Is Now the Time to Buy Used Nikon DSLR Lenses?

Libor Vaicenbacher

Nikon F-mount cameras and lenses have been around for 65 years. In that time, Nikon has introduced more than 90 different types of lenses, ranging from the 6mm f/2.8 Circular Fisheye to the 2000mm f/11.0 Reflex. In 2016, the 100 millionth Nikkor lens rolled off the production line. Yet just two years later, the Nikon Z Mount was born, and Nikon all but ceased paying attention to their venerable F Mount lenses.

Does this mean F Mount lenses are on the verge of obsolescence? I don’t think so. In fact, I think now is the ideal time to buy used DSLR lenses as a Nikon photographer.

NIKON Z 9 + AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR @ 500mm, ISO 2500, 1/2000, f/5.6

In the past, a rule of thumb was that the price of cameras would drop more than the price of lenses. For example, the former dream camera, the Nikon D3 from 2007, cost $5000 when it was launched – today, it can be found used for a tenth of that price. By the way, it’s still a respectable camera after all these years, as you can read in the article Nikon D3 vs Nikon Z9: Titans from Different Eras.

However, when Nikon decided to shift focus from DSLRs to mirrorless, the established order of used prices changed quite a bit. DSLR lenses that held their price for many years suddenly became significantly cheaper. The lenses have not gotten any worse – in some ways, they got even better. For example, lenses without vibration reduction gain a few stops of in-body image stabilization if you use them on mirrorless.

As for prices, consider the Nikon AF-S 500mm f/4E FL VR. This is a $10,300 lens – or, rather, it was. These days, it can be found on eBay for about $4500 (eBay affiliate link). And what about the older 500mm f/4G VR? That lens is selling used for about $2000 (eBay affiliate).

These are practically criminal prices. What once would have bankrupted a family of four can be purchased for hardly more than the Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3. I recently put my money where my mouth is and bought a used copy of the Nikon 500mm f/4E FL, rather than shelling out $14,000+ on one of Nikon’s newest Z System exotics. It has now become my main lens as a wildlife photographer.

Goldcrest (Regulus regulus). NIKON Z 9 + VR 500mm f/4E @ 500mm, ISO 4500, 1/640, f/4.0

Reasons Not to Buy a Used DSLR Lens

What’s behind the low prices of used DSLR lenses? Probably the most common and understandable reason is that Nikon has seemingly shifted to mirrorless for good. If you want such a good deal on a DSLR lens, it will be used, with comes with the possible fear of a hidden defect. (To avoid this inconvenience, some time ago we wrote a guide on how to buy used lenses.)

There are other arguments against buying a used DSLR lens that should also be considered:

  1. The Z-mount lenses have lived up to expectations; most of them are sharper and faster to focus than their F-mount counterparts.
  2. To use a DSLR lens on a mirrorless camera, it must be adapted via the FTZ adapter, which some may find annoying.
  3. As lenses age, their serviceability decreases due to lack of spare parts.

On current Nikon Z-mount cameras, the bottleneck for communicating with DSLR lenses is the FTZ adapter. Some great lenses lost autofocus on Z cameras, including Nikon’s older AF-D glass. If you want to adapt a Nikon DSLR lens to mirrorless, you’ll want to check ahead of time to see if there are any compatibility issues. We have a full list of FTZ-compatible lenses here.

NIKON D500 + 105mm f/2.8 @ 105mm, ISO 10000, 1/250, f/10.0

Reasons to Buy a Used DSLR Lens

Despite this, I personally believe that DSLR lenses represent the best value of any used lenses today. There are many reasons to buy one:

  1. Significantly lower price makes previously unattainable lenses affordable.
  2. They can be used both on DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, unlike mirrorless lenses!
  3. You can sell a used lens for about the same price that you buy it, allowing for long-term “rentals” without losing much money.
  4. The optical improvement of Z System lenses is usually much smaller than the price difference. For example, the Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 is slightly better optically than the most recent F-mount version, yet is $10,000 more expensive.
  5. If used on a mirrorless camera, older F-mount lenses can shine. Focus peaking and image stabilization can be added to old lenses that never even had autofocus. There is no loss in optical quality adapting a DSLR lens to mirrorless.
  6. Many F-mount lenses still have no Z-mount equivalent, yet have still decreased in price. For example, the Nikon 58mm f/1.4, Nikon 300mm f/2.8, and Nikon 500mm f/4.
  7. Did I mention the price?
NIKON Z 9 + VR 200-500mm f/5.6E + 1.4x TC @ 700mm, ISO 64, 1/4000, f/8.0

Recommended Used DSLR Lenses

To give you a sense of context for how much cheaper used DSLR lenses have gotten these days, I’m listing some of my favorite lenses and their prices below. The telephoto lenses in particular are excellent deals, generally selling for less than half of their original price, yet performing at exceptional levels optically.

Telephoto Lenses

 

NIKON D500 + Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II @ 200mm, ISO 1250, 1/5000, f/5.6

Standard Lenses

As focal lengths shorten, the performance gap between F-mount DSLR lenses and Z-mount mirrorless lenses begins to widen. However, some are still worth your time. Which ones are my favorites? Among the lenses that retain autofocus on the Z system, these are the ones that stand out.

NIKON D850 + 28mm f/1.4 @ 28mm, ISO 64, 1/160, f/8.0 © Nasim Mansurov

Wide-Angle Lenses

When it comes to extreme focal lengths below 24mm, development has come a long way, and most wide-angle mirrorless lenses are better-corrected than their DSLR counterparts. However, there is still a pair of Nikon DSLR lenses that stand out.

NIKON D800E + 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 14mm, ISO 3200, 25 seconds, f/2.8 © Spencer Cox

Conclusion

In the title of this article, I asked if now is the time to buy used DSLR lenses as a Nikon shooter. And as you can see, the answer is yes. The prices are so low these days that I believe many photographers should consider an F-mount lens before a Z-mount lens. And the list above only scratches the surface; there are dozens of F-mount lenses that I haven’t included above, and almost every one is selling for a deep discount these days. If you have a favorite that I haven’t mentioned, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

These are golden times for photographers who don’t mind buying used. High-quality equipment has never been cheaper, and all of these lenses were built to last for a long time. While some photographers drop many thousands of dollars on the newest mirrorless equipment, photographers on a budget can pick up high-end DSLR gear for pennies on the dollar and take equally good photos.

This is especially beneficial for wildlife photographers. Even exotic F-mount telephoto lenses now sell for a fraction of their original price. Lenses like a 400mm f/2.8 or 500mm f/4 were previously out of reach, and now, they are suddenly attainable by mere mortals. Other lenses, like old manual-focus glass, can be used with features like focus peaking and in-body image stabilization, making them even more useful than ever, despite their lower prices.

It can be easy to forget, but now is one of the best times to ever be a photographer, especially if you’re on a budget.

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