2nd Hand Lenses

[nickd01]

Hi All,

I'm the proud owner of a 5D as of Christmas - alas it's only a body! I'm now after a new lens collection and as I hope to add quality lenses I'm looking at the 2nd hand market.

Currently I'd spotted a 24-80 f2.8L with hood I like the look of.

Does anyone have any tips what to look for when assesing a 2nd hand lens? The shop does offer a warranty, but no PC to assess image quality on in the shop.

Are 2nd hand lenses a good idea? Or too much of a risk?

Thanks

Nick

[CarMac]

It's like any bit of 2nd hand kit, it all depends on the use/abuse it's had with the previous owner. I suppose you've got more of a comeback if the shop are offering a warranty of some kind. You can normally get a vague idea of how it's been treated by just the physical looks, ie dent and scratch free, clean etc.

[monkeyhanger]

It depends how good a deal it is.

The 24-80 was replaced by the 24-70L quite a while ago. Canon might not carry spares for it any more so future repairs could be an issue. Ask the shop what they will do if the lens fails during the warranty period and spares are not available.

[nickd01]

Sorry - my typo. It's a 24-70mm f2.8L USM + hood. Mint condition apparently, On for £650; brand new they seem around £820 + hood.

[monkeyhanger]

You could get a new one from the likes of Onestop Digital or DigitalRev for not much more, if you don't mind imported kit...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-EF-24-70m

I got my 20D from them and would definitely use them again. Just make sure it's a "No Vat" sale and they'll refund any VAT / Import Duty you pay.

[nickd01]

I would buy from them but was a bit nervous.

As you've had success then I'm more likely to give that a go - thanks!

[Furyous]

Thats interesting, I looked at Digital Rev for my D70S,but was very wary.

Are they legit and worth a punt then ?

Could save me at at least £200 if they are safe.

F

[Steve_T]

Bought my 100-400 from them, had no problems. A friend bought his 1D through them, again, with no problems.

Steve.

[Gemm]

I've used DigitalRev too. Very happy with their services.

[te51cle]

I'd mount it on my camera and take a few pics with it, any decent shop will allow you to do that and come back to buy it in a day or two. While you're there switch the camera into aperture priority, set minimum aperture, maximum aperture and somewhere in-between, look from the front of the camera and use the depth of field preview button to test that all the iris blades are undamaged work smoothly and correctly.

Zoom from one end of the range to the other and focus from one extreme to the other. Check that all is smooth and there's no gritty grinding feeling due to sand getting in from someone dropping the lens on a beach.

Check for damage at the front and back of the lens - rotate the lens around in your hand as you do so to prevent anti-reflective coatings hiding faults at some angles. Look for dust on the inside elements as that means disassembly to clean it. Cosmetic scratches on the lens body can enable you to negotiate a discount but won't affect the performance of the lens which is what you should really be interested in.

I've bought a number of lenses secondhand, even off eBay, and never had a problem with them so don't worry unduly.

[monkeyhanger]

Furyous said:

Thats interesting, I looked at Digital Rev for my D70S,but was very wary.

Are they legit and worth a punt then ?

Could save me at at least £200 if they are safe.

Totally legit. When i bought my 20D&Grip the camera had only been out a few months. They saved me over £200 on the best UK price i could find. It only took 5 days from ordering to the camera landing on my doorstep.


There's bound to be someone out there who'd had issues with them but you can say that about any dealer. I understand they have a UK based Customer Service number now so there's no need to be e-mailing Hong Kong if you have any problems.

[SGirl]

Thanks for the tip on DigitalRev! I was just trying to get an MC-36 remote control for my D200, and Warehouse Express and Jessops don't have stock. So I looked on eBay and DigitalRev have the item in stock for considerably less money, even when you add the postage cost.

FWIW, I've bought second-hand lenses off eBay before now. No problems at all. So far.

[k50 del]

Another thumbs up for digital rev here, used them several times with no issues.

[jwyatt]

I have bought a number of second hand lenses on Ebay with no problems at all - like with any Ebay purchase look for a well-described and photographed item from a reputable seller and things will be fine.

I've bought new kit on Ebay, and got friends to pick stuff up from the likes of B&H in the US and bring it back (safer in terms of VAT) and you'll typically pay around half of the prices you see in UK shops for lenses. Even the mail-order shops are complete rip-off merchants, and they all seem to over-charge for second-hand kit IMHO. Most of my Canon lenses (mint, and I keep the boxes) could still be sold on Ebay for what I paid for them. I can't see the benefits of paying more.