[Stavri]

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A good price on this lens, most sell for over a grand.

Pentax SMC P Da 60 250 mm F 4 0 SDM Lens 0027075141247 | eBay

[jrpower10]

Damn, mine's being delivered from B&H today. Sure would've gone for this deal though.

[narual]

That's a buck less than I paid for mine, but mine shipped from KEH for $15.

[tibbitts]

There's no way I'd buy a lens that expensive (or any lens costing more than maybe $50) from a source where I wasn't 100% certain I could return it after a reasonable testing period. The odds of having to return at least one copy of the lens are way too high.

[Stavri]

There's no way I'd buy a lens that expensive (or any lens costing more than maybe $50) from a source where I wasn't 100% certain I could return it after a reasonable testing period. The odds of having to return at least one copy of the lens are way too high.

I wasn't aware that sellers on the PF market place offered "reasonable testing periods" on used gear...

[tibbitts]

I wasn't aware that sellers on the PF market place offered "reasonable testing periods" on used gear...

Most probably don't, so today I'd be more likely to buy from a well-established retailer with a generous return policy. In the past I've bought multiple used lenses, including from PF and ebay. The average price was about $60, with the highest being $101. Since purchasing those items, I've had to return a very significant percentage of lenses - mostly brand new ones. Because of that experience, I'd be less inclined to purchase any lens that I couldn't return for any reason with minimal cost/convenience.

[freerider]

There's no way I'd buy a lens that expensive (or any lens costing more than maybe $50) from a source where I wasn't 100% certain I could return it after a reasonable testing period. The odds of having to return at least one copy of the lens are way too high.

Although I've never had a problem buying used, I think this is good advice.

[narual]

On the other hand, buying it used, chances are higher that you're not getting one that should have been a factory reject than they would be if you purchased it new, as the original owner would likely have returned/exchanged it for a good one.

[aleonx3]

On the other hand, buying it used, chances are higher that you're not getting one that should have been a factory reject than they would be if you purchased it new, as the original owner would likely have returned/exchanged it for a good one.

On this one, the seller seems to indicate that the 2-year warranty in Canada has not yet expired; perhaps, it would be good for people buying in Canada, no?

[mattb123]

Good price, but maybe a bit risky. I bought mine for about $1000 used from BorrowLenses.com. Great lens!

[narual]

On this one, the seller seems to indicate that the 2-year warranty in Canada has not yet expired; perhaps, it would be good for people buying in Canada, no?

Guess that depends if the warranty transfers. In the US, it doesn't.

[tibbitts]

On this one, the seller seems to indicate that the 2-year warranty in Canada has not yet expired; perhaps, it would be good for people buying in Canada, no?

Generally, warranties don't transfer, but the real issue is that lots of lenses have issues that are either impossible or extremely difficult to deal with, regardless of warranties. When you have a moderate case of an alignment or centering problem, it's like pulling teeth to convince a manufacturer that the lens isn't "within specs." If the front element falls out, you can count on a manufacturer (other than Pentax in the US, perhaps, given the recent poor performances by its warranty providers) to repair it. If one corner has poor resolution relative to the other three corners... good luck with that.

---------- Post added 10-24-2014 at 06:44 PM ----------

On the other hand, buying it used, chances are higher that you're not getting one that should have been a factory reject than they would be if you purchased it new, as the original owner would likely have returned/exchanged it for a good one.

Unless there is a very glaring defect, I think very few consumers test lenses to the extent they'd have to to discover a problem. Of course this might not apply as much to a higher-end model like a 60-250mm, but it definitely applies to many other lenses. Actually with any longer lens I think there's a tendency for even experienced users not to pixel-peep in the corners or edges, because their main subjects often don't reside there, and with limited depth of field (one reason they paid extra for a faster long lens), they're not looking for the corners to be sharp anyway.

[narual]

Unless there is a very glaring defect, I think very few consumers test lenses to the extent they'd have to to discover a problem. Of course this might not apply as much to a higher-end model like a 60-250mm, but it definitely applies to many other lenses. Actually with any longer lens I think there's a tendency for even experienced users not to pixel-peep in the corners or edges, because their main subjects often don't reside there, and with limited depth of field (one reason they paid extra for a faster long lens), they're not looking for the corners to be sharp anyway.

Unless you're *far* more uptight than the original owner, chances are, it'll be just fine. If you can't see a problem without looking at far edges while zoomed in to the pixel level, is there really a problem worth paying attention to?

[Santoku]

Well, I pulled the trigger on this one after asking a few questions of the seller I have been oscillating between looking for a Sigma EX 100-300 f/4 or a Pentax-DA 60-250 f/4 for quite awhile now, but price and availability have always been an issue. It is rare to find either of these used lenses in Canada for a good value, and the exchange on the US $ right now is a killer. This will be my first SDM lens, and that scares me a bit, but having the remaining Canuck warranty gives me a bit of wiggle room if there are any issues. Excited to receive the lens and mount it to the K-5iis. Too bad everything is so grey/brown right now deep into the Fall on the prairies, but I am sure I can find some subject matter

[narual]

Don't sweat it. The 60-250 didn't have all the SDM problems that the 16-50 and 50-135 did, and if it does, it's easy enough to convert to screw mount.

BTW - re: the grey/brown -- look into a neodymium filter. They're called Enhancing or Intensifying filters by assorted marketeers. It cuts out a narrow hunk of orange on the color spectrum without touching anything else, and can make the boring bits of fall look far more interesting, especially combined with a polarizer.
Tiffen 67mm Enhancing Filter 67EF1 B&H Photo Video

They're on the expensive side for filters, but you can usually find them used for a fair bit less than the new price.