Second hand lens prices

Patrick1964

Patrick1964

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Is it just me, or do second hand lenses seem to go for high prices ? There are several lenses on the classifieds forum that are out of warranty, yet still sell for almost as much as a new lens. I'd expect second hand, used equipment with no guarantee to sell at new price minus vat minus 30% at least. Bodies seem to be priced this way, and I know bodies get superceeded so there's always those of us who want to upgrade, but lenses still seem too expensive. Why take the risk of buying s/h ?


Of course, this could me my sour grapes at not finding the bargains I hope for !
 
A 15 year old 300mm f2.8 is still just that. The mounts have not changed so other than metering and focusing you can still use them. A 5 year old lens that is perfect is as good as a new one really.

They are settling down a bit now though. Take the Nikon 24-70 f2.8 but about 3 months ago they were changing hands at £1300 new and still £1100 ish 2nd hand. They have dropped now 2nd hand to £900 so thats about what you said.

Cameras improve FAR more quickly so that is why they drop so much in much so quickly.
 
If you go on the assumption that a good lens will out last a body by about 3 times, you can see that the depreciation will be a lot slower. As with most things in life, you only really get what you pay for.
 
Some old lenses are legendary for their quality and are still highly desirable. The boom in DSLR camera sales keeps a certain level of demand going for high-quality 2nd hand optics. We don't all feel a need to rely on autofocus.
 
Patrick1964 said:
Why take the risk of buying s/h ?
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My thoughts exactly. I'd rather pay a bit extra for a new one, with the piece of mind of a full warranty.

Some of the prices being asked are a bit ambitious, to say the least.
 
Price is determined by how much people are willing to pay not how much you think it should cost. Take older manual lenses for instance - Nikon Noct 58mm F/1.2 sells for astonishing prices on eBay yet they are snapped quite quickly at those prices.
 
Karl H said:
Some of the prices being asked are a bit ambitious, to say the least.
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...but there's always the option of an offer. If the seller doesn't want to drop the price then that's their loss of a sale I suppose. :)

S/H is a good way to buy but 'classic' lenses like some Canon L and ones like the NAF 24-70mm will always command a premium because of what they are - bloody good lenses. There are still some great bargains to be had though - just been on mpbphotographic and they have some stonking deals....
 
Karl H said:
My thoughts exactly. I'd rather pay a bit extra for a new one, with the piece of mind of a full warranty.

Some of the prices being asked are a bit ambitious, to say the least.
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That does not always work though especially with the lenses where there is a known sample variation. I for one will always prefer used Sigma lenses to the new ones just because I won't have to go through the pain of returning new and then getting another one again and again until I get a good sample. Most sellers are quite happy to provide samples to you exact standards which makes it much easier buy.
 
Karl H said:
My thoughts exactly. I'd rather pay a bit extra for a new one, with the piece of mind of a full warranty.

Some of the prices being asked are a bit ambitious, to say the least.
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Because with careful selection, I can get a prime lens for £50-£200 that provides the image quality of a £1,000 new AF lens. That is a very big saving.
 
PaulCowan said:
Because with careful selection, I can get a prime lens for £50-£200 that provides the image quality of a £1,000 new AF lens. That is a very big saving.
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Totally agree. Shopping around is fun and gives a real sense of self-satisfaction when you pick up a deal that performs brilliantly. I got a minter Tamron 17-50mm the other week for £160 all-in –*new price about £280-£300 - and it's already proven its worth with several cover shots being used from it. To me that's a bargain, a good feeling and something I couldn't have got from a new lens at full RRP :)
 
My bag includes 20/2.8 Flektogon 35/2.4 Flektogon, 55/3.5 micro-nikkor, 80/2.8 biometar, 105/2.5 Nikkor, 135/3.5 Sonnar, 180/2.8 Sonnar and 300/4 Sonnar. They are all outstanding. Some of the Zeiss stuff needed the aperture blades cleaning up but after that they worked like new even though some of them are from the 70s or 80s. The most expensive were about £180, the cheapest around £30.
 
Ultimately, something is only "worth" what you can get a buyer to pay for it.
You can say a lens is "worth" £1200, but if no-one will pay that for it......
Is it still "worth" £1200? - debatable.
 
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