in other territories are those that have been sold and returned in that territory. The only exception that I am aware of is when a large quantity of ex-demonstration models used at camera launches were sent to schools and colleges in Africa to help students without the resources that most of us are fortunate to have.

xxxtjw said:

Can also mean it was overstocked units returned by merchant to Canon.

Click to expand...

Or hardware issued to sales or tech reps or hardware used for display at trade shows.