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I plan to buy a new Canon lens but I heard there are shops which re-sell used lens as new ones. Is there anyway where I can determine that the lens is brand new? If I'm paying big money for a L lens I'd want to make sure it is a brand new one...
Looking forward to advices and tips on how to solve this. Thanks!
Easy - shop at a reputable store. B&H, Adorama, MPEX, etc etc. If the price is too good to be true, it probably is.
To me, I don't think I can tell. I just shop at reputable dealers like B&H, Adorama or BeachCamera and trust them that they would never do such thing.
Well, apart from if its an OBVIOUS used lens, then it would be difficult to tell. As sais, shop at respected shops.
To add one bit: use the links here or on any of Bryan's pages to go to B&H, Adorama, Amazon, J&R, etc. That way, Bryan will get a (small) commission. It doesn't change our cost, at all, and is a good way to keep Bryan posting his great reviews!
Bryan's got a link that explains all about the date coding on Canon glass - well worth the time to print a copy of the codes before you head out to the camera store. If you're buying new and the date isn't within the past year or so, I would question whether it's really a new lens.
Research the new and used prices on reputable sites like B&H and Adorama. Don't believe the ads in the back of the photo mags when you see prices that deviate from B&H and Adorama - those are scam ads trying to rip you off. You may eventually get a legit Canon lens, but it won't be the "awesome deal" they advertised, it'll be the same price (or worse, more) as B&H's and Adorama's...
To add to Canonli's response, I have 4 lenses and bought them from reputable dealers, when I got them they were all withing 2 months of production.