The best used prime lenses to buy right now

Don’t pay off-the-shelf prices for lenses – there are tons of fantastic primes on the second-hand market. Jon Stapley rounds up the best bargains

Zooms can be useful, but a good prime lens is a photographer’s best friend. A prime lens – a catch-all term denoting any lens with a fixed focal length – can seem restrictive to those first starting out on their photographic journey. However, once you start using primes, it makes sense.

Prime lenses tend to field larger maximum apertures than zooms, making them excel in low light and for creating a shallow depth of field. They also pack in sharper optics, giving images a crispness. Then there’s also the subjective – but popular – view that using a prime lens makes you a more engaged and thoughtful photographer. Having to move your feet to change your framing makes you active, immersing you in the scene.

Of course, prime lenses can get seriously expensive, especially when the apertures get larger. So, we’ve set our sights on some of the cheapest primes to buy right now, and for that we’ve turned to the second-hand market. Buying used is unquestionably the best way to maximise bang for your buck when it comes to photographic equipment. If you go with a reputable retailer who’ll offer a warranty on used items, there’s much less risk than there is with buying from private sellers on eBay and the like. Plus, you’re doing your bit by making a more sustainable choice.

So, in this article we’ve rounded up all the best bargains on prime lenses across the used market right now. We’ve focused on both mirrorless and DSLR lenses to give options to as many shooters as possible.

Used prime lenses under £200

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

At a glance:

Expect to pay: £160-£215
Mount: Canon EF
Min. focus distance: 0.85m
Filter thread: 58mm
Weight: 425g
www.canon.co.uk

Portrait shooting doesn’t need to be expensive – and this short-telephoto prime for Canon’s EF DSLR mount is an ideal lens for getting started with people pictures. It was a cheap lens even when new, and while its plastic build means it doesn’t feel as premium as the more swanky short telephotos for EF-mount, the optical performance still impresses. Images look great even when shooting wide open, which of course you’re going to do, and the eight-bladed diaphragm produces attractive bokeh in the defocused areas of images.

That ‘USM’ in the name, for those who don’t know, denotes Canon’s Ultra-sonic Motor autofocus system, which is reliably snappy and accurate. It’s also completely silent, making this lens a contender for video as well as stills. Prices currently vary across Park Cameras and MPB.

Sony FE 50mm f/1.8

At a glance:

Expect to pay: £130-£150
Mount: Sony FE
Min. focus distance: 0.45m
Filter thread: 49mm
Weight: 186g
www.sony.co.uk

This nifty-fifty prime lens for Sony mirrorless actually fits in our £200 budget even if you buy it brand new (it retails for £159) – however, you can save even more money on the second-hand market. This has been a popular lens since its release in 2016, and as such it’s everywhere when you’re shopping for used deals. It’s available at MPB, Wex, Park Cameras, and Ffordes, with practically mint versions selling for between £10 and £30 less than the usual asking price.

Given how little it costs, practically any Sony E-mount shooter could make a case for picking up this lens. Its relatively light weight means it balances well on APS-C cameras as well as full-frame, where the crop factor will make it a 75mm equivalent lens that’s not a bad shout for portraits. It doesn’t offer the same kind of beautiful bokeh as, say, a Fujifilm XF prime – but, well, that’s why it’s so much cheaper. Be aware though that the autofocus isn’t the best. It’ll do the job for day-to-day photography, but it’s noisy and can struggle with fast-moving subjects.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f/1.8

At a glance:

Expect to pay: £109-£139
Mount: Micro Four Thirds
Min. focus distance: 0.5m
Filter thread: 37mm
Weight: 116g
explore.omsystem.com

With its impressively compact dimensions, this Olympus lens is a take-everywhere wonder. Its 90mm equivalent focal length puts it in the sweet spot for portraits, as does that fast f/1.8 aperture. And in case we didn’t stress it enough already, this lens is tiny – about half the size of a can of Coke. For a short telephoto focal length, that’s brilliant, and it’s just not something you’d get in a system other than Micro Four Thirds. Granted, you don’t get quite the same shallow depth of field as you would on full frame – but everything is ultimately a trade-off when it comes to camera systems.

The bokehlicious backgrounds and sharp details make this a lens that any Micro Four Thirds shooter – especially on Olympus or OM System – should seriously consider owning. At used prices especially it’s something of a no-brainer, with plenty of ‘Good’ condition options available at MPB and Wex for as little as £109. Even if you upgrade to ‘Excellent’, you won’t have to pay more than £130.

Nikon AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G

At a glance:

Expect to pay: £135-£189
Mount: Nikon F (DX)
Min. focus distance: 0.16m
Filter thread: 52mm
Weight: 235g
www.nikon.co.uk

A macro lens for Nikon’s APS-C DSLRs, the Nikon AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G is a cheap and cheerful prime that produces an equivalent focal length of 60mm. This means it’s also rather nice for street and day-to-day photography, producing images with a naturalistic perspective, neither too wide nor too narrow. Also, mirrorless Z-mount users should remember that F-mount lenses can be easily adapted to fit their cameras, and given the relative paucity of DX-format lenses for Z-mount, this could be worth looking into if you’re using the Z 50, Z fc or Z 30. You can pick up a used FTZ adapter for around £140.

Nikon’s 40mm Micro is a close-focusing lens with a minimum working distance of just 16cm. In use, it produces images with rich colours and punchy contrast, which is all the better when you’re trying to accentuate small details of a subject. Back when we first reviewed the lens we noticed a little pincushion distortion, but nothing that’s going to seriously compromise your images.

Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro

Tamron 90mm f2.8 Di Macro 1x1 SP AF — Tamron 90mm f2.8 Di Macro 1×1 SP AF

At a glance:

Expect to pay: £100-£200
Mount: Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K, Sony A
Min. focus distance: 0.3m
Filter thread: 62mm
Weight: 610g
www.tamron.eu

This short telephoto has been a popular macro lens for DSLRs for more than a decade. Lightweight and portable, Tamron’s lens balances a portrait-friendly focal length with a close minimum focal distance and impressive optics. It’s not as durably built as other Tamron lenses, with a plastic barrel, but its performance impresses with excellent control of distortion and aberrations. The autofocus motor is not an ultrasonic type, so it’s not as quick off the mark as a Canon USM, for instance – and it’s noisier too.

The lens is available for all major SLR systems. The Nikon F-mount version is the most widely available, and accordingly averages out cheaper, topping out at around £170 for ‘Like New’. The Pentax version, meanwhile, is less easy to come by, though MPB has a couple at the time of writing. Even Sony A holdouts can get in on the action, with ‘Excellent’ and ‘Like New’ lenses available for between £100 and £150.

Used prime lenses under £350

Sony FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA Zeiss Sonnar T*

At a glance:

Expect to pay: £300-£390
Mount: Sony FE
Min. focal distance: 0.5m
Filter thread: 49mm
Weight: 281g
www.sony.co.uk

With Zeiss-made optics, this is a lens that holds up to the exacting standards demanded by Sony’s high-resolution full-frame sensors. It offers lovely clarity and contrast, and is capable of creating beautiful bokeh in the defocused areas of images thanks to a nine-bladed diaphragm. There’s no stabilisation, but having f/1.8 gives you reasonable latitude to keep things sharp in low light, and there’s full-time manual focus override in case the autofocus gives you trouble. The elements have also been treated with Zeiss’s T* coating, which is anti-reflective to improve contrast and clarity.

The lens is definitely on the light side, which is good news for mirrorless shooters. It has been in circulation since the early days of Sony E-mount, and as such, there are quite a few kicking about on the used market. Prices go as low as £300 if you don’t mind a few signs of use.

Canon EF-M 28mm f/3.5 Macro IS STM

At a glance:

Expect to pay: £200-£270
Mount: Canon EF-M
Min. focal distance: 0.093m
Filter thread: 43mm
Weight: 130g
www.canon.co.uk

Second-hand is fast becoming the only shopping option for EOS M users, with Canon having kneecapped the line in favour of its newer, swankier EOS R series. Still, that’s no reason to toss out your EOS M camera if you’re enjoying using it, as there are a fair few lenses available for the system on the used market – case in point, this compact little macro lens. You may have spotted it before – yes, it’s the one with the built-in Macro Lite, a series of miniature LEDs surrounding the front element that provide a little extra illumination for close-ups when you need it. The lens barrel also has a converging design to minimise the actual shadow cast by the lens itself, making it easier to take advantage of the short working distance and get in super-close to your subject.

Availability for this lens is pretty good across a few different retailers, with some used prices coming in under the £200 mark.

Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM

At a glance:

Expect to pay: £170-£270
Mount: Canon EF, Nikon F
Min. focal distance: 0.45m
Filter thread: 77mm
Weight: 505g
www.sigmauk.com

Available for Canon and Nikon DSLRs, Sigma’s 50mm f/1.4 is a dependable classic. Back in 2008 when it was released, there weren’t as many affordable fast primes as there are now, and the lens caused quite a bit of excitement. While it may not be all that novel or remarkable today, it’s still a solid lens for those who don’t mind a bit of dreamy softness when they’re shooting wide open. The build feels good, the focusing performance is okay, and stopping down gives you all the sharpness you could want.

The Canon EF version is currently much more plentifully available than the Nikon F one on the second-hand market, and there’s a price variance of about £100, depending on condition and retailer. It’s definitely worth considering over the cheap 50mm f/1.8 primes offered by both manufacturers – not only do you get an extra stop at the maximum aperture, but frankly, the Sigma lens just has much more character.

Fujifilm XF 60mm f/2.4 R Macro

At a glance:

Expect to pay: £230-£300
Mount: Fujifilm X
Min. focal distance: 0.26m
Filter thread: 39mm
Weight: 215g
fujifilm.com/uk/en

Back in the day, this was the only macro game in town for Fujifilm X users – indeed, it was one of the first lenses bearing the Fujinon name. The range has expanded a since then, but the XF 60mm f/2.4 Macro is still kicking on both the new and second-hand markets, and there are plenty of samples available at sub-£300 prices. While it’s not a ‘true’ macro lens, as it only offers 0.5x magnification, the Fujifilm XF 60mm f/2.4 R Macro is still optically sound and produces brilliant images full of detail and punch. Its nine rounded aperture blades ensure aesthetically attractive bokeh in the defocused areas of images and when mounted to an APS-C camera it produces an equivalent short telephoto focal length of 90mm.

You won’t struggle to find this lens on the second-hand market, and used prices currently run as low as £234 for a lens listed in ‘Good’ condition.

Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM

At a glance:

Expect to pay: £260-£370
Mount: Canon EF-S
Min. focus distance: 0.2m
Filter thread: 52mm
Weight: 335g
www.canon.co.uk

This is a ‘true’ macro lens – meaning it offers life-size (1:1) magnification – for Canon’s APS-C DSLRs. Its 96mm equivalent focal length makes it pretty versatile, and the short working distance lets you get nice and close to your subjects and fill the frame with exquisitely rendered details. It produces good sharpness at f/2.8, though as is common for lenses of this type, it gets even better once you stop down to f/4. Once again we’ve got Canon’s USM for fast and silent autofocus. Some kind of focus limiter switch might have been nice though, as the lens does tend to hunt at longer distances – but you can’t have everything, after all. Remember that this lens is for APS-C cameras only, and isn’t suitable for full-frame DSLRs.

It’s currently widely available at Wex, Park Cameras and MPB. Prices vary quite significantly – you can get on in ‘Good’ condition for around £260, or spend an extra £100 or so to upgrade to ‘Excellent’.

Samyang AF 45mm f/1.8

At a glance:

Expect to pay: £210-£225
Mount: Sony FE
Min. focus distance: 0.45m
Filter thread: 49mm
Weight: 162g
www.samyanglens.com

So light you could practically forget you were holding it, Samyang’s AF 45mm f/1.8 is a lens for Sony’s full-frame mirrorless cameras, and if you’re looking for a walk-around lens for that system, it’s a cost-effective option. Also, its lightness means it’ll pair well with the APS-C range (the Sony A6000 cameras), on which it provides an equivalent focal length of 67.5mm.

The lens is a pleasant one to use, with a nicely ridged focusing ring for those who like to work with manual focus (though be aware there’s no physical AF/MF switch). However, while the barrel feels fairly premium thanks to its construction from a metal/plastic mix (rather than pure plastic), it is not weather-sealed, so you do need to exercise some caution when out and about. Availability is good across a few second-hand retailers, and for now prices seem to have clustered tightly at a shade over £200. That’s not bad at all, frankly.

Nikon AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 85mm f/3.5G ED VR

At a glance:

Expect to pay: £270-£330
Mount: Nikon F (DX)
Min. focus distance: 0.28m
Filter thread: 52mm
Weight: 355g
www.nikon.co.uk

This macro lens for Nikons DSLRs with APS-C sensors (or DX-format, as Nikon calls it) packs in quite a few features for such an eye-catchingly affordable optic. It’s a ‘true’ macro lens, for one, so you get that full 1:1 image reproduction ratio, but there’s also the built-in stabilisation system, Nikon’s Vibration Reduction (VR), which is a much-appreciated bonus. Delivering an equivalent focal length of 128mm in full-frame terms, it’s a fairly premium-feeling lens inside and out.

Optical performance is very good, especially when you stop down to f/5.6. The barrel has a focus distance scale, which is welcome, though a focus limiter switch might also have been nice. The lens is plentifully available at a few different retailers, with prices as low as £270 or so if you don’t mind going for ‘Good’ condition. Just bear in mind that you won’t be able to keep using it if you upgrade from an APS-C DSLR to full-frame.

Tokina atx-m 85mm f/1.8

Buy Now

At a glance:

Expect to pay: £260-£310
Mount: Sony FE
Min. focus distance: 0.8m
Filter thread: 72mm
Weight: 645g
www.tokinalens.com

Producing bokehlicious backgrounds, this Tokina lens for Sony’s FE-mount is a wonderful portrait optic. It offered good value for money even when it was new, and on the second-hand market it has turned into something of a steal. Its nine-bladed diaphragm is a big part of what makes those backgrounds look so wonderful; however, the optical path also delivers critical sharpness where you need it. Images look good enough that it’s fair to say this lens holds its own when compared to f/1.4 rivals that cost significantly more.

It’s not the fastest focuser in the west, using a focus-by-wire system that also isn’t the most accurate – you probably wouldn’t want this one for photographing football games or fast-moving wildlife. Optically though it’s sound as a pound, with distortion and aberration both well controlled. There’s no stabilisation, so if you can pair it with a Sony body that has an in-body stabilisation system, all the better.

Used prime lenses under £500

Sigma 65mm f/2 DG DN Contemporary

At a glance:

Expect to pay: £429-£520
Mount: Sony FE, L-mount
Min. focus distance: 0.55m
Filter thread: 62mm
Weight: 405g
www.sigmauk.com

The full-frame L-mount system, born out of an alliance between Panasonic, Sigma and Leica, is relatively new on the scene, and as such there aren’t as many cheap second-hand lenses for the mount available. However, this interesting Sigma lens, first released in 2020, can consistently be found across a few second-hand retailers for less than £500, and is a great way to expand your L-mount arsenal (it’s also available for Sony FE).

It’s an odd duck of a lens. Many people weren’t quite sure what to make of its 65mm focal length when the lens was first released – not quite that 50mm comfort zone, not quite that 75mm portrait-friendly perspective. It’ll probably take you a little practice to figure out what situations the lens excels in, and fortunately, it’s a fun lens to practise on. It’s light enough that you can wield it all day, and it’s got a tactile aperture ring. The lack of weather-sealing is a bit of a disappointment though, so be mindful of the conditions you take it out in.

Fujifilm XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR

At a glance:

Expect to pay: £415-540
Mount: Fujifilm X
Min. focus distance: 0.6m
Filter thread: 62mm
Weight: 540g
fujifilm.com/uk/en

With sharpness to die for, this Fujifilm lens makes for a brilliant addition to any X-mount collection. When mounted to the system’s APS-C camxaeras, it produces an equivalent focal length of 137mm. This makes it a pretty tight telephoato – great in particular for close portraits and headshots. It can also be an excellent choice for travel if you’re the type who prefers detail shots to vistas – while it’s long, it’s not prohibitively heavy, and it also has weather-sealing (the ‘WR’ in the name).

While used prices for the lens do go over £500, there are plenty of ‘Excellent’ condition examples available for around the £470 mark, particularly at MPB and Wex Photo Video. One thing to note is that the lens lacks any stabilisation, which can make its long focal length a little trickier
to use. You might find that you get a few blurry shots when the light gets low – it’s really at its best in daylight.

Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary

At a glance:

Expect to pay: £200-£380
Mount: L-mount (APS-C), Sony E, Nikon Z (DX), Micro Four Thirds, Fujifilm X, Canon EF-M
Min. focus distance: 0.5m
Filter thread: 55mm
Weight: 280g
www.sigmauk.com

Available for a host of different crop-sensor mirrorless mounts, Sigma’s 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary lens is a popular little gem. It delivers an equivalent focal length of 84mm on various APS-C cameras, and provides 112mm equivalent on Micro Four Thirds – with tack-sharpness and fast focusing, it’s a brilliant lens for a host of applications. Fancy some street portraiture? This is your gal.

Two things that fluctuate pretty significantly with this lens on the used market are price (naturally) but also availability. Depending on what mount you’re after, you may have a very easy time getting hold of this lens, or not. At the time of writing, there are loads of used versions available for Sony E-mount, a few available for Fujifilm X and Canon EF-M, and none available used for Z-mount or Micro Four Thirds. Patience is key here – though if yours is in short supply, you can buy this lens new and still stay within our £500 budget. Cheating? Maybe. But needs must.

Canon EF-M 32mm f/1.4 STM

At a glance:

l Expect to pay: £350-£450
Mount: Canon EF-M
Min. focal distance: 0.23m
Filter thread: 43mm
Weight: 235g
www.canon.co.uk

When mounted to one of Canon’s EOS M mirrorless cameras – all of which have APS-C sensors – this lens produces an equivalent focal length of 51.2mm. This naturalistic standard focal length makes it an excellent general- purpose lens, though a cut above the norm by virtue of having f/1.4 at its disposal rather than the more standard f/1.8. A sophisticated optical design, including an aspherical element, ensures excellent sharpness and clarity with minimal distortion, and Canon has also included the Super Spectra Coating to help control flare and ghosting. Autofocus performs well, powered by Canon’s stepping motor, and there’s also full-time manual override should you wish to take precise control for yourself.

Currently, you can save around £100 on this lens when you buy used, compared to the asking price for a new one. That situation may change once new supplies dry up and it’s used or nothing – so if you’re committed to using EOS M, it might be better to buy sooner than later.

Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R

At a glance:

Expect to pay: £320-£420
Mount: Fujifilm X
Min. focus distance: 0.7m
Filter thread: 62mm
Weight: 405g
fujifilm.com/uk/en

A hugely popular lens among Fujifilm users, the XF 56mm f/1.2 R is a portrait prime that delivers an equivalent focal length of 85mm. At the Fujifilm X-summit in 2022, a successor to this lens was announced, adding weather-sealing, which somewhat explains why this early version is so prolifically available on the second-hand market. Seriously – if you want this lens, you will not have trouble finding it, and that proliferation has kept the price nice and friendly. At time of writing, Park, Wex, Ffordes and MPB all have at least one for less than £400.

In use, it’s a dazzling lens. That big f/1.2 aperture lets Fujifilm do what Fujifilm does best – produce beautiful, dreamlike bokeh in images with a razor-thin depth of field. If you shoot weddings on a Fujifilm X camera, this lens should absolutely make its way into your arsenal. It focuses pretty close, too, and of course as a Fujifilm lens it has a lovely tactile aperture ring.

Sigma 40mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art

At a glance:

l Expect to pay: £390-£440
Mount: L-mount, Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony FE, Sigma SA
Min. focus distance: 0.4m
Filter thread: 82mm
Weight: 1,200g
www.sigmauk.com

It’s undoubtedly a chunky customer, weighing in at more than a kilogram. However, Sigma’s artsy prime with its unorthodox focal length and big f/1.4 aperture is a winner in terms of the stunning images it produces. Just as you’d expect, it gives a wonderfully crisp separation between subject and background, with details popping out, and bokeh beautiful in the background. Lovely stuff. The focal length makes it versatile – use it for street photography, landscapes, environmental portraiture or whatever you like. It’s probably not one for travel, unless you’ve got a generous baggage allowance.

The lens is available for a host of mounts – however, for whatever reason, the second-hand market currently sports plenty of the L-mount version and not much of the others. This is happy news for users of the newer mirrorless system, who shouldn’t have much trouble getting hold of a ‘Like New’ version of this lens for £440.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm f/1.8

At a glance:

Expect to pay: £360-£430
Mount: Micro Four Thirds
Min. focus distance: 0.84m
Filter thread: 58mm
Weight: 305g
explore.omsystem.com

With an equivalent focal length that doubles up to 150mm, this Olympus lens was pretty reasonably priced even when it was new back in 2012, and the second-hand market has made it all the more tempting. The wide maximum aperture of f/1.8 is immediately eyebrow-raising, and the lens continues to perform well even when you bang it wide open. Sure, there’s a little corner fall-off, but nothing that’s going to ruin anyone’s day, and the sharpness performance is very good right the way across the frame. The application of Olympus’s ZERO coating also helps to reduce reflections and flare to an absolute minimum.

There are trade-offs, of course – the lens isn’t weather-sealed, and it lacks an internal stabilisation system, which can make it tricky to use in dim conditions (though again f/1.8 is of some help there). However, with prices currently going as low as £359 in some quarters, this lens represents brilliant value for money for MFT shooters.

Zeiss Batis 40mm f/2 CF

At a glance:

Expect to pay: £450-£550
Mount: Sony FE
Min. focal distance: 0.24m
Filter thread: 67mm
Weight: 361g
www.zeiss.co.uk

The second-hand savings you can make on this sleek and lovely Zeiss lens are seriously impressive. ‘Why would I spend £1,299 buying a new one off the shelf when I can get it in near-mint condition with six months’ warranty for £499?’ a reasonable person might ask. Realistically, the answer is most likely to be, ‘Because someone else got there first.’

Built to fit Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras, the Zeiss Batis 40mm f/2 CF is a standard prime that delivers brilliant optical performance throughout its aperture range, and focuses fast and close. There’s both a full-time manual focus override and a focus limiter switch, and the lens also features an OLED display that provides a readout for distance and depth-of-field information.

You don’t get the low-light performance or bokeh quality of an f/1.4 lens – Sigma’s 40mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art featured on this page springs to mind as a compelling rival for this reason, though it is also more than three times the weight of the Batis.

Used lens warranty – who offers what?

We’d always recommend sticking with established, trusted retailers when you’re buying used photo gear. The main reason is warranty – a limited guarantee that the equipment you’re buying will be in good working order.

Here are the reputable sellers we’ve used to compile this list, and the warranties they offer on used lenses. Sometimes a warranty won’t apply to certain items (usually ones in poorer condition). This should always be stated in the product description, so be sure to read it thoroughly before buying!