💡 Thinking about buying a lens? Do not miss our guide with all the advice when buying one and our best recommendations.
Some lenses are so prohibitively expensive that only a select few can afford them. But don’t let money stop you from achieving that goal you dream of so much, since an alternative and very practical way to achieve it would be buy it second hand. Yes, there is a whole second-hand alternative world where everything is bought and sold, where prices are negotiated, real bargains are achieved but where many are also scammed. We prepare the complete guide to buy a second-hand camera. In this article it is the turn of the objective that will accompany you 🙂
If you can’t afford a new lens for your SLR camera in your order of priorities, maybe it’s time to consider taking a look at what’s second hand. The offer is wide, very, very wide, and sometimes it can bring you a pleasant surprise, such as a ridiculous price or a lens that is no longer manufactured today. Let’s see what you should pay attention to, although later we will see each of the points in detail.
- Physical appearance
- Crystals
- target buttons
- Focus and focal length controls
- coupling
- Diaphragm
- focus quality
- photo quality
- Accessories
- Third Party Targets
- Price
- returns
- Confidence
- Secure payment method
- Warranty
- Compatibility
Tips for buying your next second-hand lens
Of course, a lens is something that can easily be fooled, so don’t even think about buying a second-hand one without taking into account the following series of tips.
1. Physical appearance
Make sure the lens has no scratches or scratches on its body. A simple external scratch may be due to a strong fall or impact on the bottom, so be careful.
2. Crystals
Look at the outer lenses of the lens and check that they have a homogeneous surface and that they do not have any scratches or dust.
3. Target Buttons
The lenses have buttons whose functions are vital and should not be underestimated. Check if the autofocus/manual focus switching buttons, image stabilizer, etc., work properly.
4. Focus and focal length controls
Try the focus and focal length controls, they should turn smoothly but not worn and loose either. Also note if they produce any strange noise when turning.
5. Coupling
Make sure the lens mates properly with your camera body without too much force.
6. Diaphragm
Check that the aperture of the diaphragm can be controlled correctly (from the camera).
7. Focus quality
Check if the focus actually focuses and blurs correctly. If you take the camera with you, check if the autofocus responds to the focus points of your camera. Make sure the lens auto and manually focus.
8. Photo quality
Take your camera with you and do several tests with different settings and in different conditions. Then check the photos. Ideally you should view them on a computer screen so that you can catch any small specks or odd spots, but if you don’t have your computer with you try to view them on the camera screen as well using the ‘zoom’ function.
9. Accessories
Do not sell you a lens without a cap, unless they compensate you with a very attractive price.
10. Third Party Targets
As a general rule, second-hand lenses from third-party manufacturers (such as Sigma and Tamron) lose value with use and their second-hand price is usually half of what it cost new. On the other hand, a Nikkor or Canon lens, no matter how used it is, will rarely lower its price by half. Keep this in mind when buying. It is very important to try to find out the “new” price of the lens that they sell us in order to know how much money we save.
12. Haggle over the price
Depending on the country and the store where you are trying to make the purchase, it may be possible for you to haggle over the price, especially if the seller is a private individual.
13. Returns
Ask if you have the possibility of returning the objective in case it does not work for you or you are not convinced.
14. Confidence
There are only two right ways buy a second hand lens: Buy from a known or reputable seller (for example sellers on Amazon or eBay with thousands of positive votes) or buy from a site where they allow you to try the lens freely before buying it.
15. Secure payment method
If you are going to buy online, try, whenever possible, to use a secure payment method (such as Paypal). Avoid money transfer payments (WesternUnion type) because they do not offer any guarantee. PayPal, on the other hand, offers brokerage and arbitration services.
16. With guarantee
The second hand lenses They may also be guaranteed. Many stores offer short warranty periods (6 to 12 months). Find out about it.
17. Compatibility
Check the compatibility of the lens with your camera. Obvious.
I can’t think of any more tips. Do you know any more tips you want to share with blog readers? Tell me tell me..
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