How to buy a used camera lens: fungus, haze, mount and price checks

Will it fit your camera?

A perfect lens in the wrong mount is worth nothing to you, and “for Canon” or “for Nikon” can mean two or three mounts. Read the mount printed on the lens or rear cap (EF, EF-S, RF, F, Z, E, FE), or ask for a photo of the back, and match it to your body.

The Nikon row catches the most buyers. Older AF and AF-D Nikkors are focused by a screw in the camera body, which Z cameras lack, so on the FTZ they become manual focus, though metering and stabilization still work (Wikipedia). The FTZ II is the same adapter without the tripod foot. On Sony, the LA-EA1 and LA-EA2 only cover APS-C, while the LA-EA5 autofocuses most A-mount lenses (Wikipedia).

A Sigma, Tamron or Tokina “for Canon” is made in one specific mount, so check it the same way. If you’ll use an adapter, test the lens on your own adapter.

The flashlight test

Use your phone’s flashlight, out of direct sun, with both caps and any filter off.

1. Light the back, look through the front. Hold the light against the rear element at an angle and tilt it slowly. Most flaws only appear at certain angles.
2. Reverse it. Light the front and look in from the rear.
3. Move everything. Zoom through the range and turn the focus ring end to end while you look, because a patch can sit behind a moving element.
4. Look at the glass, not through it. Angle each end against the light for scratches and worn coating.

Before you drive anywhere, ask for a photo through the lens with a light behind it. “No fungus, no haze” is what the seller says they saw; the flashlight is how you see it.

If you are building a camera kit, budget for lighting separately. Our used camera-flash checklist covers hot-shoe compatibility, battery compartments and a normal test on your camera; a compatible lens does not establish that a flash is compatible too.

Test it on your own camera

Bring your body, a charged battery, a memory card and any adapter you’ll use. The seller’s camera can’t tell you whether the lens works with yours.

1. Autofocus. Focus close, then far, then in a dim corner. It should lock quickly with no grinding. On a zoom, try both ends.
2. Rings. Focus and zoom rings should turn smoothly. Point the lens down: a zoom that slides out on its own, or a barrel that wobbles, is worth a lower offer.
3. Stabilization. Turn on IS, VR or OSS and watch the image settle. A loud clunk or a jumpy picture is a fault.
4. Aperture. Take a shot at f/16 against a bright sky. If it comes out much brighter than a shot at f/8, the blades are closing too slowly, often from oil on them.
5. Mount and barrel. Look for worn contacts, chewed screw heads (it has been opened) and a dented filter thread, which usually means a drop.
6. Shots at 100%. Take a few frames wide open and zoom in on the screen. One side much softer than the other points to a decentred element.

Questions to ask before you go

Ask how the lens was stored, since a damp basement or a closed bag in a humid closet is where fungus grows. Ask whether it has been dropped, repaired or opened, and for the receipt and box. Ask whether it was bought in this country, because a grey-market import may not be serviced under the local warranty. Then ask to mount it on your camera, and meet somewhere bright and public, ideally a safe exchange zone.

What a used lens should cost

Three numbers frame the price for the exact lens and mount:

1. Sold prices. eBay sold listings show what copies actually went for. See how to find sold prices.
2. A dealer’s used price for the same condition. The used departments at KEH, MPB, B&H and Adorama grade their lenses and stand behind them: KEH covers most grades with a 180-day warranty (KEH), and MPB checks each item and sells it with a warranty (Amateur Photographer). That is your ceiling.
3. The new price, including any rebate. A used lens priced near new is a pass.

A private sale has no warranty and no return, so it should come in below the dealer. Say a dealer lists your lens in excellent condition at $700 and eBay sold copies cluster at $600 to 650. A clean local copy with its hood belongs under that cluster; one with rear scratches or no hood, well under it. Dust changes nothing, front marks take a little off, and haze, fungus or separation make it a repair project priced like one. A screw-drive Nikkor is worth less to a Z shooter.

A lens that has sat for weeks usually has room to move. On a computer, Sift shows each listing’s price history and marks price drops, and on a one-model search such as “Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8” it shows whether the price looks fair compared with similar listings. Not sure what to offer? Press Is this a good deal? and Sift’s AI second opinion gives you a verdict, a fair offer and a message ready to send the seller. More in the price tracker, price history on Marketplace and how to negotiate.

Scams and red flags

Popular lenses hold their value, which makes them good bait. Meta warns: “Be cautious of listings that are significantly underpriced compared to market value” (Meta). Watch for:

• Stock photos, or photos lifted from a dealer’s listing. A reverse image search usually finds the original.
• Shipping only, from a far-off city. Purchase Protection covers eligible checkout orders and excludes local pickups and Messenger deals (Meta), so an e-transfer or Zelle for a shipped lens leaves nothing to claim. See shipping scams.
• A deposit to hold it. Meta says never to pay for an item in advance.
• Zelle, PayPal friends and family, gift cards or crypto. See which payment methods protect you.
• A seller who won’t let you mount it, or wants a rushed meeting at night.

More in Marketplace scams.

Is it stolen?

Most lenses carry a serial number on the barrel or near the mount; check it against the receipt or box. A scraped or covered serial is a reason to leave, whatever the price, and so is a bag of cheap lenses from a seller who can’t name them. If you think a lens is stolen, don’t buy it, and report the listing to your local police with a screenshot.

Serial numbers and police reports work the same way for other gear people resell; our guide to buying a used guitar covers the music side.

How Sift helps

Sift is a free browser extension for Facebook Marketplace. It clears the clutter and points out what to ask about, so your time goes into the lenses worth testing.

Sift’s ready-made broken-and-for-parts filter clears out lenses sold for parts or as-is, and you can block “body only” when you want a lens. Go easy on blocking “fungus” and “haze”: a blocked word would also hide every seller who writes “no fungus, no haze”. Hide shipped and partner listings keeps results to lenses you can inspect, and a distance limit from your home keeps them close. More in excluding words.

On each listing, Sift shows red chips such as Pay first, Off-site contact and Very low price when a listing calls for them, and green ones such as Receipt and Original box when the seller mentions them. Green chips repeat what the seller wrote, so confirm them in person. Check elsewhere opens eBay sold prices, a Google Lens search of the photo and Google Shopping. See the scam checker.

Pricing a lens at a camera store first? Click Sift on the store’s product page and Find it used shows the same lens used near you, and what you’d save.

Good lenses at fair prices go fast. Sort a model search by Date listed (Meta), then watch it in Sift for new listing alerts: Sift checks it in the background and lets you know soon after a new lens is posted, on your phone too with Sift Pro. For Kijiji’s own saved searches, see Kijiji alerts. Sift runs in Chrome, Edge and Brave on a computer, needs no account and takes a minute to set up. It doesn’t contact sellers.