subscribe 0330 333 1113 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 21 September 2019 55
eals
Six AP readers reveal their
favourite second-hand lenses
that were bought on the cheap
Ferry Widjaja
● Canon EF 200mm f/1.8L USMWhilst lying in my bed with my wife, I saw an advert for the
EF 200mm f/1.8L USM. Even with my limited knowledge
about this lens, having only read reviews from the internet,
I managed to explain how great it was, and she agreed to
me purchasing it.
A few days later, the lens arrived. Considering its age, being
manufactured in December 1992, the overall condition was
good. It had some specks of dust inside the barrel, but no
scratches or fungus was found. And after taking some photos
around my house, I was happy with my purchase.
The real experience though started when I took this lens
to Chiang Mai in Thailand, where I found that the f/1.8 was
extremely helpful for keeping ISO levels low and shooting
with fast shutter speeds.
My only issue with the lens is its hood. I took the lens to the
North of Chiang Mai, to one of the hill tribe villages, and the
hood fell off. I quickly realised, while trying to reattach the
hood, that I lost one of the screws. Without the screw, it was
impossible to reattach the hood back onto the lens. Although
I did fi nd the screw, its poor design meant it was still wobbly.
Putting that aside, this lens has quickly become a staple
in my kit; the colour, contrast, and bokeh are absolutely
mind-blowing. The lens is not only amazing for portraits,
it’s also great for landscapes, and macro photography with
extension tubes. I’d say it’s in the premier league of lenses
and has been worth every penny of the initial outlay.second-hand gear and offer
them at very reasonable prices.
A few days later I unwrapped
what looked to me like a
brand-new lens that was fresh
off Canon’s production line.
In use, the lens performs
superbly with great ergonomics
and balance. Although it weighs
1,050g, I fi nd it easy to handhold
in almost any conditions and the
image quality is pure perfection. I
have used it for taking pictures of
sports, landscapes, and portraits.
It’s an incredibly versatile lens.
Sharpness is very good
throughout the range, though I
fi nd f/8 offers the best results
on my example. The 67mm
front-end takes screw-in fi lters
and does not rotate when
zoomed. Performance-wise, theautofocus is both fast and silent
and the zoom ring turns precisely
without any sign of play. In use,
this makes it a doddle to set any
focal length both precisely and
quickly. Turning the big manual-
focus ring at any time gives you
instant access to manual-focus
override. I like the way you can
lock the zoom action closed with
a fl ick of a switch for transport.
The easy-to-reach 2-position,
4-stop range Image Stabiliser
and manual/autofocus switches
are positive to use too.
My advice buying second-hand
is simply this: use a reputable
company, read the description
very carefully and you could
easily be walking away with a
bargain well below the cost of
what you would pay buying new.Ferry has travelled all over
the world with his used
lens, including the temples
of Bagan in Myanmar
Canon EOS 5DS R, 1/80sec
at f/14, ISO 100Dave picked up his used lens from MPB.com and managed to save £200 buying
it from new. He uses it for a wide variety of subjects and finds it delivers its best
results at apertures around f/8 Canon EOS 7D Mark II, 1/1250sec at f/9, ISO 640© DAVE TUCKER