Second Hand 24-105mm L

Kryptix

Kryptix

Suspended / Banned
Messages
1,730
Edit My Images
Yes
I'm a new amateur photographer and I really want a 24-105mm L.

Would you advise against buying a expensive lens second hand, even if it's from a regular forum member and it's in mint condition? How often do these advanced lenses fail? If it was to fail, what sort of price range would I be looking at to get it repaired? I guess there's lots that could go wrong, so just an example would be good as I have no-idea what-so-ever.

If I was to buy it, and I didn't think it was worth the £600 (to me), would I be able to sell it for the same amount? I'm worried about buying a lens and then suddenly the exchange rate changes or whatever and I'll loose a massive amount even if I'm buying second hand.

The best price for the 24-105mm L on Camera Price Buster is £799. I've seen a few go for £600-£650 so would you consider it worthwhile spending £150-£200 more on a new lens, even if I'm not 100% sure it's for me?

It's easy enough saying 'Go and try it in a shop!' but it'll take me longer than a quick fiddle whilst being watched constantly by a Jessops employee. I'd want to use it for some time and get to know the lens. The only 'walkabout lens' I have used is 18-55mm (400D) and the 18-55mm IS (450D). I'm also not keen on hiring it as that's £50 (ish) towards the lens in the first place, and I imagine I'd be able to sell it for the same price if I get a good enough deal and decide not to keep it.

What'cha reckon?
 
I went through the same dilemma a month or so back. At the time, the 24-105L could be bought for £689 new, and was selling for around £550-£600 used. Personally, I thought the extra £100 or so for a new lens with a warranty was well worth it.

The same seems to go for many photography items though; Used residual values are higher than pretty much and other field I have seen. Whether they stay that way depends on whether demand outstrips supply, or vice versa. If new prices drop to (or below) their old level, then I would expect a corresponding drop in used prices, however, if any of us could foresee that then we would be multimillionaires playing the currency markets, and not worried in the slightest about the value of our lenses!
 
I would not advise against buying used. Pro quality lenses are very well built and, as you'v discovered, hold their value pretty well. Think about that for a second - if buying used wasn't a good idea, they wouldn't be so expensive!

If you pick one up for a good price, then you should be able to sell it on for pretty close to what you paid for it. But you'll need to do your research to establish what a good price is. If you buy for (say) £650 in the belief that that's a good price and it turns out that £600 is nearer the mark, then you'll lose on the deal. In the used market, prices depend at least to some extent on the seller's reputation and their skill in advertising. How do you think you rate in those departments?

The exchange rate is a risk. The cheapest new 24-105s have gone up from £600 last year to £800 recently, and the average retailer's price has gone up from under £700 to over £900, according to Camera Price Buster:

Canon_EF_24-105mm_f4L_IS_USM_graph.png


My personal experience is similar. I have seven copies of the 24-105L, and I paid:
* £572 in Dec 07 (x2)
* £610 in Jun 08
* £628 in Aug 08 (x2)
* £710 in Nov 08
* £679 in Jan 09

That increase is dragging used prices up too - obviously you wouldn't have had to pay £600-£650 for a used one last year. I reckon £500 would have been nearer the mark. So if the exchange rate goes the other way, used prices will fall again and you could be facing a big loss.
 
This site lists most of the secondhand dealers in the UK http://www.ukcamera.co.uk/

It takes a bit of searching but there are still some that are reasonably priced, yesterday I bought a Nikkor 300mm AF-s for £600 which is less than they make on ebay and you get a warranty.

I've never owned a new lens, a couple of sigmas have had problems but none of the canons or nikons have, some over 20 years old.

I very much doubt you'll regret buying the 24-105mm it's making top money for a reason, it's very good
 
If you are serious about wanting a good try with it before committing then just contact Stewart above - he has so many lenses he hires them out to members of the public!
Seriously, it's worth a go, cheaper than you think probably. Ands you'll also see what a good condition 2nd hand one will be like?
(You can send the £5 in the post to the usual address Stewart!)
 
As Stewart says above, these lenses are built to last and are usually good value. All my lenses (bar one) were bought secondhand and I've never had a problem....that's probably 25+ lenses now so the odds are good.

Bob
 
If its from a regular poster here, then why not!
 
I have bought both my L lenses second hand and have had no issues. Both from members on here. In my experience when somebody pays a lot of money for something they tend to look after it as resale is always on the cards if you want a faster model at some point.

Go for it. I love my 24-105, used it at Blackpool Zoo the other day and it served me well both indoors and out!
 
BertRoot said:
I have bought both my L lenses second hand and have had no issues. Both from members on here. In my experience when somebody pays a lot of money for something they tend to look after it as resale is always on the cards if you want a faster model at some point
Click to expand...

I agree :thumbs:

I've bought all my L lenses secondhand, ditto my 1Ds MkII (and previously my EOS 1N in those days of film). I even bought from the USA when the exchange rate was at 2$ to the £.

Pro quality lenses in good condition keep their value. In some cases they even increase in value in line with exchange rates - I know Busterboy sold his 500mm f/4L for around £2,750 in September last year and now I see them selling for anywhere between £3,500 and £4,500. Similar % increases are now exhibited across the range.

Buying good quality S/H lenses from reputable sellers allows you to try out a lens for several months and then either decide to keep it, or sell it on and use the funds to buy another S/H lens to try out.

If possible get one that comes with its box etc as it will help with resale and carry a slight premium, but even without its box, if it's in good condition, then expect to pay around 70% of new cost (maybe 75% if it comes with box etc). Rare and much sort after near-mint lenses may make 80-85% (or more) of new.

I would also buy direct from someone here, or one of the other forums as I don't want to pay the hefty markup charged by some of the S/H dealers for just putting the lens on the shelf and then advertising it (yes, yes I know they say they check them out and offer a limited warranty and if you want that security then by all means pay their premium).

However, you should be able to sell the lens for the same price that you bought it for (unless you've bought it from a S/H dealer and depending on exchange rates and the economy) so all you're doing is keeping your money in the lens rather than in the bank :)
 
My lenses (other than the 50mm f/1.8) and cameras are all secondhand! If you want the lens and buy it secondhand then the exchange rate changes yes you could easily find yourself selling it for less than you paid, BUT, if you buy new and the prices drop you will have depreciation (as it would then be secondhand) as well as the price drop so you are better off getting a used one!
Could you have a day out with a friend who owns one and would let you borrow one for an hour or so to see how you get on with it?
 
Ah, there you are Kryptix,

I wondered what happened to your 'Wanted' thread after I replied to you ;)

Were you frightened off by the price I quoted?

I am now going to put it up in the 'For Sale' section so, if you are still interested, you will know where there is one available :)

Bob
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top