KEH lenses rated Ugly

[RalphLambrecht]

I have only purchased EX+ from KEH. Two Hasselblad 500CM bodies and a 250mm T* lens. They were virtually indistinguishable from new, really. I am intrigued now from what I have read in this thread. I need a wide angle for the 'Blad . . .

I can highly recommend the 40mm

 

[Theo Sulphate]

... I am intrigued now from what I have read in this thread. I need a wide angle for the 'Blad . . .

The 50/4 CF FLE is amazingly sharp and fun to use; it's about a 31mm-equivalent in the 35mm world.

However, even buying this lens when it was new and expensive in the mid-1990's, I soon discovered the must-have wide angle: the SWC with its 38mm/4.5 Biogon (24mm equivalent). Generally, I am not fond of wide angle lenses and, in the 35mm world, rarely use anything as wide as 28mm. ...and yet I have found myself using the SWC far far more frequently than I'd ever expected. There's really no substitute for it. Yes, it's an entire camera rather than a lens, but it's well worth it.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I recommend the 50mm and the SWC [I have the 903].

 

[Wayne]

I only buy KEH bargain lenses, and they are a bargain. Uglies mean buyer beware.

 

[Huss]

I only buy KEH bargain lenses, and they are a bargain. Uglies mean buyer beware.

S'alright, they sent me a prepaid mailing label and the lens has already been shipped back. Cost me zero but scratched an itch to see what it would be like.

 

[Wayne]

S'alright, they sent me a prepaid mailing label and the lens has already been shipped back. Cost me zero but scratched an itch to see what it would be like.

Sure, but that costs them money. People shouldn't hope that an Ugly is going to be functional because if they do there's going to be a lot of back and forth shipping that will be reflected in the cost somewhere else. Not that I blame you for trying once, it was worth a one time gamble.

 

[Huss]

Sure, but that costs them money. People shouldn't hope that an Ugly is going to be functional because if they do there's going to be a lot of back and forth shipping that will be reflected in the cost somewhere else. Not that I blame you for trying once, it was worth a one time gamble.

I get that but the reason I sent it back was for an issue that they did not disclose. W the helicoids being damaged it should not be labelled UGLY but for parts IMO.

 

[Wayne]

I get that but the reason I sent it back was for an issue that they did not disclose. W the helicoids being damaged it should not be labelled UGLY but for parts IMO.

A valid reason. I just mean that with an ugly, there could be more wrong than they say. They put a good price on it and may not check everything thoroughly. It is an ugly, after all, so its been abused or neglected in some way. The bargains on the other hand can be damn near perfect, and I highly recommend buying those. Just don't buy the ones I want.

 

[Ricochetrider]

Hmmm. Sympathy to the OP, but hey nothing ventured, nothing gained, yes?
I had a recent experience (summer into fall, 2018) with KEH, and it turned out for the good and for the bad.
The Good:
I purchased an 500CM body, and split screen + waist level viewfinder, an A12 back- all in excellent or like new condition. Also purchased an 80mm lens, I think it was rated as "bargain" and it is nearly pristine. Everything works well and is lovely indeed.
The Bad:
I sent in an Olympus 17mm lens + Vivitar UV filter, a "sold-separately" Olympus LH-48B metal lens hood, a lens case for eval on a buy back, figuring I'd recoup some of my funds from the aforementioned purchase. After receiving a lowball offer on my pristine gear, I called to ask what was up. The response was "Auto focus not working" on the lens, and they treated all 4 items as a single item for eval purposes. I had them send everything back to me, and when I the box arrived I immediately puled the lens out to see what was going on... turns out they had the focus ring not eh lens slid back to "manual". I put it on my OMD EM1, took it out to test and it worked perfectly. Listed all the stuff on ebay as a bundle and it was gone in a couple hours at a price I was happy with. Months after my KEH. purchase; so much for recouping money spent, and forget any notion of a "trade-in" in the sense of getting gear for turning gear in as a single transaction process.

The take-away from the overall experience:
**As one poster mentioned, I also think they down-rate some gear to move it.
**Images of sale items both online and their catalog, are deceptive.
**What monkeys do they have evaluating equipment?
**Buying from KEH is OK, I feel like you'll likely get gear that has been CLA'd more so in the upper range of the grading system, obviously, than the lower range.
**They use FedEx and require a signature for delivery- horrible on both counts.
**If you call down there, the reps are knowledgeable, friendly, & helpful. In trying top make the aforementioned purchases, I spent some time on the phone, looking at stuff both on their site and on ebay while I was talking to the rep. Photos of stuff listed were off, or stock photos. They had stuff that didn't seem to appear on either site and didn't have stuff that was listed as well. ended up taking advantage of a sale and made the purchase. I've called down there multiple times and each time whoever answered the phone was completely knowledgeable and very helpful, sympathetic to my cause, and I got satisfying results- overall an excellent over-the-phone customer experience.

Would I use them in the future? Honestly, maybe. Probably almost strictly for purchases of gear at the top of their grading system, IF I could afford it.