got first L lens from B&H, now what to do with kit lens? and first impressions..

[cheeseheadsaint]

I'm sitting next to the 70-200mm f/2.8 l is ii box that the UPS people delivered from B&H! First time ordering anything from B&h. bah, is it normal for the box to have punctures? but that would be ups' fault.

upon opening, the box is HUGE!(up to this point i have the canon rebel xsi with the 55-250mm, kit lens and the 50 f/1.8) I never have seen a lens box that big, but its lighter than i expected. and luckily the lens box didn't get punctured.

First impression of the lens: it is ICE COLD. I don't have the heater on (FL here) but hopefully no condensation forms. Fudge, condensation is appearing on the outside. its been 30 mins since it was delivered. i think i'll keep it wrapped in plastic and in the bag. i don't know much about lens condensation except that it is bad. but the lens itself is a beauty! can't wait to try it out!

now I am thinking of selling the ef-s 55-250mm IS mk i. but i have no idea how to go about it like pricing, shipping (im thinking of craiglisting it to avoid shipping but that would mean smaller audience) and stuff. Tips?!

 

[neuroanatomist]

I'm sitting next to the 70-200mm f/2.8 l is ii box that the UPS people delivered from B&H! First time ordering anything from B&h. bah, is it normal for the box to have punctures? but that would be ups' fault.

upon opening, the box is HUGE!(up to this point i have the canon rebel xsi with the 55-250mm, kit lens and the 50 f/1.8) I never have seen a lens box that big, but its lighter than i expected. and luckily the lens box didn't get punctured.

First impression of the lens: it is ICE COLD. I don't have the heater on (FL here) but hopefully no condensation forms. Fudge, condensation is appearing on the outside. its been 30 mins since it was delivered. i think i'll keep it wrapped in plastic and in the bag. i don't know much about lens condensation except that it is bad. but the lens itself is a beauty! can't wait to try it out!

now I am thinking of selling the ef-s 55-250mm IS mk i. but i have no idea how to go about it like pricing, shipping (im thinking of craiglisting it to avoid shipping but that would mean smaller audience) and stuff. Tips?!

Congrats!

Yes, it would be UPS's fault, and probably would have been a good idea to take some pics of the outside of the box before opening it, just in case. But as long as there was sufficient packing material and the lens box itself was intact, you should be fine. I've gotten boxes in pretty bad condition, too, with no ill effects on the gear.

Yeah, keep it wrapped until the temperature equilibrates. Here are some tips on condensation and humidity.

I use Cragslist when I want to sell a lens. Check your local board(s) to see what they're going for in your area. Here in Boston, they are listed for $150-200. Amazon has them for $230, and B&H sells grey market versions for $200, so I really wouldn't expect to get more than ~$150 for it. There are 10-12 of them on my local CL - meaning if I had one I wanted to sell, I'd need to undercut the listed prices. On fredmiranda, there are many listed at $130 (and they may have sold for less than that).

 

[Dylan777]

Congrats...on your first "L" lens. You going to enjoy it for sure

With Ebay, you can get your lens sold within 3-7days and has more buyers, however, they will charge you around 12% on total (9% final fee and 3% for paypal)

Craiglist is my #1 choice, no fees and you get cash from buyer. PLUS don't have to worry about the lens returns back to you.

Enjoy your new lens

 

[Axilrod]

I'm sitting next to the 70-200mm f/2.8 l is ii box that the UPS people delivered from B&H! First time ordering anything from B&h. bah, is it normal for the box to have punctures? but that would be ups' fault.

upon opening, the box is HUGE!(up to this point i have the canon rebel xsi with the 55-250mm, kit lens and the 50 f/1.8) I never have seen a lens box that big, but its lighter than i expected. and luckily the lens box didn't get punctured.

First impression of the lens: it is ICE COLD. I don't have the heater on (FL here) but hopefully no condensation forms. Fudge, condensation is appearing on the outside. its been 30 mins since it was delivered. i think i'll keep it wrapped in plastic and in the bag. i don't know much about lens condensation except that it is bad. but the lens itself is a beauty! can't wait to try it out!

now I am thinking of selling the ef-s 55-250mm IS mk i. but i have no idea how to go about it like pricing, shipping (im thinking of craiglisting it to avoid shipping but that would mean smaller audience) and stuff. Tips?!

Congrats on your first L lens, you picked a good one! Depending on how big the puncture is, it's possible that UPS was air testing it. They do it randomly to check for drugs and/or explosives.

 

[m3tek44]

+1 in CL. Just make sure you meet F2F.

Congrat!!! I too bought this lens that came from Amazon!! No difference with B&H. Boxes were all beat up but when I open 70-200mm f2.8II it's BIG (REAL big) bigger than my 5D Mark 2!!! Lens is well packed so I was not too worried!! Enjoy your new toy!

 

[JR]

Congrats! B&H usually ships package their item preatty well. I bought 5 L lenses from them with new issue what so ever in terms of shipping and packaging.

So for sure it would be UPS fault. As Neuro suggested, take a picture of the box (I assume it is the outer box thst is puntured and not the Canon box itself) and once you can try your lens if you see any fault call B&H right away. They have a good customer service.

Good luck and welcome to the red circle! 8)

 

[cheeseheadsaint]

+1 in CL. Just make sure you meet F2F.

Congrat!!! I too bought this lens that came from Amazon!! No difference with B&H. Boxes were all beat up but when I open 70-200mm f2.8II it's BIG (REAL big) bigger than my 5D Mark 2!!! Lens is well packed so I was not too worried!! Enjoy your new toy!

Thanks! but what does CL and F2F stand for? XD

Neuro: Thanks for the link and tips! it seems that here the lens "new" is $180! but mine is used, in great condition though, for 2 years..

And thanks to all who answered. =D The lens is still icy cold and sweats when i touch it! I'm going to wrap it in a jacket. the room temperature is getting pretty chilly -for florida anyways. xD

 

[neuroanatomist]

CL = Craigslist

F2F = face to face

CYA and HAND (meaning see ya and have a nice day)

 

[cheeseheadsaint]

Thanks neuro! ;D

 

[92101media]

CYA

CYA is also an acronym for something else ;D

 

[TexPhoto]

Congratulations. As other have said CL is great, and is my first choice. Always be safe and meet in a public place, like McDonalds. If you live in a small town CL may not work for you. Ebay is my second choice. Fees are high, but so are sale prices.

And hey, be careful with that new lens. Remember it is heavier and stronger than your camera. When holding the combination you support the lens, not the camera. And do not hang the combo from your neck unless the strap runs to the lens. Consider a monopod, it adds stability, and puts the weight on the ground.

 

[AJ]

Maybe hang on to that 55-250 for a little while longer. There may be times when you may not want to tote that BWHL around.

BWHL - big white heavy lens.

 

[cheeseheadsaint]

Thanks for the advice! yeah i might wait a bit before selling it. By the way, how come this lens doesn't have a date code? i thought all L lens do.

 

[neuroanatomist]

Canon stopped putting them on that lens. The first few production runs had them (mine does), then they stopped. I don't think the 70-300 L has a date code, either (not positive, though).

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Hang on to your old lens for a while, and test out and use the new one. Some, like me, did not like the high weight and returned the lens. Its a very good lens, but not one that I think of as a walk around lens.

 

[LuckyRosco]

I gave away both my 18-55 & 55-250 to the neighbor's daughter. She has an old XS and the lens has a scratch and chip in the front lens. So I just gave them away instead of them collecting dust. She is taking a photography class in High School and her parents don't extra money to spend on lens. I think she's used the lens more than I ever have. I've gave that girl all kinds of stuff I don't use anymore.

 

[tron]

Congratulations! I got mine 2 weeks ago!

I suggest to use it as much as possible to see if you are comfortable with your camera/lens combination...

I personally find it big and heavy so I am keeping my 70-200 f/4L IS too (although there is an overlap here)

I think I will use the f 2.8 version mostly for portraits, action and low light ... assuming I will not have to
walk for a long time with a lot of gear. In that case it is the f/4 version (which will allow me to bring with me one more lens for the same total weight and space in the bag...)

Enjoy your lens...