buying used lenses vs. new ones?

Question

I am buying my first camera, and am looking into lenses.

Obviously, the used ones online are significantly cheaper than the brand new ones.

I am new to all of this so I was just wondering if buying used lenses is considered a "faux pas"

Answer 1

If we knew the make and model of the camera you're planning to buy we could actually give you an intelligent answer.



If you're looking at a Nikon D3100 or D3200 or D5100 and want auto focus then you have no choice but to buy Nikon AF-S lenses.



If you're looking at a Canon T3 or T3i or T2i then you must buy either Canon EF or EF-S lenses.



If you're looking at a Sony SLT A57 or SLT A65 or SLT A77 then you can buy Minolta Maxxum AF lenses as well as lenses from the Sony catalog.



In the future, when asking a question, please include all relevant information. A generic question can only generate generic answers.

Answer 2

(or reason #4 - the owner is upgrading to a higher quality lens)



Actually, the only lenses that are significantly cheaper than new are the lower-quality lenses.



You will find that name brand, professional grade lenses hold their value quite well; often garnering 90% of the original retail value. And if it is over 10 years old, the lenses may even appreciate.



For pro glass - I would buy new. For consumer-grade, or off-brand, consider used.

Answer 3

The problem with used glass, is that its hard to find. Yea you can find lenses on ebay and such, but there is a reason for it, its junk that people are trying to get rid of. The good stuff is very hard to find used.



The main reason is the aperture, people go out and find this supposedly great lens, it has numbers on it like f4-5.6, the price is right and people gobble them up. A few months later they find they can't take pictures inside their house without making it blurry, the reason is the aperture.



There are two basic kinds of lenses, slow ones and fast ones. A slow lens has a high number aperture like f4 or higher, the reason it is slow is that the "hole" that lets light in is small. If you can imagine a camera is like a bucket, and the lens is a hose. The bucket must be filled up with light, if its not full, the the picture is to dark. A small hole i.e the hose takes longer to fill the bucket up. Therefore your having to leave to shutter open for a longer time to fill the bucket up. When you leave the shutter open for a long time, your picture gets blurry as things move, probably you.



A fast lens has numbers like 2.8 and lower. This means the hole in the lens is bigger like a hose is bigger around. Now you can fill up the bucket quicker and therefore use a faster shutter speed. No more blur.



That is the reason why people sell those lenses on ebay and stuff, they bought slow lenses (glass) and are finding out they are useless when shooting indoors or any situation where the light isn't very good (fills the bucket slowly). You can use a flash which gives enough light to use a faster shutter, but unless your quite experienced, flashes usually make a bad picture. We as professionals even have a term for it: "deer in the headlights". It looks terrible.



Besides all the horrible things like broken equipment that people are trying to get rid of, its really the aperture why they are dumping them. If you remember I said that good glass is hard to find, and its true, nobody wants to part with a fast lens, but you'll find all sorts of slow junk glass. Remember 2.8 or lower.

Answer 4

Buying a used lens is the same as buying a used car...buyer beware.



There are several reasons for selling a lens (or car):



1) They need the money to pay for their new upgrade/replacement

2) They don't use it, so they want the money for something else

3) It's on its last leg, so they are getting rid of it before it dies



Number 3 is the reason I don't buy a used camera or lens unless I can "try it before I buy it" (OR it is from a very reputable vendor like B&H Photo). I make sure there are no major scratches on the elements and that the focus (and zoom, if applicable) work smoothly without sticking or slipping.

Answer 5

I would say first educate yourself, learn about photography and f stops and shutter speeds and ISO and white balance and focal lengths and such. Second good lenses are a good investment because they keep their value. If you use eBay and pay pal , you are covered by their 30 day money back guarantee. Do some research and good luck. I buy all my gear on eBay and amazon.

Answer 6

new ones have a warranty - if broke, get fixed..

used ones are bought at the buys discretion - what happens if broke or has some defect???



buy new... and if you can't afford new, why did you buy a camera with expensive accessories???