I'm shopping for a 28-70 f/2.8 L canon lens. Just spoke with B&H and they have a used (mint, rated at 10) for $850. Anyone have experiences/comments regarding buying USED lenses from B&H? My experiences with new equipment purchases have been good.

By the way, I will be opting for the 1yr warranty for $20.00 (But service comes from independent shop, not Canon). When I add this expense, there is about a $200 difference between the new versus the used lens from B&H (taking into account the rebate on new one).

Comments would be greatly appreciated, as I have no experience trying to get used lenses serviced if problems arise.

Thanks in advance.

Jessie

-- jessie Williams (jessiew12@hotmail.com), June 07, 2001

Answers

Although I have never purchased used gear from B&H, I wouldn't be concerned about B&H's used equipment. They have too much at stake to sell crappy gear.

As far as the warranty is concerned, find out what it covers exactly. Cleanings, lube, whatever. It sounds like a sweet deal though. $20.00 for peace of mind is great; as long as they cover what could go wrong. If their list of covered problems is very short, I wouldn't spend the money.

Be sure and test it thourougly at all aperatures with a known accurate camera using a handheld light meter (for even exposure) and Provia F against a brick wall in even light. This will show any problems the lens has. Ask for your slides unmounted as this will make it easier to look at each one.

Beter hurry or I'll buy that lens out from under you..... ;)

just kidding

-- Colin Miller (ckmiller@pond.net), June 07, 2001.

Colin, Thank you for your prompt reply. I appreciate the reassurance and suggestions. By the way, B&H had two of these lenses for sale, both rated as 10 on 10 point scale. So we can share.

Jessie

-- Jessie (Jessiew12@hotmail.com), June 08, 2001.

$850.00 + another $20.00 + shipping seems a little high. Especially on this lens. It has been made forever and you can't really be sure of it's age. The earliest lenses had little glitches here and there, the newer ones are more reliable. If you can buy a new one for $200.00 more why are you even debating this? If you go on vacation and your lens fails {which is more likely with an older or used lens} how much is airfare back to that location. If you are shooting professionally how much $ would you lose if you lens goes down in the middle of a job. Sorry to be so long winded. Finally how much will it cost to repair after the warranty has expired. If a lens has alot of electronics in it {USM motor} I would rather know it's history or be paying alot less. Hope this helps.

-- john (dogspleen@juno.com), June 08, 2001.

You can buy mine. I just bought one of these lenses at B&H and its going back. The box was sealed and labelled as refurbished by Canon. I opened it up and everything looked brand new--until I held it up to the light. One of the internal elements is "cloudy". Its either tiny bubbles in the glass or an enormous amount of very small dust particles inside. I expected more from a refurbished lens. Now I lose money on shipping and handling. I'll be ordering a brand new lens soon--I'm not taking any more chances on used stuff.

-- josh (josh@neb.rr.com), June 08, 2001.

well, Fedex has my 28-70 now. Should arrive at B&H sometime next week. So you can buy the lens and as long as you don't look inside of it--you might never know about the "cloudy" glass inside.

-- josh (josh@neb.rr.com), June 08, 2001.