Photographers are still using 20-year-old lenses as an unexpected zoom tops Japan’s list of the trendiest retro lenses, proving that some camera tech ages differently

Nikon AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens — The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II (Image credit: Future)

Not many people are still walking around with a first-generation 2007 iPhone in their pockets – but camera lens tech ages differently. According to new data from Japan, photographers aren’t afraid to twist a 20-year-old lens onto their camera.

The data comes from Minna Camera, a photo gear buying and selling app popular in Japan. The company compiled a list of all the lenses still being sold on the platform that are at least 15 years old in order to find the most popular retro lenses still being used today. The research uses data from the last seven months of sales.

The top ten lenses on the list are nearly all zooms, with just two prime lenses in the top ten – hinting that photographers aren’t just after images with less modern sharpness but versatility too.

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Two of the top three retro lenses, in fact, are superzooms that cover a wide-to-telephoto range without lens swaps. The Nikon AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR takes the number one spot, a lens that first launched in September 2010. While Nikon has a similar Z Mount lens, the DSLR lens’ average selling price on Minna Camera is less than a third of the cost of the Z mount 24-120mm.

The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II (pictured here) eventually replaced the first generation before Canon built one for the RF mount (Image credit: Peter Travers)

A Canon all-in-one zoom takes the third-place spot: The EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. Launched in the fall of 2005, the lens is the oldest option on the top ten list. Like the top Nikon lens, the Canon 24-105mm has a mirrorless equivalent (but also an even a brighter f/2.8 option), but the average used price on Minna falls much lower.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro lens — (Image credit: Future)

A prime slots in between those two super zooms in second place, one of only two primes on the list: The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, released in October 2009. The lens is also the only specialty lens on the list with its macro designation for close-up shots.

Much of the list is dotted with so-called “workhorse lenses," the 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8 versatile bright zooms that typically come with a pro-level price. The full list of the top ten retro cameras over the last seven months, according to Minna Camera, includes:

Only one mirrorless lens made the list, the Panasonic 45-200mm, a nod towards the Micro Four Thirds long history. That lens launched alongside the first commercially available mirrorless camera – the Panasonic Lumix G1 – released in October, 2008.

Interestingly, Minna Camera crafted a similar list of the most popular cameras that are at least 15 years old. On average, those cameras still tended to be newer than the list of lenses. I can easily see why this is – I think one of the best ways to get the retro look that’s popular right now, without giving up digital, is to adapt an older lens – I even adapted an old film SLR lens to work on my mirrorless camera.

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