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10-12-2011, 05:33 AM   #1
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Should I purchase used 50-135 ?

Hello my dear Pentaxian friends,

I'm looking into buying Pentax 50-135 and found few used ones on amazon and on this forum for about almost $150 less than new one. They all claim it works perfectly fine or just had its SDM fixed... would anyone recommend the used one or should I bite the bullet and buy the new one?

Does anyone know if I could buy insurance or warranty on the used one?


Many thanks


Derek

10-12-2011, 05:35 AM   #2
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I suppose some will say you're taking a chance either way. The 50-135mm does not have as much issues with SDM as the 16-50mm for sure, but they are out there. I've had mine for 2.5 years without issue - I wouldn't hesitate to buy a used one that has shown reliability for that long, or one that has been recently repaired as well. In the end there are no guarantees, I'm not sure how or if you'd be able to obtain insurance or warranty for a used item though.
10-12-2011, 05:36 AM   #3
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I'd consider buying new with a good long warranty.
10-12-2011, 05:39 AM   #4
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I'll second that. The only way I would purchase any Pentax SDM lens, especially the 16-50mm or 50-135mm, would be brand new with an extended warranty. Mack Camera extended warranties can be purchased fairly cheaply on Amazon.com.

If the difference in price between new and used was greater, I might consider a used one, but $150 is not even close to being enough of a difference.


Last edited by Edgar_in_Indy; 10-12-2011 at 05:45 AM.
10-12-2011, 06:03 AM   #5
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I would say, never pay more then 60 % of new price when there is no leftover warrenty.
10-12-2011, 06:14 AM   #6
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Depending on where you buy you might be able to get something like a square trade warranty but that is going to reduce your savings over new even more. Maybe that would work well on one that was recently fixed (I think I would ask the seller if they have documentation that it was fixed). If you are not saving a large percentage it might be better to go with a new one with factory warranty like others have suggested, since these lenses apparently are prone to problems.
10-12-2011, 06:41 AM   #7
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cheapest one I found is asking for $820 and the brand new one is $950.

1-If I buy with my AMEX, I get one year extra warranty through my credit card company free of charge..

2- or $107.99 for 3 year extended through B&H Both B&H, Square Trade covers accidental damage

3- or $129 3 year extended through Square trade

4- Mack warranty = very poor feedback on Amazon.

Any recommendation?

Derek


Last edited by dr_romix; 10-12-2011 at 08:39 AM.
10-12-2011, 07:27 AM   #8
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Personally, I would get new with your credit card. I think 2 years of warranty is adequate. Most of the SDM problems will develop fairly quickly, so if you have a lemon, it should certainly manifest itself by the end of that two year period. Prices on these aren't going down and are pretty good used, so you can probably resell down the road without too much loss, if you want to.
10-12-2011, 07:38 AM   #9
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You are only saving in the 10-15% range and and a warranty would cost much of that savings. I would defiantly go new if it were me. Either buy with amex or get an extended warranty.
10-12-2011, 07:49 AM   #10
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I bought one off of Amazon's warehouse deals in like new condition and I verified with both Pentax and CRIS that it is still covered under the original warranty. Since its basically an open box item they said that if it came from a reputable retailer and there was no physical damage to the lens it would be covered.
10-12-2011, 07:57 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by Edgar_in_Indy Quote
If the difference in price between new and used was greater, I might consider a used one, but $150 is not even close to being enough of a difference.
I agree that the price gap between the two needs to be big enough to justify buying a used lens over a new lens. How big that gap needs to be depends on a lot of factors. For me, if I am purchasing a DA* lens, the gap needs to be large enough to cover the cost of placing the SDM motor. So basically a $150-200 gap is about right (for me). I personally would prefer a used lens and $150 because I believe it puts you in a better position overall as one of three things will happen. Let's say the lens fails in the first year, you use the money to buy a new SDM motor and you're no worse off than had you bought it new. Let's say the lens fails outside the first year, well now you're better off because you use that $150 in savings to replace the motor and you're $150 up on where you'd be had you bought a new one and it failed outside the 1 year warranty period. Or the third case, let's say you don't end up with a failure during the time you own the lens. Well in that case you end up with an extra $150 in your pocket. Obviously the above doesn't account for the slim possibility that the lens fails twice (which I realize can and has happened on occasion). That said, I still think the postivies outweight the small chance of a double failure.

Now, if you buy the lens new AND choose to buy an extended warranty, then the numbers change a bit. Depending on how likely you think the SDM motor is to fail during the time of your extended warranty, and how much the warranty costs, will dictate whether it is worthwhile compared to buying used.

Anyway, I know my opinion on the matter is typically not a popular one as the convenstional wisdom is to only buy DA* lenses new because of the higher than expected rate of SDM failure. While I understand the motivation behind that notion, generally speaking, the math doesn't usually support it.
10-12-2011, 08:05 AM   #12
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If you don't specifically need the weather sealing of the DA*, perhaps consider the tamron 70-200mm? It's cheaper and comes with a 6-year warranty.

AF001P700 Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 DI LD (IF) Macro, Fast AF Telephoto Zoom Lens for Pentax Autofocus Mount - USA Warranty
10-12-2011, 08:20 AM   #13
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Check the warranty out if buying second-hand goods. The warranty is often NOT transferrable to a new owner.
10-12-2011, 08:39 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by JohnX Quote
Check the warranty out if buying second-hand goods. The warranty is often NOT transferrable to a new owner.
The original Pentax one year warranty does transfer as long as you have the original receipt. Pentax extended warranties don't. Certain 3rd party warranties can transfer, usually for a small fee ($25 in the case if a MACK warranty). The extended Tamron 6-year warranty does not transfer, it only applied to the original owner.
10-12-2011, 08:43 AM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by JohnX Quote
Check the warranty out if buying second-hand goods. The warranty is often NOT transferrable to a new owner.
non of the used ones has warranty.
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