Buying UGLY from KEH
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- čas přidán 1. 07. 2024
- I've bought from KEH before but never have I explored the realms of UGLY. KEH is known to have a reputation of having high standards when it comes to rating their used gear, but do these standards also apply to 'Ugly'?
The Gear I Use:
Canon R6: amzn.to/48jI0I9
Sennheiser MKE 600: amzn.to/45RRU2f
Rode Wireless Go II: amzn.to/46gj4jg
Rode Lavalier Go: amzn.to/3ZkXkAd
SmallRig RC 120B: amzn.to/45QWYnq
Neewer NL480: amzn.to/400guMi
Chapters:
0:00 - What is Ugly?
1:36 - Buying from Canada
2:00 - What did I Buy?
2:51 - Unboxing
4:12 - A Closer Inspection
6:00 - Image Tests
6:43 - Outro
I have both sold equipment to, and purchased equipment from, KEH for over 20 years, and never had a single problem.
I have been buy ng from KEH since 1983! Great company!
I was unlucky with my purchases from KEH and sent most of them back. Never bought any "Ugly" graded merch either. Then I discovered Roberts/UPP and never had a problem again.
what rating is ugly at UPP where your comment is actually valid?
First off, thank you for sharing this experience. The thing is, if I ever end up buying something that has fungus in it on purpose for a bargain, I'd probably leave it that way just as an experiment to see the effect on the image as the fungus grows. However, if I buy something that I want at a bargain and it turns out to have fungus in it. if the lens is fully manual, I am very confident about disassembling it and cleaning the fungus with the right solution. However, if the lens has electronic contacts, I'd a tad less confident, and if it has a lot of tech like IS, programmable buttons, or LCD display, I'd just return it because I wouldn't be confident that I won't nick something off.
Thanks Yamen, agreed. Manual lenses were so much easier to disassemble. I looked up some disassembly videos for this lens and it was quite complicated. I might attempt it one day but so far it works fine so I’ll just leave it for now
nice video, fun unboxing. I wouldn't worry too much about the fungus, it's not going to grow like a plant. If you can determine if it's near the front or back you might want to try cleaning it. I've had success in the past as a complete novice using youtube videos as tutorials. I'd be more concerned about the wobble, if you're doing extreme closeup work it might throw your focus off on one side or the other. It's also a good indication the lens was probably dropped and the helicoid has been damaged internally. I'd return it and get a Laowa 100mm, that lens is super sharp and gives 2:1 macro reproduction.
Hi Paul, thank you so much for the suggestions. Yeah I tried taking out the front elements as it was an easy disassemble, hoping it would be there but it wasn’t unfortunately. Good thing tho is everything works as should so I might just leave it as is for now.
i have had really good luck buying bargin and ugly from keh. glad you did too. cheers, the Rabbit. =:3
If you are in Ontario you can try crossborder shipping to reduce those import fees a bit
Sadly I’m not :(
That's a fantastic lens, a magical product. Shoot some pictures and look at the result. Probably stopped down you see no problems.
Definitely no issues with my copy IQ wise :)
How much was the shipping and import duties on this if you don't mind me asking. I'm also in Canada and I thought about ordering a small inexpensive lens from KEH for under $40 US, , but after looking into the shipping that KEH charges for shipping to Canada, exchange rate, taxes and import duties the cost of the lens would have tripled from the original price.
I believe it was about 10-15% to the courier when I received the package? I can’t remember the exact amount unfortunately. Yes I’ve realized it’s not that worth it getting it into Canada either. Unless the item is Ugly and marked down really low or if you’re trying to find a collector item. They do sometimes have coupon codes for ugly items tho when they try to clear stock. Happens maybe once or twice per year.
For some merchants, "ugly" means a few dings and scratches which have no bearing on function nor image quality. But for some other merchants, "ugly" means a piece of half broken crap which is almost unusable.
Haha yeah you never know what to expect. Good thing there’s a return policy
I've bought a lot gear from KEH but it's been Bargain and above quality. I've been very happy with my purchases. I've never bought any of their UGLY. Their site says that UGLY is not covered by their warranty. Can it be returned if you don't like it and YOU pay shipping? If so, it may be worth a try sometime.
Hey Lawrence, yeah bargain is usually quite good. Ugly is a hit or miss so depends how lucky you are haha.
That’s correct, their warranty does not cover ugly but it can be returned.
‘As-is’ is the only grade that cannot be returned.
I dont think people will stop milking these types of videos
Waiting for Hasselblad 80mm CB f2.8. Hoping for clean optics.
Good luck!
@@SMBYopinion I'll keep you posted.
Roll the dice 🎲
How did it turn out?
I am now too scarred to purchase ugly.....Let me tell you why. My first purchase from KEH was a bargain grade D3s and arrived in quite good order....just missing rubber cap to remote connector. Them I purchased Nikon 80-400 G in bargain grade with a noted damage to front ring. On arrival the ring had a missing section but not too bad. What wasn't mentioned was weather seal next to bayonet mount was lifting in one small section. The movements of lens seemed to be good and free without stiffness. Then for a third time I decided to try a bargain grade Nikon 24-70 G ED also with damage to front ring. This time the damage seemed to be easily 1/3 of ring broken off (most likely dropped damage) and on mounting on camera....auto focus works fine but manual focus seems to freeze until using auto focus and then it works for a bit. Will see if frees up and usually use auto focus anyway. Bit dust in glass which is to be expected. I think 24-70 more an ugly grade than Bargain grade. But can't be too fussy as not buying exc or as new grades. But now unsure if taking a chance on ugly is worth it as in Australia , with our weak dollar and shipping generally cost of item doubles by time it gets here.........But am happy with the body though....Its a beast
Thanks for sharing your experience. It’s a gamble for sure, especially since their descriptions are always so vague and without pictures. Though I’m quite surprised that 24-70 ended up in bargain grade, usually if there’s a functional issue it goes to ugly but yeah who knows, it’s always a toss up
I'm a UPP man. Great lenses with honest ratings.
Thank you!!
You can kill the fungus with uv light. Will not remove what is there but will keep it from growing. Good luck. M
Thank you so much for the advice. I’ll give that a try!
I am slightly puzzled. When they rate a lens, KEH can either see fungus or not, and the listing should surely say if it's there. As for fungus, easy to kill it an stop active growth. Not always so easy to get into a lens and clean it!
For sure, they should see it during inspection but they don’t note it on the listing. Typically they just use generic pre written rating descriptions
@@SMBYopinion They should do better than that. Buying shouldn't be a complete lottery!
Import charges? From Canadian customs or someone else?
Correct, from customs
Wish You well on growing your Channel. Congrats on getting what looks to be a good copy of a great lens. Why they would ship it without at least a rear cap is a little ridiculous. Those electrical contacts can get easily damaged, cheap pouch notwithstanding.
KEH has always been very conservative with their ratings, and reputable. Why they had to go ‘political’ is a shame, IMO. To each their own, but it conflicts with my personal beliefs and views, and I would not feel comfortable dealing with them going forward.
Leave it sit in the Sun for awhile, for a number of times, and the UV should help with the Fungus/mold.
Peace!
Thank you so much for the support and the tip about putting it out in the sun! I’m giving that a go for sure. :)
And yes, definitely follow whatever feels comfortable to you!
@@SMBYopinion You're Welcome and my pleasure! Thanks for your reply. You come across very well in your Videos, very amicable, and I wish You well going forward.
Yes, the act of the Sun/UV rays has been known to help, but not always guaranteed to totally mitigate Fungus/ Mold in lenses? I know of some who have used a tanning lamp on a lens. I would caution against too long of an exposure at a time. A lens sitting out in the Sun will get Hot quickly, and that can cause more problems than help!!! 😯
Pick a cool day, and use your judgment. Good luck! Stay well! Peace
I’ve been very curious about this because the lenses are like 50% cheaper
It’s a gamble but you might get something good! I’m still using this lens, and the fungus doesn’t seem to be growing or affecting imaging quality
@@SMBYopinion that’s dope!
tutorial on how to clean fungus?
I wonder if you can put it an ozone treatment and kill the fungus so you don't have to worry about it getting worse
Ohh, thanks for the suggestion. I’ll look into that!
I’d worry the fungus could infect my camera or other lenses…
Let’s hope not :(
Was it decentered?
Not that I’m noticing, if so, it could be minor
KEH is really overhyped compared to MPB, BH or Adorama. They are honest mentioning that UGLY means FUNGUS
Talk, talk, talk.
This man looks green. ZOLTAN 🫱🏼🫲🏼