Toronto Photography Meetup Group

I will be checking out a used lens tomorrow, initially saw the pics and there was no indication of cosmetic fade ( e.q. faded red ring line, faded text or nos on the body of the lens)...

date code of the lens is UT but the owner claims to have used it sparingly, he is willing to have me try it out first before deciding...

any other ways or tricks to do this (aside from trying most of the f stops settings etc..)

thanks....

Check the front and rear elements for scratches.
I don't think it necessarily applies to EF lenses, but the aperture blades need to open and close snappy.
Check for fungus.

Good pointers from Hotwire. Here's my checklist when buying a used lens:

1) As mentioned, hold the lens up to a light, check for scuffs/scratches to the front and rear elements

2) Check to see that the lens coating is intact with a glancing look at the front/rear elements.

3) Check for any fungus as Hotwire pointed out as well as any large pieces of dust. Small particles of dust is normal and won't affect the image.

4) Attach the lens to a camera body, switch to AV mode, look through the viewfinder and press the DOF Preview button and stop down the lens while randomly releasing the DOF Preview button to see if the blades open/close cleanly.

5) Check the focusing of the lens by randomly focusing on targets at different distances. Listen to AF motors when the lens is focusing and note any odd grinding noise. Use the manual focus ring and verify that it rotates smoothly and that it does manually focus.

6) Check the overall physical appearance of the lens body etc for any damage or signs of damage. Also check to see if the filter threads are clean and no signs of damage to the threads.

7) If the lens comes with the hood, check to see that the hood attaches properly and there are are no cracks etc.

Good luck.

Good points above.

Here's a couple more.

1. Look sternly into the seller's eyes and ask him if the lens has ever been dropped, damaged or repaired. If he flinches then run for the hills.

2. Take some pics at all focal lengths. Put your memory card into a laptop and pixel peep the images at 100% checking for sharpness edge to edge.

Of course I am being a bit tongue and cheek but in all honesty I always take a quick read of the seller and if I get a bad feeling I will not buy the item.

wow.. nice pointers guys...

will try to see how many of these I can do, for sure I can do the visual check but most likely cannot perform the PC test of the pictures.

@serendipity

I'll try that "interrogation" tactic of yours and see if he flinches ( or see if his eyes will move to the left side ( or was that the right) which some experts say is accessing the left side of the brain for lying hehehe courtesy of the movie Negotiator)

I will restate what I said in your WTB thread.

- I would look for fungus and dust inside lens
- Try it at both zoom extremes and in the middle of the range.
- I would try F stops through the range, wide open and stopped down.
- I would try it in AF and MF.
- Pop the images up on your computer.
- Check front/back focusing.
- Screw a filter on and off to verify thje threads are not damaged.

See if they have a receipt and are willing to share it with you. This one is not a show stopper but can add a level of integrity to a deal of that dollar value.

Good luck!

update on the "used" lens :

it was perfect!!!!!

made a visual inspection of the lens... no dust (not even a speck), no dents, no signs of paint chip ( letters and nos are still intact ), glass is intact, coatings are intact... even the hood has no scratch...

when attached on the camera body, I immediately tried it to AV mode and pressing the DOF button... it autofocuses fast with little to no sound on the motor (no grinding noise)... tried using the multiple shots (burst mode) no issues seen as all the pictures are OK ( I am basing only on the live view screen not on the PC ).. filter thread is still intact as I bring my own UV filter..

@serendipity

I tried the "negotiator" question and asked him straight if the lens has been bumped or fallen, he answered right away "no" because it is sitting on his bag most of the time...

all in all I was satisfied and ended up closing the deal....

btw, its a Canon 24-70 f2.8L lens....

thanks everyone for giving me the tips on how to check a used lens... it was really useful.....

I'm officially back in photography hobby now... hmm... got to go always on the ad-hoc events again..

Congrats!

Good choice. Congrats.

What camera body are you gonna get?

@thericyip

Canon EOS 50D ( I know 7D should have been perfect but my hands were tied on the budget ) ...

thanks... looking forward to shooting with you guys ....

Nice!

Wow, can't believe 24-70 has been sitting in the bag all the time congratulations on your new toy

Nice going! Congrats on the new glass!

thanks guys... its better to be conscious on what one buys even if it is a"used" item, it is still considered an investment.... again thanks for the tips...

@potatoeye

cant believe it either myself, the only way to find out if I were "duped" is to see if this lens will break or not function well at the early stage... so far this is my walk around lens now and havent noticed anything "suspicious"..

you should be ok with that L brick

By the way, here's something useful I just found on checking lenses

http://reviews.ebay.com/How-To-Detect-F ... 0001005542

The part about oil on the aperture blades is particularly cool. Likely more of an issue with older glass. I know you can stop down the blades on a Canon by mounting the lens, setting it at F22 or F32 and clicking on the dof button under the lens. It is a nice way to inspect the blades.