What is my camera lens worth?

Do lenses keep their value?

Camera bodies get most of the attention, but many photographers will tell you that the lens is where the real investment lies. A camera body can become out of date quite quickly. A good lens can stay relevant for decades. A professional lens from twenty years ago can still produce pictures that match or beat those from a modern budget lens. That makes the used lens market both valuable and complicated.

Professional lenses, especially fast prime lenses, tend to hold their value better than consumer zoom lenses. A prime lens has a single fixed focal length, and a fast one has a wide maximum opening, known as a wide aperture, which lets in a lot of light. High quality glass and strong mechanical build stay desirable even as camera bodies change.

If you are also sending camera bodies, our guide to what an old camera is worth covers them. This guide is about lenses.

Which lenses are worth sending?

Professional lenses. Premium lenses from makers such as Leica, Sigma, Arriflex and Canon's professional L-series can be especially valuable. A fast prime, for example a 50mm f/1.2, is often more wanted than a standard kit zoom, because it is widely used for portraits and in low light. A kit lens is the ordinary lens sold with a camera.

Mid-range lenses. Mid-range lenses and kit lenses may not be worth much one at a time, but they are still useful, and they often add value as part of a larger collection. That is one reason we value the whole box together.

Vintage manual focus lenses. These can be very valuable, especially those known for solid build or a distinctive look to the picture. Makers collectors like include Leica (Leitz Wetzlar), Taylor Hobson Cooke, P. Angenieux, Carl Zeiss and Arriflex.

If you are sending vintage lenses with film camera bodies, read the guide on what an old camera is worth as well.

Condition and mount

Condition. A little dust inside a lens is common and does not always lower the value by much. Fungus, haze or a mechanical fault is more serious, especially if the glass has been etched or the aperture blades, the thin leaves that open and close inside the lens, are affected. A lens like that may be seen as one for parts or repair. Even so, send it, because condition does not matter for most items.

Mount. The mount is the fitting that attaches the lens to the camera. Popular mounts such as Nikon F and Canon EF often stay in demand, because lenses on them can still be fitted, with an adapter, to many modern DSLR and mirrorless cameras. If you are not sure which mount you have, our guide to identifying a camera lens mount can help.

Lens adapters

Adapters are worth including. A lens adapter lets a lens fit a camera it was not made for. A speed booster is a special adapter that also changes how the lens behaves on a smaller sensor.

Selling privately or sending to us

Selling a lens privately often brings detailed questions and close attention to items like dust inside, haze or fungus, and that can lead to disputes. With us, a valuer looks at the lens and its condition, then makes an offer. You do not have to argue your case with a buyer. Even a lens that is only good for parts can still be worth something.

We look at the focus ring and aperture ring for smooth movement, the blades for response, and the glass for haze, fungus, scratches or internal debris.

Preparing your lenses

Gently remove any loose dust from the outside with a soft lens cloth or a blower, and include the front and rear caps where you can. Wrap each loose lens in bubble wrap so it is not damaged in the post.

If you are unsure how to clean a lens, it is best not to try. Camera lenses have delicate coatings, and household cloths or cleaning fluids can leave fine scratches that lower the value. Protecting the lens carefully before you send it keeps its condition and avoids a reduction you could have prevented.