With new lenses getting more expensive all the time, many photographers choose to purchase used gear and save money. While certain lenses can only be bought new (at least for a while), like the just-released Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8, used lens market is quite often an important aspect to consider when choosing a system. In this article I will try to explain the benefits of buying used lenses, as well as give you some tips on how to buy used lenses on-location knowing you’ll get a high-quality piece of equipment you will be happy with for years to come.

Why Buy Used Lenses?

The obvious reason is to save cost, of course. Used lenses (in fully functional condition) can be bough for as much as 30 percent cheaper than brand new ones, and sometimes even more than that. This especially makes sense if you choose to switch systems – you can often buy lenses for as much as you sold those of previous brand, making the switch painless. Of course, newer lenses will be a bit more expensive, but still cheaper than what you’d get if you bought retail. In any case, this is down to each person’s opinion if he’s comfortable buying someone else’s lens.

The common question, however, is whether used lenses can be bought with full confidence. In short, no, unless you have a chance to thoroughly test it yourself before making the purchase. There are plenty of ways to make sure you’re not buying a dud, and to protect yourself from a serious financial damage. I’ll let you in on a secret – I’ve bought at least half of my gear used, including my 50mm f/1.4G lens I use more than any other, ever.

If a Used Lens Is On Sale, Does That Mean It’s Defective?

There aren’t all that many untrustworthy people out there as you may think, and most sellers have logical reasons to get rid of their gear. Ask yourself a question: if you were to sell a lens of your own, would that necessary mean you wish to fool someone into buying a spoilt piece of equipment? There are numerous reasons – some sellers find they don’t use that particular lens enough to justify owning it, or they may have found an alternative they think is more suitable to their style of shooting. People sell zoom lenses in favor of primes, and vice versa, all the time. Others begin to prefer a specific type of photography, for example – bird photography, and thus sell off their wide-angle lenses. Others want to make a switch to a different system or have a frustration with that particular lens that you may not find all that annoying (many people find slow focusing of 50mm f/1.4G lens a deal-breaker, while I’ve found a way to live with it while I must). Either way, number of viable reasons exceeds number of tricksters and thieves by quite a margin, rest assured.

With that in mind, I’m afraid I must be fair and mention that some people do try to fool a buyer by selling defective gear, and I know that from my own experience (I bought a lens with AF defect serious enough to be unusable, and sold it to a person with a warning and for a lot less money). And that is why we need short, simple guides like this to make buying used lenses a much safer bet.

[Read more...]