Buy a used lens with dust?

413x · 31 Mar 2014 at 23:20

i read that light dust is common in some lenses and will not affect photos

i am looking at one that is 700 pounds less (or 1/2 the price) or the new price

This is obviously a substantial saving if there is no real affect.
is this a good idea?
the lens isnt from an individual but a used lens company
the claim on the description states light dust which will not affect images captured

D.P. · 31 Mar 2014 at 23:25

Depends where the lens is at th front of the lens it makes little difference, at the back of the lens it will be visible. Some lenses you can remove the rear element with care and clean it. Most lenses you can send to manufacturer for cleaning, take that cost into consideration.

413x · 31 Mar 2014 at 23:50

with this lens i would have a 7 day return window.

cwgk91 · 1 Apr 2014 at 00:07

Can you try before you buy? Or can they send you some test pics? Just do a few shots at max aperture and you'll see if you have a problem.

As said above, if at the front of the lens, won't make a huge amount of difference, same with scratches on the front element

413x · 1 Apr 2014 at 00:35

cwgk91 said:
Can you try before you buy? Or can they send you some test pics? Just do a few shots at max aperture and you'll see if you have a problem.

As said above, if at the front of the lens, won't make a huge amount of difference, same with scratches on the front element

I dont think that would happen. I have asked where the dust is.
I suspect the only way to test would be to buy and return if not happy Tbh

dannyjo22 · 1 Apr 2014 at 08:12

People worry too much about it, get a LED torch and shine it through any lens. Lenses are full of tiny particles. I worried for months about the 17-55 getting one dust free. Then if you use it for more than 1 hour you get some anyway

Hodders · 1 Apr 2014 at 08:34

Your camera looks through lenses not at them.

Buy it, test it and if you like it keep it.

As cwgk91 said, dust at the front of the lens is of very little consequence.

avatar12m · 1 Apr 2014 at 16:47

some models of camera ( my nikon d7000 ) has a dust off sensor image you can take.

and store where the dust is and it automatically removes the dust of the images you take , i think it does it in camera aswell or within the software that came with the camera called nview.

Andy90 · 1 Apr 2014 at 17:05

avatar12m said:
some models of camera ( my nikon d7000 ) has a dust off sensor image you can take.

and store where the dust is and it automatically removes the dust of the images you take , i think it does it in camera aswell or within the software that came with the camera called nview.

That's for dust on the sensor rather than in the lens.

Dust inside lenses isn't a major problem with image quality. Its got to be fairly large blob to make any impact on the image.

413x · 1 Apr 2014 at 18:46

the company said

The dust is very minimal on both the front and rear glass but it would not affect the optical performance at all.

avatar12m · 1 Apr 2014 at 20:43

Andy90 said:
That's for dust on the sensor rather than in the lens.

Dust inside lenses isn't a major problem with image quality. Its got to be fairly large blob to make any impact on the image.

doh sorry I don't think before I reply, I think allot of used lens sellers put that dust description to stop the perfectionists sending the lens back, I bet allot of the time there very little or no dust at all.

mpb put it on every used lens they sell.

a1ex2001 · 2 Apr 2014 at 11:26

al4x said:
the company said

The dust is very minimal on both the front and rear glass but it would not affect the optical performance at all.

Buy it and try it, this is the only way you can be sure. If you are the type of person that obsesses over this stuff then this isn't the lens for you as you wil never be happy with it. Photography is a funny hobby some people are obsessed with spot less gear and well polished UV filters on the front of everything and others are happy to take pictures with lenses covered in finger prints and dust as they know it won't effect the results.