Where To Buy Used Camera Lenses Near Me

Ever since I became a photographer, most of the cameras and lenses I have purchased have been used. Most cameras and lenses only come with i-year warranties (though there are exceptions), and since some used gear sellers offer 6-month warranties, that extra one-half-year is often non worth the departure (to me). And, of course, some items — similar vintage or discontinued cameras and lenses — are only bachelor used.

Also, if I want to endeavour a camera out to run into how it works for me, I look for an open-box item — I am not a fan of returning brand new cameras because of purely personal preference.

I have had experience with all the beneath-mentioned companies, some much more the others.

Then, without further filibuster, here is our list of the elevation six (in alphabetical order) places to look at when seeking out your adjacent piece of gear. Obviously, all these places offer gear well across just cameras and lenses likewise!

At a Glance

Adorama

Adorama is my absolute favorite supplier of photograph and video products. After hundreds (if non thousands) of items purchased and tens of thousands of dollars spent with them, I can safely say I take quite a lot of experience — including returns and dealing with its amazing customer service team.

As far as digital cameras and lenses, its used department is my favorite of anyone on this list. Adorama has tons of used gear available at any given time, with new gear beingness added every day. Best of all, it has very, very skillful prices with some unbeatable deals popping up now and and so.

Items are rated from X (for parts simply) to F (off-white, which ways information technology has certain malfunctions) to Due east+ (Excellent Plus). I take had nix but great experiences with items from G (Good, simply above Fair) to Due east+, with the lone exception of a 13-year-old Sigma DP1. Since returns to Adorama are so utterly seamless, it was not even a bother.

One of the all-time features of Adorama — not merely its used department but the site as a whole — is its VIP360 plan. It costs $49.99 per year, merely if you lot order a decent amount of photography or video equipment, it is well worth it. The primary benefits are: gratis 2-day aircraft on thousands of new items, 60 day return flow instead of the normal 30, one-year "drops and spills" protection (applies to new items merely, with some exclusions), dedicated customer service, and early-bird admission to discounts and sales. Oh, and shipping for returns is costless with VIP360 besides — and then even if you simply modify your mind simply the product is not lacking, you still pay nothing for return shipping.

All of Adorama's used photograph products come with a vi-month warranty for G course or higher and a xxx-day return window. Used video and lighting gear carries a 90-day warranty with a xxx twenty-four hours render period.

B&H Photograph Video

We probable all know B&H Photo Video. It is near certainly the largest photo and video retailer in the The states, if non the earth. While most of its seemingly countless options of products and brands are new stock, it does take a decent used department.

Based out of New York City, B&H sits less than two miles from its nearest competitor (both literally and figuratively) — Adorama. The retailer has a massive superstore that thousands of people visit every day. Should you be lucky enough to do so, you can scan its used equipment in person. You can besides drop off returns and selection up online orders at its physical store, often same-day.

Unlike Adorama, the used department is not nearly as robust, nor are its prices as competitive. B&H's inventory does not rotate over as much, and its rating system is more than opaque. It does often include a annotation aslope the numbered rating (which ranges from 7 to ten), e.g. "Moderate Wear," "Well Used," or "Little to No Signs of Habiliment."

Similar purchasing new items from B&H, used gear will even so come with the same quality customer service and costless expedited commitment over $49. Used equipment may be returned for any reason within thirty days and carries a three-month parts and labor warranty.

eBay

I am sure everyone is familiar with eBay, and so not a lot needs to be said near how it works. Information technology is probably the well-nigh controversial option on this list — some hate it and volition never use it and others (similar me) find it to be a nifty source for a variety of different situations.

eBay is where you stand to get the best possible price and have the largest variety of options at any given time for any given item. For some items, namely vintage lenses, cameras, and accessories too every bit rare or niche items, eBay may be the but place where you stand up a risk to notice what you are looking for.

A lot of the apprehension regarding eBay is the potential for scams or dubious sellers. This is a completely valid business organisation; however, it is far, far less something to worry about equally a buyer. eBay has an incredibly robust protection arrangement in place for buyers — to the bespeak that I experience the site is riskier for sellers and not the other manner around. The retailer will side with the heir-apparent in almost every situation.

If there are any bug with your item, you tin merely file a merits and eBay will refund your coin whether the seller accepts the render or ignores your claim. Yous should, however, thoroughly read any description and look at all available photos earlier purchasing. From my extensive feel of over xv years on the site as both a heir-apparent and seller, I have zero reservations every bit a purchaser.

Unlike every other company on this listing, eBay items, in general, accept no warranty — however, some sellers on the site (including several on this listing who also sell on eBay) exercise offer warranties on items sold via eBay. Again, y'all should thoroughly read the list and/or contact the seller if you lot are unsure almost the terms. eBay itself has a xxx-day window to file a claim should your buy be not equally described, not arrive, etc.

It is worth noting that eBay, along with the below-mentioned MPB, is the only company on this listing that is NOT an authorized dealer for Nikon, Canon, Sony, etc. This can be of import if yous are, for instance, an NPS (Nikon Professional person Services) fellow member — it as well may bear upon the power to get repairs from the manufacturer, since any camera or lens not purchased from an authorized retailer is considered greyness marketplace.

KEH Camera

KEH Photographic camera — the largest pre-owned camera store in the United States — is based just outside of Atlanta and is ane of the most popular and highly regarded sites for used photography (and some video) gear. With slap-up prices, fantastic customer service, warranties, and a huge catalog of used equipment, information technology is one of my get-to sites when I am looking for my next slice of gear. From 35mm to large format cameras and lenses, DSLRs, mirrorless, and tons of accompaniment gear, there is not much information technology doesn't have.

The site is piece of cake to navigate and scan, with everything broken downwards into articulate and specific categories, plus enough of search filters along the left-hand side of the folio. Its ratings range from "Like New" to "Ugly" — in that location is likewise an "As Is" rating, which essentially ways "for parts only." And its rating system is one of the strictest out there — "deal" course, which is simply above "ugly" is oft equivalent to what many eBay sellers would listing as "Excellent++" or "About Mint." I have even bought dozens of "ugly" lenses — nearly of which just had cosmetic issues simply were optically good or excellent.

Unfortunately, KEH'southward site does not have photos of each item, and then yous can merely judge its items based on the rating system.

KEH offers a 180-day warranty and 21-day render window on bargain grade or higher items and free aircraft for orders over $49.

LensRentals

Our original choice hither was LensAuthority, a subsidiary of LensRentals, nonetheless as Petapixel reported in Nov of terminal year, Lensrentals chose to integrate the two into one site. This is certainly a good move because it was somewhat hard to discover LensAuthority unless you were direct familiar with it, fifty-fifty if you knew about LensRentals.

Every piece of equipment at LensRentals goes through a rigorous X point inspection, cleaning, and provision program after each loan, which allows them to achieve what is purported to exist the lowest failure rate in the rental business organisation. Equipment naturally goes through the aforementioned proprietary inspection process before being put up for sale.

You tin can browse the LensRentals site as yous normally would if you want to rent something, and if you're interested in buying or seeing what's available to purchase, each production page has a "Buy" button in the top correct. Clicking that will take you to a page that lists all of the available bodies/lenses for auction.

Each item will accept an overall rating like "excellent" or "expert," along with sub-ratings for Cosmetics, Operation, and Shutter Count (for cameras). Lenses will, in place of Shutter Count, have a "Glass" rating.

LensRentals does provide another very nice options that you lot don't see elsewhere. Main among them is its incredibly affordable extended warranty options. For example, you can get a ane-year extended warranty on any camera priced from $i,000 to $3,000 for an boosted $25! A ii-year extended warranty on a lens from $500 to $one,500 is $14. I don't know any other company that offers extended warranties anywhere close to those prices if they're fifty-fifty offered at all.

I practice wish the site was easier to navigate for potential buyers who are non interested in renting — similar to how LensAuthority worked, or every other site on this list. As it stands, yous have to find the particular you're interested in, click "Purchase" and then run into what'south available (if annihilation is). A somewhat split department of the site with navigation for all products currently for sale, along with filters and the ability to organize lists (e.g. from Depression to Loftier toll) would be incredibly nice. But once more, the transition away from LensAuthority is very contempo, so it's highly possible updates to the site are in the works or planned.

Lastly, if yous hire an particular from LensRentals, you can opt to purchase it after your rental and LensRentals will credit 100% of the rental fees for upwards to 7 days toward the purchase equally office of its "Keeper Exam Drive" program.

MPB

MPB is probably the least well-known on this list, just it has grown quite a lot during the COVID-nineteen era and are absolutely worth a look. Not unlike the others on this list (except eBay), MPB purchases and resells used camera gear after thoroughly inspecting and testing the equipment. With two offices in the UK and 1 in Brooklyn, New York, MPB serves fifty-fifty more markets than several others on this list, and in Apr of this twelvemonth, it acquired Series D funding of $69 million to aggrandize to other markets.

The two best things about MPB are its massive catalog of available products and its very good prices. For example, at the time of writing there are twenty Nikon Z6 (starting at $1059), thirty-four Canon 5D Mark Iv (starting at $1959), and twenty-seven Sony a7R Marker III (starting at $1889) cameras available to buy. I exercise not know of anywhere else, except eBay, with that kind of inventory.

The company offers a seven-day return window with a six-calendar month warranty on all the retailer's products.

As mentioned above for eBay, MPB is not an authorized dealer for Nikon, Catechism, Sony, etc.

Robert'due south Camera (Used Photo Pro)

Robert's Photographic camera (hereafter referred to as Used Photo Pro), based out of Indianapolis is one of the largest suppliers of both new and used gear in the United States. Its used section, which exists on a carve up website and with its own customer service line, is one of the best in the land.

Over the years, I take purchased thousands of items from Robert's, visited its store dozens of times, and it has been aught but the kindest, most helpful visitor I take ever dealt with. Client service resolves issues with lightning speed and without hassle.

Used Photo Pro sells everything from modern digital cameras and lenses to vintage 35mm, medium format, and large format cameras and lenses — also every bit the expected accessories like tripods, camera bags, etc.

While its inventory is not equally extensive equally KEH, the prices are just equally competitive and, unlike KEH, each item on the site has photos of the actual product.

Grades range from Inoperable to Mint. The description of what each class means is listed on every detail's page and, every bit mentioned, photos are bachelor for you to inspect. The retailer is equally transparent equally it gets every bit far as what you lot are buying — in fact, out of the thousands of items I purchased from them, only one had an consequence and the render was seamless.

Used Photo Pro offers a 6-calendar month warranty on all items, except for those graded "poor" or "inoperable." Gratuitous aircraft is offered on all items except those graded Inoperable, Poor, or Fair.

If there is one niggle with Used Photograph Pro, it is that ever since its redesign, the website is achingly dull to load each page — it is borderline unacceptably tedious. Just, have patience considering information technology is a wonderful resources. I practise hope the retailer fixes that issue, though — information technology would make it a lot more pleasant for me, as I cheque information technology several times a day.

Full disclosure: Adorama has been a long-time PetaPixel sponsor, merely the photographic camera shop was non involved in the creation of this article.

Paradigm credits: Header photo licensed from Depositphotos

Source: https://petapixel.com/best-places-buy-used-cameras-lenses/

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