Although we don’t always have the funds to purchase brand-new lenses, every photographer desires the greatest lenses. If you know where to search, you can discover some amazing secondhand DSLR camera lenses.
Pro-grade optics are never inexpensive, despite the full-price market offering some deals. Additionally, the list of lenses a photographer need appears to never stop.
To solve all of this, consider purchasing used lenses. For the majority of photographers, buying used camera lenses for your DSLR is a far more affordable choice. To ensure a successful purchase, consider this buying advice for used camera lenses.
What to Look for When Buying Used Camera Lenses
Look for Damage
- Do not be deterred by the exterior’s dings and blemishes. A reliable professional lens can survive such light deterioration. You shouldn’t ignore marks and knocks because of how they seem because they just indicate that the previous owners utilized them often.
- Check the lens’s exterior for signs of a drop, which would leave behind significant dents. Remove any filters from the lens if there are any to check for any jagged edges. Examine your test photos carefully; a dropped lens frequently results in completely out-of-focus pictures.
- Make sure the parts of the barrel do not jiggle when you move it. The interior components of the barrel of zoom lenses may become loose after repeated usage or a drop, therefore doing this is very crucial. While it might not have an immediate influence on your images, it might in the future.
- Examine the contacts on the lens mount for signs of severe deterioration and scratches that can indicate harsh treatment when the lens was mounted.
- Look through the lens to see whether the internal components have any dust or grime. The lens’s exterior may be cleaned of dust. If the inner elements of the lens have dust, filth, or even mold on them, a skilled technician must remove them; unless the lens is expensive, it is generally not worth the trouble.
- Finally, and most critically, look for scratches on the front and back components. The back aspect is crucial since any blemishes there would be seen in your images.
Check the Focus
- Turn the focus ring back and forth while the lens is in manual focus to hear for any “grinding” sounds or a gritty sensation. The camera’s ability to focus properly may have issues if the ring cannot move freely.
- Put the lens in autofocus and check for any odd sounds emanating from the motor or the lens’s components. Make sure the camera has no focus issues.
Where to Find Used Camera Lenses
Many photography stores purchase and sell secondhand camera lenses, and some even back their goods with a year’s worth of guarantees.
There are many of amazing secondhand equipment finds on the websites of the big camera retailers. They frequently employ a rating system to inform you of a lens’s quality and to flag any problems. Every used piece of equipment will be examined by professional experts at a reputed vendor like B&H Photo or Adorama. Call them whenever you have any inquiries; they are accommodating.
Many individuals shop for lenses on online marketplaces like eBay, which is OK as long as the vendor has a good reputation and would allow returns if the lens doesn’t match the listing.
If you keep these suggestions in mind, purchasing a used camera lens for your DSLR won’t go wrong.
