Buying Second hand Lens?

You may be looking out for a lens/ camera that you really want but it is really expensive (especially Canon L lenses and Full Frame Bodies!). You wait for sales but even then the price doesn't drop that much.

And then the decision was made: Get Second Hand.

However, is second hand good? wouldn't it be a 'used' product that wouldn't function as well as a new one? 

Well True and NOT True

When buying second hand, it really depends.
1) whether you check the condition before buying.
2) did not buy in an impulse as the price is 'low' (do note cheaper means the product MIGHT have some faults in it, so be extra cautious)
3) pay more for less - Yes i mean it, sometimes buying second hand at a certain price you would actually realise it's better off buying first hand.

There are certain rules when getting DSLR/Mirrorless bodies and lenses on second hand market. If you follow these rules, this would more or less help with your decision making.

First of for lenses, there is a S.C.A.F.F Rule^ that I created in order to enhance people's decision to buy second hand parts

Scratches:
Check if there is any scratches, mainly on the glass parts of the lens. Scratches can sometimes affect your image quality.

Controls:
Controls are one of the main thing to look out for when buying second hand.

For zoom lenses, check if the zoom and focus rings travel smoothly with little-to-no jerking/ hard to turn while zooming in and out. that might cause a problem if you need to quickly zoom in and take the shot, or for video makers who needs the smooth zoom for filming. Check if those rings are not too loose.

For Prime lenses, check if the focus ring travels smoothly, and make sure it is not too loose

For ALL lenses, check if the switches work. Make sure when sliding the switch from AF to MF it isn't problematic, no loose switches and so on.

Aesthetics:
Check for exterior conditions, Whether it is words faded, or paint scrapped off, it all matters. Especially if you do not want people to INSTANTLY find out you got a second hand lens. Aesthetics of your gear plays a part in showing to your clients who you are. It's just like personal grooming, but for your gear.

Fungus and other physical particles on lens:Fungus will grow on the lens optics (glass) components due to the fact that they were not taken well care of. Fungus will grow due to the humidity present in the environment (thus the use of dry cabinets, to create a non-humid environment).
Do check out for Dust inside the lenses too! Dust is kind of unavoidable but still manageable.

Though in some to most cases it would not affect image quality, it is still best advised NOT to get lenses with fungus or dust (but dust is not as bad as fungus in most cases) on them. If you do get one, get it cleaned and make sure you store it properly in a place without dust or humidity.
more will be explained about lens maintenance in upcoming post!

Focus Motor: (kind of overlaps with Control)
Check how fast the lens focuses. Extreme prolonged usage / poor maintenance might cause the motor to 'jerk' or malfunction, causing you to miss your subject when focusing. This isn't a huge problem for video makers but for action and sports missing your focus on the subject can cause your shot to be TOTALLY ruined (subject not focused fully etc). Best type of Focus motors to go for is... 

1. Canon STM (stepper motor, more silent focusing, can be slow/fast depending on lens)
2. Canon USM (UltraSonic Motor *, Fast and effective, usually faster than STM but slightly noisier)
3. Tamron USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive*, pretty much like Canon's USM, focus speed and accuracy differs from lens models
4. Sigma HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor, yeah you guessed it. It's just USM/USD. Same as Tamron, accuracy differs from lens models)

More will be explained about focus motors in the upcoming post!

Follow these tips and you can get second hand lenses without any worries. Do note on prices and also DO NOT buy in an impulse due to the price. All that glitters is not gold. 

In my upcoming posts I will talk about

1. buying guide for used DSLR/mirrorless bodies
2. Maintenance of gears 
3. Types of Focus motors for lenses and which are the best
4. Memory cards and storage options

Till then, see you again! Do reach out to my Social Links for questions etc.

*Ieah i know, you might wonder why canon never call it UM, since ultrasonic is one word, or tamron not calling it USSD, since canon consider Ultrasonic as 2 words

^I don't think i should be specifying this rule as it is plain common sense, but make sure you are looking for the RIGHT lens. if you are a canon DSLR user, go for Canon lens/ Canon mount lens ( for 3rd party lenses, since they make for Nikon etc). BUY LENSES WITH YOUR RESPECTIVE DSLR MOUNT