Buying used lenses

[abhishek_singh3]

I did some basic search on this forum to find out the best place to buy used

lenses in california, usa. Apparently KEH is one of the best places for that;

however, i looked keh.com and they seem to have a very limited inventory of used

lenses (I was looking to buy a good telephoto with around 300-400mm on the long

end). Any other places I could go to?

[bobatkins]

Adorama and B&H both have used lenses. Obviously they aren't in California.

 

Most people seem to use eBay. As long as you're careful, that may not be a bad option. I've bought lenses and cameras from eBay with no problems, but there are certainly some shady characters there.

[aubreyp]

I'm constantly looking at Craigslist for stuff. I also buy lenses from Adorama and have had a good experience with them, but yeah, the stock is low.

[bob_osullivan]

KEH stock keeps revolving because the continually buy stuff. So keep looking there and the other places mentioned. If you can't wait, there are some pretty good non-canon but new alternatives in that range. like the Sigma 135-400 or the Tamron 170-500.

[davyjo]

I've bought a few lenses on Ebay, a 70-200mm f/2.8 IS through the classifieds on Photo.net, and a few through Fredmiranda.com.

No bad experiences but I am very careful. I always verify who the person is who I am dealing with. Proceed with caution and you can find some wonderful bargains.

[steve torelli]

You think KEH has a limited inventory ? There are very few Canon or Nikon model s that they don't have at least one or two copies of in varying conditions. Right now they list list fifteen 300-400mm Canon lenses. most of them used. What kind of inventory are you looking for ?

 

I've never thought their prices were really good, but there selection is and their condition ratings are very conservative, I've never hesitated to deal with them.

[tien_pham]

I thought Keh locates in Atlanta, GA, not in CA. If it is so, what is the difference b/w NY and GA as far as dealing/order is concerrned?

[richard_wang10]

If you are in LA or SF, I would recommend you try craigslist.org.

 

Not bad choices and most of all you can actually see, touch and test the lenses.

[jo7hs2]

Keh.com has an excellent inventory of most lenses, so I'm guessing you only clicked on the Canon digital section or something? If they don't have something in stock, they probably will within a few weeks. I waited too long and they sold the EF-S 10-22 I wanted, but within a few days a new one popped up, and I grabbed it. They move very fast, so just keep looking.

 

Their ratings are very conservative, and I consistantly got a better product than their rating suggested. Their returns policy and processing is really the best I've ever dealt with, and even better, they actually have people who answer the phone. Their prices are, imho, on the mid-to-high end for used gear in decent condition, but they often have bargains on dinged up lenses that are in perfect working order. The only thing that annoys me is that they occasionally jumble up the lens caps, and the ones they chose don't always fit right, or aren't Canon caps. My 10-22 came with some sort of rubber cap that is really funky.

 

I have several pieces of used equipment from Keh.com, my 10-22, my 28-80, my 100-300/5.6L, my 400/5.6L, my Rebel Ti backup backup film camera, and my 380EX flash. I also purchased a 17-40/4L from them, and I'm not sure, but maybe my 100 macro, too.

 

Keh.com is in Atlanta, Georgia. The only disadvantages to that location are the shipping delays, and the time zone difference. Keh.com doesn't have a showroom, so you couldn't go check out equipment, regardless, but as I said, great return policy.

[JDMvW]

I've bought new and used on eBay, and I have bought literally hundreds of lenses and cameras, and other photo gear on eBay. I got a bum Kodak projector, and one lens was "lost" on the way from England. Other than those cases (and I eventually got my money back on the projector), vendors have refunded the price and the shipping too, where there were problems (lens not as described, broken, etc.

 

I have also bought from a number of resellerratings.com high rating vendors like B&H, KEH, and so on. Again--few problems and those were ironed out to my satisfaction.

 

I may sound like a regular Pollyanna, but I think part of my good luck is looking very carefully at who the vendors are, what their history is, and not trying for impossible bargains--they too often _are_ too good to be true.

[terry_smith2]

I've bought and sold a lot of Canon and Canon-compatible gear on ebay over the past five years. Some of it has been pretty hard to find, like the 50-200 L and a lot of rare stuff for my Canonflex collection like the 85/1.9 and the 600/5.6. The big advantage there is that you can find stuff from all over the world rather than just what one store or site may have. Yes, it takes patience, but the rewards of finding some obscure item can be quite high.

[baivab]

In priority - how I check for used lens:

<br> B&H (very conservative ratings)

<br> Adorama & KEH together (esp. Adorama has more refurbished ver. than most others)

<br> Refurbdepot.com (if bodies - refurb are superb)

<br> eBay and looking after looking at feedback

<br> Craigslist

<br> Google

[gq1nyc]

Is thier anywhere that rates these lenses or maybe a guide that show if you want to shoot X then lens XY&Z are ideal.

 

Just trying to learn what lenses are used for what situation ect.

[JDMvW]

Not so much a guide, but Photozone.de has excellent, objective reviews.

 

Although not quite so extensive or systematic, there are excellent reviews by our own Bob Atkins at his site.

[alan_myers]

I've bought from practically all the sources mentioned at one time or another.

 

eBay - For user equipment, cheaper but risky. Too often things are not as described or less than fully functional. Yes, you often can negotiate to return, but are usually out the cost of shipping at least, and still don't have the item you need. For my daily user shooting kit, I've used eBay occasionally, but mostly to buy generic batteries, compact flash cards (only from a known vendor though) and such.

 

Craigslist - Cheapest source... maybe. If it sounds to good to be true, it's probably stolen or you'll get rolled when you show up to meet with the seller with $1500 cash in your pocket. Lowest prices, but no warranty, high risk.

 

KEH.com - Prices seem a bit high.... But not as bad as some and, yes, they are very conservative grading things... Some of their "bargains" would easily be classified as "like new, minty" by eBay sellers. A 30D I bought last year looked unused, but was a "BGN" because it didn't have the instruction manual or cables with it (which I didn't really need anyway).

 

B&H - Same story as KEH, but a little less used selection and prices might be a little lower.

 

Adorama - Pretty similar to B&H in the used dept.

 

In Canada,. I recommend www.Henrys.com

 

The latter four will usually give you a 60 to 90 day warranty, which you won't get from private parties selling at auction sites or online classifieds. This alone might be worth the extra cost.

 

The auction site and Craigslist are great for *collectible* photo equipment, and have been among the top sources of the several hundred old cameras, lenses and accessories in my personal collection. I've also sold quite a few items both places. There are a number of collectible dealers on the web, but I don't really think that's what you are looking for. One of the biggest ones is www.pacificrimcamera.com (located in Oregon), but they ain't cheap!

 

An important difference, with collectible equipment it's nice when it works well, but you might accept it even if it doesn't, with eye to eventual repair or just because it is such a rarity you aren't going to be shooting with it anyway.

 

With user equipment, which I think is what the OP wants, you need it to work right and keep on working right.

 

Why are you set on buying from California? Determined to pay the high sales tax? If so, you have an opportunity to declare your online purchases from where ever and make a donation to Gov. Arnold, et al, each April 15 when filing your state income taxes.

[J.W. Wall]

Walter - Bob Atkins has some good guidance on lenses. www.bobatkins.com Besides what's mentioned above, also you could check the Learn section here, and browse photonotes.org.

[abhishek_singh3]

Thanks everyone for all your responses. I've been looking at both KEH and Ebay, as well as craigslist and I'm leaning towards craigslist and ebay for my used equipment needs. Craigslist simply because I have the option of trying out equipment before purchasing. However, ebay seems to have the best deals.