Toment Loc: FL, IL

If you buy from a reputable dealer, you should not have a problem. I don’t own a new lens. KEH, MPB, B&H, Amazon, Adorama, Roberts, etc., all warrant their lenses. I’ve not had an issue with any lens. Used cameras are another thing altogether. Caveat emptor, check closely the moment you get it. I had to return a camera once to B&H, took it back without a question, with a full refund. The clock battery had failed and they didn’t pick it up during their testing. Lenses are generally easy to check, and hold their value as opposed to camera bodies. All IMHO.
Good luck and have fun!

Paul Diamond Loc: Atlanta, GA, USA

I agree - Get the Nikon.

cathy.ahles

I did the same thing -- a refurbished 150-600 G2 through Amazon, fulfilled by Hunt's Camera in Boston. Looked brand new. Hunt's was very helpful when I had some questions about the lens. Saved a ton.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

It would depend on how many photons have passed through the various elements of the lens. They can create a lot of wear and tear on the various elements of the lens .It's sort of equivalent to miles on an automobile. Unfortunately, lenses don't come equipped with a photonometer. Thus, one has to trust the person selling the lens to be honest about it.
--Bob

uhaas2009

I tried the 200-500 on a 7100 in a pawn shop. The focus with this body was good-not to slow and no endless focus hunting. Zoom and button all works and it don’t look beat up and there is not dusk.

fcjr Loc: new york

what is most important is that you purchase from a reputable dealer. I have always bought my Nikon gear new.
Living in NY, I use B&H. I took a chance and purchased a refurbished Nikon 80-400. They gave a 90 day warranty. During that time autofocus would sometimes not function. I did some traveling and by the time I got back to return it, It was about a week and a half past the 90 days. They agreed to take it back and give me another refurbished one. They did not have another refurbished in stock but agreed to ship one to me as soon as they got one in. Not wanting to leave the store empty handed, I gave them the difference in price and went home with a brand new version.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

There is no stock answer because there are too many variables. It's a mater of common sense and mathematics. The things to consider is the condition of the lens, the care or wear and tare the original owner has give the equipment and the amount of money saved over buying new. It's hard to disguise a badly abused lens- the usually don't look too good, the don't work smoothly, and if the are electronically integrated, the usually malfunction immediately and noticeably. Some of the don't even smell good- mold and mildew etc.

Personally over the years,I have purchased a ton of used gear. I have been especially fortunate with kinda exotic lenses- very long, very short, special purpose and soft focus. Many of my purchases were from amateurs and aspiring pros who changed their mind after buying some pretty expensive glass and finding they are not getting as much use or success with it and discovered what was once missing in their life is now languishing away in a drawer or camera case. I'll pay a fair and reasonable price that is well below the street price of a new unit.I guess you can call it "risk management" you have to decide if you can afford a loss or a repair bill if the item is defective and factor that into you decision.

If I buy used gear for a dealer, I make cretin the dealer provides a reasonable short term guarantee and will repair or exchange a defective item. I have never experienced a disappointing issued. I have I also purchased some real cosmetic wrecks- looks like they had been used in a war zone but the glass was intact. I purchased these AS IS for very low prices and usually and surprisingly they worked just fine- some-of that stuff as outboasted items that I had purchased new.

Some years ago my dealer gave me a FREE 105 Nikor from his rental stock. He jokingly said "here's a paperweight for your desk"! A customer dropped it into a lake and it was recovered a month later. The coating is discolored and somehow it stops down and focuses. It's my favorite kinda soft/sharp portrait lens.
I am a Canon user but I purchased a USED Nikon DSLR just to use my messed up lens, a few old Nikon macros and my favorite 24mm wide.

I'm sorry I can't opine on the OP's specific eventual lens purchase because I Have no hands-on experience with that lens. Sometimes the UHH grapevine will be of great assistance but the risk management and mathematics still apply.

dustychow

MPB

I purchased the new Canon EOS 90D body from B&H last fall – I love it.
I had two camera bodies – 40D & 50D that I sold to MPB.

I too had thought I did not want to buy “used” camera gear. I thought I’d give it a try. From UHH several folks indicated that MPB is reputable used camera store. They add a six-month warranty. They have a rating system. All these lenses that I purchased from them were rated “like new”.

I was impressed in that all three of my lenses from mpb were flawless. Each lens that I received did not have so much as a scratch, ding or crack on the lens & lens body. All lenses came with caps, hoods. I immediately took these out for various shoots these worked flawlessly. One of the lenses included the original Canon brand box/ packaging. Buying all this stuff from mpb saved me several hundred dollars.

I bought a canon EF 100mm Macro lens – my older version of the canon EF 100mm didn’t have the image stabilizer feature.

My old canon ef 100-400mm – I never did care for the push/pull feature. I bought version ll of this lens that has turning ring.

I had wanted to sell these old lenses & bodies here on UHH but my partner, who is not a member on UHH, didn’t want to go that route. PBM accepted all items except they rejected my old ef 100-400mm lens. They said something about dust in the lens, knew that this old lens had some scratching on the body of the lens the it still works very good.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

New is generally my last choice. I like to buy refurbished and used, and I've never been disappointed. They cost less, and they're generally just like new. As a matter of fact, I bought a Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 from KEH that had never been sold before. It was New Old Stock (NOS), so I am its first owner. I paid a little over $600 for that, compared with over $2,000 for a new 70-200.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Those two lenses aren't close im comparison. Good deal though! Best of luck.

terryrays1949 Loc: Greentown, Indiana

I've purchased used Canon EF-s and L lenses (4) from ebay over the years. Never had a problem with the transactions or the quality of the lenses.

gwilliams6

You can confidently buy used gear from reputable folks, like B&H, Adorama, KEH, and top mom & pop dealers like Allen's camera and get a great deal on top gear and some warranty.

Hey when I trade in my pristine lenses to Allen's (any they only accept pristine condition used gear) some lucky used gear buyers is getting a bargain on like-new equipment that will last them for many years. A win, win.
BTW I have been at Allen's and watched Adorama reps come down from NYC and buy loads of Allen's pristine used gear to take back to NYC and sell as used gear at Adorama.

https://allenscamera.com/

Flyerace Loc: Mt Pleasant, WI

I've just jumped off the cliff and ordered the Nikon 200-500 refurbished from Nikon. They offered a terrific price with an additional 10% discount and free shipping. I paid for it with my Discover Card, which if using PayPal, is giving a 5% rebate until the end of the month. The net is $945 with discounts and rebates. I've been agonizing spending money on myself, but I've wanted this lens for a long time. I figured it couldn't hurt. My husband is happy that I'm happy. All is well. It should arrive tomorrow afternoon. Wish me luck.

topcat Loc: Alameda, CA

topcat Loc: Alameda, CA

Good buy. Enjoy