goldenyears Loc: Lake Osewgo

I am about to enter the world of interchangeable lenses. Are there any reliable mail order sources of used lenses? As I have a limited budget, I would like to keep costs down while I learn what lenses would get most use. I can invest in new ones later if the used ones don't do a good enough job. I will be purchasing a Canon T7, so I'm specifically interested in EF and EF-S lenses.

alliebess Loc: suburban Philadelphia

I'm a Nikon user and have purchased refurbished Nikon lenses. So I suggest going to Canon.s website and
looking for refurbished lenses.

Brokenland

Etsy

Quixdraw Loc: x

Roberts Camera Used Photo Pro
KEH
B&H

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Here on the Ugly Hegdehog
MPB
Adorama
Fred Miranda

mcmama

Used is a great way to go.

DeanS Loc: Capital City area of North Carolina

👍👍👍

gsmith051 Loc: Fairfield Glade, TN

KEH
B&H
Adorama

soloboogie Loc: Bunker Hill, Indiana

You need to be aware when buying from individuals on ebay or even here on the "hog". Sometimes a person buys a lens and finds out it is not a good copy so they will sell it in like new condition.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

B&H. I was very pleased with the used 18-135 mm EF-S lens I purchased for my T3i a few years ago. Their used dept:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/Used-Equipment/ci/2870/N/4294247188

.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

I have saved a fortune over my career carefully selecting used equipment from various sources. Back in the 60s in NYC, there were around 30 retail camera stores that traded in used gear. In the digital age it has been Craigslist, eBay and my favorite, the classified listings in https://www.fredmiranda.com/. Miranda's listings are extensive, prices are good, equipment has been as described or better. In those rare cases when ti wasn't paying by Paypal kept everyone honest.

There are savings to be realized buying from private sellers, but I don't advise you do this to start. It takes a lot of savvy to evaluate a product and its seller prior to the transaction, and lacking that, your best bet is to deal with a retailer. Do NOT buy gear from a rental company - it is usually pretty beat up, and though the price might seem attractive it's probably not a good way to spend your limited resources.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

From KEH, look at EX or EX+ rated items. For any used reseller, review their return and / or warranty policy and assure you receive and verify the used equipment within any return period.

Regarding purchasing lenses, avoid just randomly purchasing lenses and / or seeking an unbroken change of focal lengths. The suggestion for an 18-135 EF-S lens is the best place to start. Depending on your photography needs, this could be the only lens you'll ever need.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

It's hugely versatile, though I also enjoyed (on a less active scale) the EF-S 10-18 mm - my first silent focusing lens ever! - and the EF 70-300 mm. I think the 70-300 was also a used purchase from B&H.

They are all gone now as I switched to Olympus and Panasonic in 2017.

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

I have populated almost my entire gear group of lenses and bodies from used and refurbished.

For refurbished, I go directly to Canon refurbished products. Pull down the shop menu and under lenses or DSLR cameras will be refurbished options. They carry the exact same warranty as new items and pricing is good, sale discounts come and go so check back often. My refurbished 5DIII had a shutter count of 34 back in the day I received it.

https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog

I have also bought from KEH and their rating system is very good. Usually no warranty, and no info on age of items. Happy with the lenses, but had a serious problem with a 5DII camera body that shipped with a main dial that slipped control and needed dial assembly replacement. The replacement body shipped without a focus screen. Not sure how you examine and rate a camera for function without noticing there isn't a focus screen. Happily, they took care of the oversight.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I have dealt with King Grant and his wife at KEH since many years ago when they operated a retail store in Dallas in addition to their facility in Georgia. I know their business and life philosophies and know that their goal is to provide fair, honest service and products. Over the years, they have taken up the slack created by the retirement and closure of a number of local stores, so their volume now I'm sure causes a few errors to slip through. I've never had a problem, but I've also never heard of a situation in which a legitimate problem didn't get resolved satisfactorily.

One thing to be aware of is that they do tend to separate manuals and all but the basic accessories from products to sell separately. (Not a big problem now that so many manuals are available for download on line.) This has been a really good thing for me, because I've several times been able to purchase manuals from them that were not otherwise available anywhere else. But my last SB400 flash came without the cool little zipper case that is made for it. They operate an in-house repair center to provide support for products that they sell. Their prices are not generally rock-bottom, but their ratings are conservative and the overall values are almost always very good.