Two scales, not one: how the camera looks and how the camera works are graded separately, because they diverge.
A single letter hides the thing a buyer of used equipment actually needs to know — whether the wear is on the outside or the inside. A brassed Nikon FM2n that has been carried for twenty years can be mechanically flawless. Under a single grade it looks like a compromise. Under two, it reads 3 for cosmetics and 5 for function, which is exactly what it is.
You will see both numbers on every pre-owned listing, on the card in the shop and on the product page.
5 — as new. No marks under a lamp.
4 — light signs of careful use. Nothing you would notice at arm’s length.
3 — honest wear. Brassing at the corners, scuffs on the base plate.
2 — heavily used. Dents, deep scratches, worn covering.
1 — cosmetically poor. Sold on function alone, priced accordingly.
5 — performs to original specification. Every speed, every stop.
4 — fully working with a minor deviation we have measured and stated.
3 — working, with a fault named in the listing.
2 — usable but needs service. Priced with the service in mind.
1 — sold for parts or restoration, described as such.
A shutter count report on every digital body, a condition card photographed beside the camera, and a six-month shop warranty. If it fails inside six months it comes back to our bench on the second floor.