KEH - good source for used lenses?

[ImSoNegative]

oh yes i recently ordered a cambo c2n 6x7 back from them bgn grade for 60.00, when i got recieved the item it was the c2n 6x9 back that was rated exe+, i called them and told them of there mistake and the guy on the phone asked me if i was happy with it and i said yes i will take a 6x9 back that looks brand new for 60.00, he said well we will just let sleeping dogs lye and happy early birthday lol.

[BPhoto]

KEH is great, and their ratings as noted are in most cases conservative by a large margin. Even those UGLY items sometimes come in in super nice condition, and if they are not working they are replaced with zero hassle.

That said, what they offer as buying prices is often funny, or might even be offensive to some. Just use their site to calculate how much they might pay for a mamiya 7 with a lens. This might not be the case with newer/digital gear, i have not checked.

I've bought three item from KEH and 2 out of three stopped working within a year.

[BPhoto]

I am a professional graphic artist and a professional photographer. Which means I make 100% of my income by doing those two functions. As far as what I ordered from KEH and the ratings of the items were EX on two lenses and one was EX+ on the 2X converter (What a very confusing rating system too). I think KEH sucks! The products I purchased from KEH broke under normal wear and tear, I had bad customer service, and I will never use them again. People can disagree with me all they want and those same people can continue to buy used equipment from KEH. I have high standards and I prefer the lenses I purchase to be covered by a warranty from the manufacture. Luckily, I can afford to buy new directly from authorized dealers. Without people like me, you wouldn't be able to buy used gear from places like KEH. All I am saying is that if you buy refurbished Canon lens from Canon, which are almost the same price as KEH, you get a full one year warranty. That may be worth the few extra dollars. Is there something wrong with that?

[djdister]

So as they say, YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY. The answer may be, KEH has good stuff for used Large Format gear, but not so good stuff for used DSLR gear. It happens, so move on, cut the bitching and lock this thread!

[Deval]

Bphoto, I've had a great experience with KEH with the many lenses and other accessories I've bought from them, but I'm sure like anything, you will run into a less than perfect experience here and there.

Your posts honestly seem directly placed by a competitor of KEH, like BHphoto or Adorama or something of that nature. Many of the items on KEH cannot be obtained new because they aren't made anymore...not even refurbished. I'm not sure how many people come to this specific forum looking for advice of used canon gear, even though many of us carry small formats. Could you please point us to your website or some of your work if you don't mind...you are a professional after all.

I'm sure we'd like to properly welcome you to forum, but you can see how that could difficult given that you are new with 4 posts all specifically aimed against KEH and pointing us to buy from an authorized dealer. Thanks for sharing your experience. I'll keep it in mind the next time I buy from them. The vast majority of people that I know have had very positive experiences from them.

[Leigh]

I am a professional graphic artist and a professional photographer.

Where are you located?

- Leigh

[alpenhause]

KEH is one of the best! "F" The Rest!

Yep, I would not waste my time trying to sell something to them, they pay little to nothing for the stuff they sell.

Annually I purchase over $3000 worth of large format lenses from 105mm to 150mm to fit to the custom Polaroid 110B/900 based 4x5 cameras I build, all the lenses have been fabulous even the ones graded as "Ugly"

KEH is THE first place I look when a large format lens is needed, ebay purchases can be problematical.

Picked up a 135mm f3.5 Schneider Xenotar Linhof Select for $250 a year or two ago and a rare 152mm f3.5 Komura 4x5 format lens for $250, both lenses were in great condition and are now being used on a 110B 4x5 and a 110B/900 Version 4x5 camera, makes you wonder who sold these two lenses to KEH and what KEH ultimately paid for these two rare lenses.

[Ken Lee]

I merged 2 threads on this topic. There is now only one.

[StoneNYC]

I want to point out to everyone the question posed by me and the other OP (because of the merge) was "is KEH good from your experience".

This means all who have purchased from them should be heard, just because you had a good experience doesn't mean everyone has, and both sides are valid, I find it distracting when people come on yelling at this guy who did NOT have a good experience because that's who I want to hear from so I don't go through the same thing or so I can know what a possible outcome would be from a bad experience, IE do they stand behind their product or throw their hands up and say "sorry for your bad luck" so everyone stop bashing the people sharing their bad experiences because their viewpoints are valid and important...

[Leigh]

Hi Stone,

Of course people will have problems with any vendor. That's life.

But when somebody otherwise unknown to us seeks out threads, including old ones, for the sole purpose of bashing a vendor, that person's motives and truthfulness come into question, and for good reason.

- Leigh