Comments on: Buying Used Lenses: 5 Handy Tips to Know

By: Michael Clark

Michael Clark — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 17:47:44 +0000

Every lens, even those straight from the factory floor, has some dust in it. Expecting a used lens to have *no* dust means no lens one ever looks at will measure up. The question should be “How much dust?” Is it what should be expected for a lens of a certain age, more, or less? More may indicate careless use. Less that what should be realistically expected can indicate that the lens has been opened and cleaned at some point.

By: PaulC

PaulC — Tue, 19 Sep 2017 13:16:00 +0000

Thanks for a great article – my sad experience in 2017 is that there is a 1 in 3 chance that any secondhand vintage manual lens on the UK eBay website has clear fungus infestation. Fungus is a menace to the lens, your camera and so your other lenses…and …

the only solution is…….
[1] only buy lenses sold as “NEW” or “USED” – defined by eBay as “Used. An item that has been used previously. The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear, but is fully operational and functions as intended.” Never bid for “Spares or Repair” unless you want to take it to bits
[2] check all lenses on delivery with a flashlight
[3] return any with fungus or haze immediately – as these by definition are NOT “fully operational and function as intended”, A few specks of dust are OK – but check with a hand lens for signs that it is not a germinating spore
[4] start a RETURN claim straight away – and stick to your guns. I agree with this article – even if a seller says “no returns accepted” they have to accept a return if it fails to meet the specification for “used”. No amount of “I’m selling this for my father – I know nothing about lenses but looks OK to me” or “cosmetically great” “sold as seen” descriptions can protect them — EBAY is on your side as a buyer in this. Remember that ZEISS UK refuse to even consider repairing lenses with fungus – no matter the price.

If we buyers did this religiously AND gave negative reviews to the sellers as a matter of course we could stamp this out in no time. Sure a seller can make an unfortunate error once – but the return and negative score should make them check better next time….twice times the mistake and either the seller is careless or up to mischief.

Here is my tip-list for buying lenses online:
[1] anyone who lists a lens as “cosmetically great” but does not specifically mention optics or mechanics – DONT BID
[2] anyone who says “I know nothing about lenses but looks OK to me” – check the other items for sale. In 8 times in 10 in my experience they are selling lots of photo gear and know full well what they are doing – DONT BID
[3] anyone who advises – “one small spot of fungus – does not impair image quality” – DONT BID
[4] any sign of the black anti-reflective paint scratched off the rear lens securing ring or strange “wipe” marks on a lens – means an amateur repair has occurred – remember that even Zeiss can’t fix fungus in a lens – DONT BID
[5] any advert that leaves the item condition blank – rather than “USED” can be doing this for only one reason – to get out of the buyers protection offered by eBay which says …..”Used. An item that has been used previously. The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear, but is fully operational and functions as intended.” – DONT BID

none of these seen ?? – then please bid – but have the flashlight ready for an instant return if not happy. LET’S STAMP THIS OUT on eBay !!!!!!!

When a lens seller does good – PRAISE THEM in your scoring….and say why.

If it’s your lens with fungus – say farewell and BIN IT. I have waved goody to a few in 2017. Remember once again that ZEISS UK refuse to even consider repairing lenses with fungus – no matter the price. Bid for another on eBay. Don’t be tempted to try a cosmetic fix with a quick unscrewing of the lens back and a wipe with a cloth………or to put it up for a hopeful sale to a innocent on eBay — we know the telltale signs of what to look for !

By: Paul

Paul — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 02:02:00 +0000

Very helpful article. I had never thought about mold. I just bought a Sigma 10-20 lens through Ebay.
Although describes as like new and absolutely no scratches, as soon as I opened it I saw a scratch on the glass. Although the rest of it looked in good condition, it showed definite signs of use – so hardly like new. Because of the description I increased my bid to $60 over the average recent sales prices. Of course I will file a dispute, but we all know about that as the seller will probably claim that it was shipped out in perfect shape! Yea, right! Buying used in order to save 25% or so is not worth the risk.

By: John Braden

John Braden — Sat, 24 Dec 2016 04:24:00 +0000

How about buying it from the Manufacturer as a refurbished product? I bought two from Nikon this way: a 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 and a 70-200mm f/2.8 and they’re in excellent shape!

By: K.G.W.Abeytunge

K.G.W.Abeytunge — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 07:38:00 +0000

One way way to keep your lenses and equipment free of fungus and mould is to keep them in a desiccator over dehydrated silica gel. You have to periodically dehydrate the silica gel in an oven heated to 120 degrees centigrade, when the indicating colour of the silica gel changes due to the absorption of moisture. An alternative method is to keep your lenses in a well ventilated box heated to about 30 degrees by means of a low wattage electric bulb. Plans for constructing such a box is available on the internet.

By: Juan_Mot

Juan_Mot — Wed, 29 Jun 2016 20:02:00 +0000

Thanks. Great article

By: Rob Gipman

Rob Gipman — Fri, 25 Dec 2015 16:27:00 +0000

Just got a jupiter-9 on my 7d. Perfect for bokeh and portret shots at f/2.8 and up and all manual 🙂

By: Higbe33

Higbe33 — Tue, 23 Jun 2015 21:11:00 +0000

Nice article and you mentioned things I’ve never heard of that make perfect sense.

By: lapasan

lapasan — Tue, 23 Jun 2015 05:55:00 +0000

Buying used lenses is a risk in investment in photography especially if it is bought online. A seller might say that a used lens is free of fungus and other defects. In fact the lens might appear clean and clear when you receive it. But you might not know that the lens was infected with fungus before and cleaned so that it could be sold. But once a lens is infected with a fungus, the problem might arise again after some time even if the fungus had been removed especially if the lens were exposed to unfavorable situation by the new owner. I have an experience with this problem with a used zoom lens. But not anything is bad about buying a used lens. I have bought a used prime lens. It is still functioning perfectly until now. The glass is still clear and clean with out any fungus whatsoever. It’s hard to buy used lens personally to another person, so the option is to buy online, The safety of your purchase money lies on the trustworthiness of the seller. If you have money, the best way to buy lens is through cash. you can personally see, check and test the lens before parting your money. And the best thing is that brand new lenses are covered with manufacturer’s warranty. You can return or have the lens replaced or repaired if it does not measure up to the things said by the manufacturer of the lens that you bought.

By: Andy Whiteman

Andy Whiteman — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 18:36:00 +0000

I’ve bought most of my gear through eBay in the UK. Nikon D300 & D7000 bodies 4 lens I also bought some lens through Ffords Photographic in Scotland – very good people. No problems other than a Sigma 18-250mm that had an auto focus problem but this was resolved when the seller dropped price to cover repair – I’m still using lens now. Ebay or Amazon are both good for 2nd hand stuff and dealers like Ffords & Richmond Cameras are very good. Best advice I can offer.