Buy Used Camera Lenses Online
One of the best places to buy used camera lenses is KEH Camera. The company was founded in 1979 and has one of the most successful online photography stores in the US. They offer international shipping, and you can even send your used lenses to KEH (provided that the value is over $300).
buy used camera lenses online
The KEH used lens section is split into four categories: mirrorless camera lenses, medium-format lenses, SLR & DSLR lenses, and large-format lenses. Currently, KEH has over 10,000 used lenses available.
MPB is a photography specialist that deals extensively in used gear. This includes cameras, lenses, lighting, and more. Their lens range is extensive, and you can easily find lenses by Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic, Fujifilm, Hasselblad, Leica, and Olympus. They offer a particularly large selection of great used Canon lenses (with over 2600 items available!).
Aside from eBay and Amazon, Adorama has possibly the largest selection of used lenses on the market today. At the time of writing, the store boasts over 2000 used lenses, many of which are made by popular manufacturers such as Canon, Nikon, and Sony. Others are made by specialist manufacturers like Bronica, Blackmagic Design, and Metabones.
B&H Photo Video is one of the best places to buy used camera lenses online; the company features a dedicated website section that displays different used lens categories. This includes DSLR and mirrorless lenses, as well as lens accessories.
If you live outside the US, Amazon is an outstanding place to buy used camera lenses. Amazon operates in many countries and has an extensive delivery network that offers some of the fastest delivery times and prices on the market.
One of the best places to buy used camera lenses for UK customers is Jessops. The company is one of the best-known photography retailers in the UK and offers physical store locations as well as an extensive online store.
Roberts Camera is a photography gear retailer with a physical store in Indiana. They also have a fantastic online store that sells used lenses: UsedPhotoPro. The website is well designed, intuitive, and very easy to navigate.
Gear Focus is a rapidly expanding online photo and video retailer. The company sells both used and new photography equipment, including lenses, cameras, video cameras, accessories, and general electronics. And while Gear Focus is headquartered in the US, it offers shipping to the UK, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Italy, China, and several other countries.
Unlike some used lens retailers, Gear Focus actually displays photos of the lenses instead of generic press photos. This means you can gauge the quality before buying. Each lens also has a description that lists any defects or imperfections.
So, without further delay, here is our list of the top six (in alphabetical order) places to look at when seeking out your next piece of gear. Obviously, all these places offer gear well beyond just cameras and lenses too!
As far as digital cameras and lenses, its used department is my favorite of anyone on this list. Adorama has tons of used gear available at any given time, with new gear being added every day. Best of all, it has very, very good prices with some unbeatable deals popping up now and then.
eBay is where you stand to get the best possible price and have the largest variety of options at any given time for any given item. For some items, namely vintage lenses, cameras, and accessories as well as rare or niche items, eBay may be the only place where you stand a chance to find what you are looking for.
MPB is probably the least well-known on this list, but it has grown quite a lot during the COVID-19 era and are absolutely worth a look. Not unlike the others on this list (except eBay), MPB purchases and resells used camera gear after thoroughly inspecting and testing the equipment. With two offices in the UK and one in Brooklyn, New York, MPB serves even more markets than several others on this list, and in April of this year, it acquired Series D funding of $69 million to expand to other markets.
When you're shopping for used camera lenses, always ensure the lenses are compatible with your camera system. Key points to consider include the lens mount, sensor size, and camera electronics. Alternatively, if you can't find the right lens, consider fitting lenses from other manufacturers or an early film lens using an adapter.
Lenses for DSLR, rangefinder, and mirrorless cameras use quick-release bayonet mounts. Apart from different sizes, the distance between the lens mount and sensor differs. Camera manufacturers specify their lens mounts by means of a code; for example, Canon uses EF and EF-S. To avoid confusion, buy used lenses and lens accessories with the same specification as your camera. The exceptions to this rule are used Canon lenses and used Nikon lenses. These manufacturers make DSLRs with full frame sensors as well as DSLRs with cropped sensors; the lenses for full frame cameras are compatible with cropped sensor cameras, although not the converse.
You can get lens mount adapters that allow you to fit used lenses for sale from another manufacturer to your camera. This also applies to older lenses that are incompatible with your newer camera. Depending on the lens, you may need to focus the lens manually, and you may not be able to control the aperture.
Most DSLRs can film video, but the design of their lenses isn't ideal for professional cinematography. Reasons include noise interference caused by lens focusing motors, the difficulty achieving and maintaining correct focus during filming, and problems with exposure control during panning. You can overcome these issues by fitting used cine lenses. These lenses are larger, they have higher optical qualities, and they provide manual control for focus and aperture. Additionally, their T rating allows you to exchange lenses without needing to compensate for exposure variances between the lenses.
Whereas DSLR lenses are model specific, used large format lenses aren't. These versatile lenses mount on the front plate of large format cameras and incorporate a mechanical shutter, manual focus, and manual aperture setting. When working indoors with large format cameras, consider used lighting equipment to illuminate your subject and avoid the need for slow shutter speeds. This allows you to use low ISO film for the best results. Control your light with used light controls and accessories such as reflectors, umbrellas, and softboxes.
B&H is another used camera gear favorite. They have a large retail site and their used equipment department often has some good deals. All of their used lenses are thoroughly tested and each comes with a 90-day warranty.
Rounding out the big three in terms of online retailers, Adorama is a trusted name in the world of camera gear. Like B&H Photo, they have a sizable used equipment section and an excellent used lens department. Their rating system, while not as detailed as that of KEH, is nonetheless quite helpful and everything has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
If you live in the UK, Wex Photo Video is an excellent choice for used lenses. They have a number of brick and mortar stores across the UK, offer free delivery when you purchase online, and give a 12-month warranty on all used products.
Unfortunately, cameras, lenses, and other pieces of photography equipment tend to be quite expensive. Once you add in the cost of a lens or two and some accessories like memory cards, the cost of your photography setup can be high and may quickly go over your budget.
Lens technology is not so fast paced. So even if a lens is a few years old, it will often be just as relevant and useful today. However, as folks change camera systems and upgrade, they do often upgrade their lenses, meaning you can usually get great deals on second hand lenses as well.
Here are some of the best places to buy used cameras and photography equipment in our experience, both online and offline. These include options for buying from individuals and companies, and both second hand and refurbished camera equipment.
One advantage of MPB is that they offer US, EU and UK stores, so they have wider geographic coverage. So if you are looking to buy or sell used camera equipment in the UK, the EU or the USA, they are a solid option.
In addition, WEX also offer trade-in options on used gear, and you can also sell them your used equipment for cash. You can fill in the form to get a free no obligation quote on your used gear online here.
Camera World UK has a dedicated section to used camera equipment on their website here. They have a reasonable selection of used products at good prices, and all their products sold with a value over 50 come with a 6 month guarantee, which covers them for manufacturers defects. They also offer a 7 day no questions asked money back guarantee.
In addition to its land-based stores, CeX has a website where you can buy several photography-related products that you might not have been able to find in-store. The store sells both cameras and lenses.
B&H is a large second-hand tech seller that is headquartered in New York City. Its website sells a wide range of digital cameras, along with several lenses. In addition to standard lenses for cameras, you can also purchase specialty ones to achieve certain effects.
Is it worth the risk? I thought so. I've bought a variety of used camera gear in the last few years, including most recently an $1,100 lens in like-new condition for 30% off. Here's what to consider and where to look.
If you have a local camera shop, that's ideal so you can physically look at the camera/lens/whatever and make sure it works, doesn't have peanut butter smeared in the battery compartment, and so on. I actually drove out of my way on my 10,000-mile road trip last year to visit a used camera store so I could sell my old gear and buy a new Canon R6 and a used Sigma 50mm f1.4. However, this is not feasible for most people.
Beyond the camera-speciality realm, there's also Amazon's dedicated Amazon Renewed program. What's notable there is a 90-day satisfaction guarantee. (Keep in mind that's not for any used items or third-party Marketplace items on Amazon, only items in the Amazon Renewed program.) 041b061a72