Buy a Good Used Camera Lens

Buying a used lens is a very good way to save some money on, what can be, a very expensive hobby. It's also a good way of finding out if you want to invest in a new version of a lens. However, there are some potential pitfalls, as with any used item. This article will help you to be successful in your used lens shopping.

Steps

  1. Spot eBay Automobile and Computer Scams. Purchasing a used camera lens will be helped by knowing the Monitor Your Online Reputation behind the seller.
    • If you're purchasing from a store that sells used items, be sure to check their return policies. Ask questions about what they're prepared to do in the event that the lens doesn't work or isn't what you were after.
    • For online auctions, do your background research. Check the seller's statistics and ratings, along with comments. If they deal specifically in photography equipment, are the comments generally positive, revealing that this seller knows their gear and is genuinely concerned to help customers? And always check the lens price against the price for a new lens, and against other lenses being sold on the same and other auction sites.
    • For auction house auctions, do your homework in advance. Take along your camera and try it with the lens. Most auction houses not only encourage this but require it as part of the terms of sale, as you're buying "as is". Ring up to find a good time to visit before the auction to test out the lenses.
  2. Ask questions of the seller. Where you can, ask the seller why he or she is selling the lens. While not all sellers will be completely up front with you, most will because they care about their reputation, especially if they're known within photography circles.
    • If it's an Buy at Online Auctions purchase, read the description thoroughly. Does it make any mention of condition? If not, ask questions well before the end of auction. If you're not satisfied with the answers, let it go. Expect to see photos of the lens from several angles. No photos, no purchase. No or evasive answers to your questions, no purchase. Questions you should have answers to include:
      • Are there scratches or blemishes on the front and rear lens elements?
      • Is there oil on the aperture blades? Do they snap into place quickly?
      • Does the inside of the lens have any dust or fungus?
      • Are you also including the hood, both lens caps, user manual, and original box?
    • Check the shipping policies. Has the seller explained how the item will be packed and the shipping method? If it's unclear, ask. The item is fragile and should be shipped with the greatest of care, and you should be aware of the shipping costs in advance.
  3. Check for physical damage first. If you're purchasing it locally or from a store, pick the lens up and give it a thorough looking over. Can you identify any scratches, dents, nicks, or cracks? If the lens is dusty, use a blower brush and rubbing alcohol first. If you see anything, ask what happened to the lens and why the seller considers that the damage hasn't impacted the lens.
    • Shine a light through the lens. Use a small flashlight to illuminate the lens from different angles. Also look through the lens at a bright light source, such as sunlight on a wall, or a lamp. Look for cracks, dust, blockage, etc. Look through the lens both ways, and with the light shining through both ways and at angles. Hold the lens at a comfortable distance and look at the lens glass itself, not right up to your eye where any defects won't appear clearly.
    • Large scratches should be obvious. Deep and large scratches tend to be more of a problem than finer ones, especially if located on the rear element. Avoid buying a lens with a scratched rear element; you can be a little less concerned with finer scratches on the front element provided you've proof it doesn't impact the images taken.
    • With older lenses or when buying in a humid climate take special care to look for fungus. Early stages will look like water marks on your bathroom mirror, more advanced stages can look more like spiderwebs. Do NOT mount a fungus infected lens on your camera, there's a slight chance it can spread to your other lenses.
    • If it's possible, take a photo of the bright sky or something bright, not just uniformly bright but with patches of glare and some detail (don't point a super-speed or telephoto lens at the sun lest you hurt your eye or your camera), at the widest and the smallest apertures in a no compression RAW format, or the lowest JPG compression your camera has available. Check the photo for blemishes. Normal-looking flare patterns from the sun generally don't indicate problems (though, if severe, might mean you want another kind of lens); odd flare spots, overall haze, or unusual softness (a little symmetrical edge softness is normal with cheaper and wide-angle lenses wide-open) are problems.
    • Listen for rattling noises or loose pieces. This can be an indicator that something is damaged from drops or knocks, and even if the loose piece is not an issue, it could indicate that something else is about to give way.
  4. Check the working condition of the lens. Consider using a blower brush on the lens and a little rubbing alcohol. This will help to reveal anything that is stuck on or within the lens. Some of the specific things to look for include:
    • Eroded lens coatings; while slight erosion won't impact the quality of the picture, severe erosion will impact the pictures and make them appear "blotchy".
    • Be wary of even light damage. While some sellers may insist this is easy to fix, it's a lens, and nothing to do with a lens is ever cheap.
    • Check the contact points. This only applies to more modern lenses. There needs to be a good and consistent contact between camera and lens.
    • Check the filter threads. It doesn't take much for those threads to lose their usability; a small ding and you can't get a filter on, or off, your lens. If buying online, be sure that you get a decent picture and that it is of the lens you're actually purchasing, and not simply one that is "like" the lens.
    • Test all of the switches. If any of them are loose, check that they still work as they are supposed to.
  5. Look at the Strip and Clean a 29mm Pentacon M42 Lens. Watch for sticky aperture blades; the oil coating aperture blades will gel together if the lens has not been serviced regularly and this will make them sticky. The effect will leave you with over-exposed or under-exposed photos.[1]
    • Do the aperture blades move smoothly? Are there any nicks?
    • To test the aperture blades, bring a depth of field preview feature down to its lowest aperture. Look through the lens and press the depth of field preview button. Sound aperture blades will move into place immediately, and the viewfinder will go dark. If there is any problem with the aperture blades, there will be a delay in moving or turning dark.[1]
  6. Check the condition of the mount ring. You want to be able to fasten the used lens to your camera without breaking either the mount or the lens. In addition, make sure that it is the right kind of mount. Depending on what type of camera you own, and its age, the mount may vary. Double and triple check.
    • If purchasing online, ask questions about the mount ring and mount if the description is unclear.
    • If purchasing in a store, take your camera in with you to check the fit.
  7. If you're buying a zoom lens, be sure that the lens zooms easily and without interference. Also, make sure that it doesn't 'telescope' itself out on its own.
    • While a loose zoom action won't impact picture quality, it's an annoying thing to have to constantly remember and work with. It is possible to tape with care but that's a last resort fix for a real budget buy.
    • Lenses that have been knocked or dropped a lot may not extend to their full range anymore. Check by twisting the zoom ring back and forth.
    • Repair costs for the zoom feature can be costly.
  8. Check the focus of the lens. You want to be sure that you can get focus. If it's a focus assist, check the assist function, and also its manual focus ability. The focus mechanism should move in and out with ease.
  9. Let price be the determiner. If you do find or learn about damage to the lens, and you're still prepared to risk it, only do so if the price is so right that the lens is a bargain. Better still if it's free, or you're only up for postage costs.
    • Check Craigslist and Freecycle for unwanted lenses. Cheap or free is best when there is damage involved.
    • Always bear in mind that problems with a lens can be expensive to remedy, and can leave you with a repair bill that may have made a brand new purchase a better option. Buy with your eyes wide open.

Tips

  • Always bear in mind that problems with a lens can be expensive to remedy, and can leave you with a repair bill that may have made a brand new purchase a better option. Buy with your eyes wide open.

Warnings

  • Ensure that there will be a full refund apart from postage return costs if you return a damaged lens via post to an online seller.
  • Be sure to get insurance on your lens if shipped to you.
  • Avoid buying a lens suffering from lens fungus. It's usually beyond economical repair, can grow, and even if repairable, fungus tends to etch the glass.

Things You'll Need

  • Access to lens or appropriate description
  • Blower brush
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Appropriate cleaning cloth
  • Budgeted top price, along with price comparisons

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Tech ARP, Sticky aperture blades, http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=194&pgno=6
Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Buy_a_Good_Used_Camera_Lens&oldid=279601"