By Ked · February 2026
February 2026
When I first started building this site, I tried to come up with a way to normalize the camera condition ratings. Each seller has their own method for rating condition, but I thought I could get them all onto a 5 point scale ranging from mint to poor condition. That would have made for easy comparison of camera condition between sellers. It isn't that simple...
I still think squeezing the sellers' ratings into a 5 (or even 10) point scale is a good idea but there are issues that make doing it nearly impossible. Some sellers like to free-lance the ratings using terms like EXC++++ and MINTY in the descriptions. There are others that seem very precise, with nice numeric scales and brief supporting commentaries. Fitting both of those sellers into a normalized box that allows comparison is not a straightforward translation. There are other sellers that don't provide a rating, but have detailed description that are every bit as valid as a rating.
The devil is in the details. It seems most sellers rate cameras and lenses on their cosmetic aspects and ignore the functional aspects. I kind of understand that, it is certainly easier to sell a mint looking camera even if the shutter speeds are off; most buyers never really test them. So a "mint" camera while looking cosmetically nearly new, like many M6TTL, may have a non-functioning meter. The meter non-function will hopefully be disclosed on the description. But to me, that is not a mint camera no matter how good it looks. If you are shopping for a M body with a built-in meter I'm sure that isn't mint to you either!
I'm still working on this and hope to improve it over time.
For now the condition rating is only a basic reference and it is directly from the seller. I would only use it as a reference point, not as a decision maker. I wouldn't put too much effort into comparing condition ratings between sellers either. Always read the descriptions, and scrutinize the photos. From those two things, you can decide whether the condition is suitable for you.