If you have never bought an old lens before, you may be questioning where the best place to buy them is. Obviously, these things were manufactured forty to fifty years ago, and the camera companies have moved into a new generation. So, I want to talk a little bit about where I buy my lenses and where you can, too, along with tips on every precaution you can take to make sure you do it right and get the right product.
1. eBay
There are so many online marketplaces, but one stands out more than any other, especially when you are talking about buying old or used items. This place is eBay. eBay has thousands of used electronics for sale. It is also a hotspot for sellers with old lenses. People will buy the lenses, clean them internally, and then sell them for twice the price. These sellers are everywhere, and there are so many options when you are looking to get an old lens. I would definitely say eBay is the number one place to go, but there are a few things you have to look out for when buying on eBay. The first thing to be careful of is to make sure that what they listed is exactly what you were looking to buy. Double-check the title of what they are selling and triple-check the pictures. Sometimes, the title does not match the photo and you will have to message the seller and say, “Hey, what are you actually selling here because the picture does not match the title.” It is just very important to pay super close attention to this because you know how confusing lens names and millimeters can get, especially with the older ones.
The next thing to always look for with lenses on eBay is haze, fungus, and dirt. There are some very subtle things like this that you cannot tell the difference on when looking at the photos, but it ruins the lens. Always check the description, and it will normally say something like “Works well, no haze, fungus, or dirt.” If it does not have a description or a detailed one, it is always worth shooting a message to the seller and asking yourself. Just make sure you know what you are buying because these little details of conditions are everything. It is okay to have a little bit of dirt, but fungus and haze are always a bad sign.
The final precaution to take when buying on eBay is to make sure you are buying from a legit seller and not a scammer. It is a little risky to trust a random person’s integrity in the first place, so what you want to do is make sure the seller has had a large percentage of positive feedback. It is not rare to see people who specialize in selling lenses, so they may have a name like “lens_master123” or something random like that. Positive feedback and a categorized name like that normally indicate that they know what they are doing, will not scam you, and do this all the time. This is also a good sign that if the lens does have haze, fungus, or dirt, this guy is going to tell you about it in the description. I learned about all of this the hard way.
I do all of my old lens buying on eBay
2. Facebook marketplace
If you’re looking for a place to buy vintage lenses, Facebook Marketplace is a good option. It’s a lot like eBay, but you can usually meet the seller in person to inspect the item before you buy it. This reduces the risk of getting the wrong item or a damaged product. Facebook Marketplace is especially useful if you live in a populated area because there are a lot of listings close to you. You can often find people who are just cleaning out their garage or basement and find an old camera lens that they’re selling for cheap.
3. local store?
It is a big question mark on whether or not there is a store close to you. If you live in a big city, there probably is. I definitely do not have one anywhere near me. I do not even have a camera shop, let alone one that specializes in vintage lenses. I think if I did have a store near me, it would always be the first place I would go to. You most likely even have people in the store who know a ton about photography in general and can make great suggestions to you. I wish I had this, I hope some of you do. It is also worth looking at any Goodwills near you or any thrift store you might have. If you take the time to look around at these places, you will probably strike a good deal.
4. KEH camera
I have personally never bought anything from this website, but they do have a lot of options. Seems like they have a wide variety, mostly with large brands like Canon. It is nice that they have a detailed lens grading system that tells you exactly what condition the lens is in. I am not sure they will always have what you want if you are ever looking for film cameras or unique brands. It seems like the pricing is decent, but you could probably get things for cheaper with any of the other options. There are benefits to using a company you can trust, but I would not use this particular method when it comes to buying vintage lenses.
If you’re looking to buy vintage lenses, there are a lot of places you can go. The best place to start is with one of the options listed above. But, depending on your location and preference, there are many other options out there.
Other marketplaces like MPB, Reddit + photography forums, and even Etsy are also out there.
Thanks for reading, Trip