I can’t believe I bought a KEH UGLY—and it wasn’t! I really, really hesitated to buy an UGLY camera from them, but I thought I would take a chance, knowing their excellent reputation.

pj81156 Loc: St. Petersburg, FL

I really, really hesitated to buy an UGLY camera from them, but I thought I would take a chance, knowing their excellent reputation. It was anything but ugly. I would classify it as very good. It is a 35mm film camera, a Minolta XD11, a favorite of mine. Cosmetically it is excellent—no dents, not many scratches, and very clean. The finder, film compartment and mirror box are clean. The seals are good, the shutter operates smoothly, and it works in all modes. What a beautiful, quiet shutter. This week I’m taking it to the beach with a roll of b&w film. I can hardly wait. And, I’m going to look at some more of their UGLY cameras. Thank you KEH.

leftj Loc: Texas

pj81156 wrote:

I really, really hesitated to buy an UGLY camera f... (show quote)

Good to know. I’ll start cking out the Uglies. I believe you can return if not happy right?

SteveInConverse Loc: South Texas

Ugly stuff is often broken. KEH has no qualms about unloading their broken trash on unsuspecting photographers. I would also avoid Bargain for the most part, or call and try to get a more detailed description of the condition. I've bought two bargain items and found them in Ugly condition i.e. broken.

yorkiebyte Loc: Scottsdale, AZ/Bandon by the Sea, OR

pj81156 wrote:

I really, really hesitated to buy an UGLY camera f... (show quote)

Nice! This has always been my experience (a number of years) with KEH, also.
~ A month ago I bought an "UGLY" M43 lens - a Sigma Art 30mm F/2.8. I knew it had no front cap, rear cap, or hood with it. I just wanted a cheap general-purpose lens for my beat-up GF1 Lumix body. So when the lens arrived well packaged, as usual, I took a quick generous look at it. Body and front/rear elements - all like new! So, OK.... put in on my Oly 10.1....Worked as it should! Also - nice and sharp/contrasty. It's now on the Go-Everywhere/who cares GF1 Lumix.
...Again - very happy with KEH!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

My Sony a7II was an ugly KEH buy. The former owner was a knucklehead to put some form of protection cover over the rear LCD screen that actually damaged it. You can see through what is left of a 'film', but it would be a chore to use if I composed and shot holding the camera away from my eye. I don't. I can review images in the viewfinder too, so no loss to a damaged LCD screen. It was a great bargain.

SteveInConverse Loc: South Texas

CHG_CANON wrote:

My Sony a7II was an ugly KEH buy. The former owner was a knucklehead to put some form of protection cover over the rear LCD screen that actually damaged it. You can see through what is left of a 'film', but it would be a chore to use if I composed and shot holding the camera away from my eye. I don't. I can review images in the viewfinder too, so no loss to a damaged LCD screen. It was a great bargain.

Wow, you got lucky!

traderjohn Loc: New York City

SteveInConverse wrote:

Ugly stuff is often broken. KEH has no qualms about unloading their broken trash on unsuspecting photographers. I would also avoid Bargain for the most part, or call and try to get a more detailed description of the condition. I've bought two bargain items and found them in Ugly condition i.e. broken.

I was under the impression that they stated what "ugly" meant in regard to the condition.

leftj Loc: Texas

traderjohn wrote:

I was under the impression that they stated what "ugly" meant in regard to the condition.

They do

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

pj81156 wrote:

I really, really hesitated to buy an UGLY camera f... (show quote)

Both KEH and Roberts' UsedPhotoPro seem to ship gear that is in better than advertised condition. Everything we have bought from both dealers is great.

I've bought two "excellent" Lumix lenses from KEH that looked brand new when received, and still perform flawlessly. I bought a pan-and-tilt fluid head for my old Bogen tripod that works perfectly.

Last week, I bought my son a Lumix 12-35mm f/2.8 G X-Vario zoom in "good" condition from UsedPhotoPro. It also appears to be brand new and performs flawlessly. We could not find any scratches on the lens barrel. It has no internal dust, flawlessly clean front and rear elements, and it came in the original box with unopened pouch and lens shade!

Here are some interesting comparisons of used dealers' ratings.

ROBERTS USED PHOTO PRO https://usedphotopro.com/conditions https://youtu.be/-ZEzlX9LhaY

Mint- 99%
Excellent 90-99%
Good 75-89%
Fair 65-75%
Poor VERY ROUGH with some broken parts (no warranty)
Inoperable PARTS ONLY all sales final

See graphic for KEH/B&H/Adorama/Amazon.

(Download)

47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range

Ergo, buying "Ugly" from any of the used camera merchants or anyone else is a crap shoot. Just make sure there's a opportunity to return if dissatisfied.

pendennis

I've been a customer of KEH for years, both as a seller and a buyer. I've had nothing but great experiences with them. I sold off most of my pro gear a number of years ago, and got a price which I considered more than fair. I went in eyes wide open, knowing what they paid vis-á-vis their sales prices.

When I've been a buyer, I've never gotten a product which wasn't better than advertised. My latest buy from them was the venerable Nikkor 70-180mm Micro. It was advertised as "BGN", but it operates perfectly; and cosmetically, the only "flaw" was a slight mark on the lens hood.

JFCoupe Loc: Kent, Washington

I have purchased on Olympus 300 mm f4 and a 1.4 teleconverter from KEH and have been very happy with both items. Virtually new condition for a significantly lower price.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

ENJOY!

SteveInConverse Loc: South Texas

traderjohn wrote:

I was under the impression that they stated what "ugly" meant in regard to the condition.

They describe it pretty accurately...which is why I was surprised when the Bargain items I bought were broken. That all said, I've bought Bargain items that looked almost new. I would call them directly to ask about specific condition issues before purchase if I was considering anything Ugly.

lreisner Loc: Union,NJ

pj81156 wrote:

I really, really hesitated to buy an UGLY camera f... (show quote)

The Minotlta XD11 was my first camera. I loved that camera but I did not have it long. It was stolen out of my locked room and office at my University about 45 years ago, (a real inside job). I moved on to the Canon A1. Both were great cameras. Enjoy yours.