Buying Used Lenses

[metric_photography]

Not sure where I should put this post-- would you guys ever buy a used lens? I was on Kijiji (like Craig's list) and someone is selling a lens I am interested in for about $200 less than retail. Good idea or bad idea?

[kokabeel]

I would depending on the lens, and the quality of said lens, how old said lens is, and current market value.

You'd want to take your body with you to test it out before buying.

[scootermcq]

Originally Posted by metric_photography

Not sure where I should put this post-- would you guys ever buy a used lens? I was on Kijiji (like Craig's list) and someone is selling a lens I am interested in for about $200 less than retail. Good idea or bad idea?

All the time. i do not have a lens in my bag which was not used. Never had a problem yet, but take a body and a notebook to look at the resulting image. An image can look sharp on a 3" display, but be crap on a real monitor.

[kirbinster]

Ditto almost all my equipment has come from Craigs list. You can save big bucks.

[RyanSandsPhotography]

Used gear is an extremely good idea. I got my Canon 70-200 f2.8 IS for only $800 off of Craigslist : ) BH Photo Video also has used gear on their list. Great way to get a used body or lens for WAY less then retail. But just be careful off of Craigslist. Never meet in a shady place...inside a mall in a crowded area is always a good place.

[KristineMN]

I haven't bought anything from craigslist but have sold lenses on Craigslist. I alway meet them in public place and usually have my husband with. Good way to find good deals, just check it over well and try it out.

[UlpilotSC]

Amazon has some used lenses too, if craigslist is spooky. Not sure about what happens if it's damaged or broken, though. Only bought used books and other non electronics.

[SwissJon]

There's a saying... Buyer beware..

If you buy something off Craiglist and it breaks one minute after you hand over the cash, that's your problem, not the sellers. Don't do distance transactions and expect them to send it to you, they won't. Craig list isn't a safe place for anything other than face to face transactions, and you need to know how to tell a bad lens from a good one.

Do a websearch for the particular lens your after, see if there are any common problems (sticky zooms or focus rings) and how to spot them, learn how to spot fungus, and take your camera and make sure that the AF is working as it should. If your camera has micro adjust, then a small amount of front or back focus is acceptable, but still not ideal. Make sure that you can change the aperture from wide open to fully closed and make sure none of the blades are sticking. Take a photo wide open and fully closed to be sure that you are getting properly exposed photos. (Sticky blades will mean that the aperture is off, and your photos will be under or over exposed.)

If everything is ok, and you've learned how to look for a decent lens, then grab yourself a bargain. I've only got 2 brand new lenses, and they're the ones from when I bought the camera. Everything else is the result of patient searching, waiting for the right lens at the right price, and I pay, on average, 40-50% less than the "new" price for nearly new gear, usually from som guy who got all the gear but had no idea, and gave up photography after a short while when he finally realised that it wasn't the camera that was crap!

[DelCan]

Out of my list in my signature at the bottom of this post 2 of the lens were new. The rest came off of Ebay or another photography forum (classifieds). Swissjon and others gave you some very sound advice for buying off of Craigslist. Meet face to face in a public area and test the lens first.
If you buy one used you stand a good chance of getting your money out of it if you want something else later.