-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2003 1:23 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: EOS Value of 'older' expensive lenses in the digital age
I have decided not to change over to digital for the time being..not until I can get a top quality full frame Canon SLR digital that will accecpt the current Canon lens line. But that is not my question, only needed background. I have been thinking of actually purchasing a Canon 600 f4 IS...a large purchase. With all this talk of new digital cameras and potential new lens lines are there any thoughts about what might happen to the value of such a lens? Yes, I know that it will always be able to take great photos on my current Canon body, yes, I know that it will not suddenly stop working if the current lens series is discontinued and I know that progress is not necessarily a reason not to buy what is available today. But there is still no question that with a purchase this big, particularly for a non-professional, that there is still importance in the maintanance of intrinsic monetary value. Say, I decide in a few years that I no longer want to do this type of photography etc...if it held its value and even if I sell for 20-30% less I have essentially rented it for a few years...but if its value plummets dramatically there may not be an option to make a reasonable sale. What do you think? Is this a terrible time to be buying such a lens? Is this even an answerable question? Howard Hi Howard, I've decided that buying used lenses makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons. The biggest reason is that someone else has already taken the hit in book value for you. Additionally if you look around and are careful there are a lot of good deals to be had even on a lens like the EF 660 4L IS. You can save lots of money and not have to worry about the lens value dropping if you take your time in this kind of purchase. I personally have acquired many very good lenses in outstanding condition for myself and my EOS shooting friends. I could not justify the cost of the lenses I own if I were to purchase them new. But with the prices you can find lenses for on the secondary market it's not too big a stretch. As far as the value of this particular lens falling off suddenly, unless Canon can build a sharper, lighter, smaller less expensive 600mm f/4 lens I seriously doubt that the EF 600 4L IS will fall off in price all of a sudden given its position in the world of high-end lenses (the very pinnacle of design and optical performance), especially if you can find a clean used on at below market. Good luck! Cheers/Chip * **** ******* *********************************************************** * For list instructions, including unsubscribe, see: * http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/eos_list.htm ***********************************************************
