Second hand Lenses

[Trooper519]

Hi everyone,
Is it wise to buy second hand lenses and if so, where is the best place to buy them please? Thanks

[cosmicma]

it does no harm to buy second hand as for where to buy from well thats a good question
you will probably get a better deal from a private seller but you will forfeit any warranty a dealer/shop may offer
lenses tend to be pretty well built especially the top quality variety ( L lenses for canon ) and if treated with a bit of care will last a very long time

my rule of thumb when buying second hand lenses ( i have bought a few ) is to inspect the lens and take a camera body with me so i can try it
if i am happy with it i buy it if not i walk away

[Trooper519]

Thanks Cosmicma, Good advise. I was thinking more of Amazon as they have quite a few for sale, only trouble is you cant try before you buy! I will do some delving.
Many thanks for the reply.

[cosmicma]

another thing to consider if buying from the likes of ebay or forum sales ( personaly i prefer forum sales over ebay ) is to arrange cash on collection that way you can inspect the lens and if it's as described buy it knowing you are getting what you paid for

because of the sheer cost of some lenses people tend to take very good care of them and some of the lenses i have bought have been indistinguishable from new