Is lens AGE an issue when buying 2nd hand?

[kennysarmy]

I've seen some lenses recently I may have been interested in 2nd hand but they've been about 5 years old....

Would that put you off?

What about if it was 10 years old?
15?
20?

I know it's price dependant to some extent - but let's discuss

 

[KIPAX]

Doesnt matter too much so long as you know what your buying.. ie version of lens and quality..

Any worry on this score wouldn't be age but usage.. A ten yr old lens used once a month wil be in better condition than a 1 yr old lens used profesionally every day

 

[Matholwch]

If you can find out the history of the lens i.e. is a 5 year old lens second or 'third' hand, what is its history - how well has it been looked after.
If buying from a shop as second hand, its more difficult to establish the lens history the older the lens - chances are it might've been sold on several times; in which case, why has it been sold on?

This is especially true about L grade lenses, which are rarely sold on for an upgrade (unless there's a newer / faster lens of the same focal length - going from mkI to mkII).
On the other hand the benefit of buying second hand from a shop is that you tend to get some sort of warranty, and a no-quibble return policy of a few days after purchase, so if you do spot any problems you can immediately send it back.

 

[MatBin]

Some of the older lenses have a much higher build quality than newer ones. We used to get metal mounts, distance scales etc in mid-priced lenses, not aware there are many mid-priced lenses with that these days.
So for me age isnt so much a problem, condition being more important to me.
Some manufacturers will advertise that they have extra coating or less reflective inners for digital images on modern lenses, call me a sceptic but is this really true?

Matt