This article will discuss my own experience with spending over $1000 for a secondhand lens which was later discovered to be defective. This tale of caution can make you aware of the dangers that lurk in the world of secondhand or used camera equipment.
The replacement and upgrade of gear is a normal aspect of the life of your kit for photography, because technology advances or, in this instance, due to wear and tear from the use of your camera regularly. I was looking to upgrade my Nikon AF -S NIKKOR 2470mm f/2.8G and to the Nikon AF -S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E Lens with ED VR. My old lens was in good use through many years, and I decided it was time to upgrade instead of sending it for an upgrade.
A large sum of money spent on an expensive lens such as the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24 -70mm f/2.8E The ED VR was based on the search for the highest quality in technology. This lens is a masterpiece of performance in terms of optical quality, sturdy construction and a wide range of uses. I’ve heard great things about the advantages of purchasing secondhand rather than new, I decided to purchase an used lens was my method to balance quality and budget due to the huge price difference between brand new and used models at nearly half the cost. After a thorough search of various secondhand vendors, I decided on a lens that was purchased from an online retailer that is highly regarded and specializes in used camera equipment. The lens was rated “excellent,” suggesting minimal wear and maximum functioning. The lens was priced at just under PS1,000, not including the cost of the next day’s earlier morning pickup.
The lens arrived at around 11:15 at 11:15 am, I was awestruck by the perfect cosmetic condition externally, and put it into my bag following a quick point-and-shoot session in the trees along the road. I did notice when reviewing the images on the back of the camera that there was a small amount of movement, but I honestly assumed that in my haste I had selected a slower-than-necessary shutter speed and didn’t have time to give it a second thought as I made my way to the shoot location — later than arranged, but happy to properly test out my new toy.
The shoot went extremely well. I was lying on with a yoga mat Glasgow City Centre, shooting towards my subject (who is also my daughter) along with a pair of tall buildings for the backdrop. I thought to myself how fantastic the photos would produce. They certainly looked amazing on the side of the camera while I lay on the floor. After returning home from the shoot, I brewed the tea and loaded the photos to begin the culling process. Then I discovered an issue I was unable to put what it was.
I’ve seen a range of lens issues during my life however this one left me completely confused. I began to investigate and collect information from the raw images to determine the root of the problem. It appears that the depth of field appears different in some photographs. The middle of the picture is always in focus regardless of whether the object isn’t located in the middle. I needed a different subject to shoot to test this lens’s tests to determine the issue.
To prevent errors by the user, I put this camera to a tripod in order to eliminate camera shake and then searched for a flat surface on which to shoot on. I continued the test with VR off. I was stunned by what I saw as I transferred the photos onto my MacBook to take a closer look. The results were horrendous, which meant that the optic was defective. It’s true that I felt a sigh of relief over my body to ensure that the issue was eliminated.
Astigmatism
Astigmatism within a camera lens can show up as misshaped or distorted regions in the image, especially towards the edges. This is due to the unbalanced curvature of lens components which causes light rays to focus on various locations in the meridians. Learn how to recognize astigmatism in photos.
Blurry or Stretched Shapes
Circular objects in the picture may appear stretched or elongated in specific directions. The distortion is evident towards the edges of a frame.
Uneven Sharpness
Different parts of the picture could have different degrees of sharpness, with different areas having sharper edges than other areas. This is apparent when you look at the sample images where certain portions that contain text appear visible while others aren’t.
