Why are Canon EF L lenses going so cheap?

Let them keep selling them down and I’ll buy them all lol. Nikon D lenses too although some of those have bounced!

600 euros for the 16 35 💀

I have EF lenses on an adapter because back then Sony didn't have good lenses and I keep using them because they're fine for most of my needs. I didn't fully switch to Sony mostly because I have more important things to spend my money on. Now I'm eying some EF cameras but I have to say that many of these old DSLR lenses are vintage today. For example that 85 1.2 is not very usable. It has aberration all over it. It's 100% a vintage look. The oldest lens that's justifiable for me at this point is probably Sigma 35mm 1.4 Art. It's not as sharp as mirrorles stuff, but it's sharp enough.

Those older Canon lenses have nothing on new optics apart from build quality. Samyang makes 85mm 1.2 that's tack sharp wide open. They also make 135mm 1.8 that's just as good. Both autofocus and optical quality is better today than in the 1990 - 2010s, when EF lenses were designed. The bright, wide angle zooms that you showed are not that great either. 16-35 2.8 is unsharp, that's just the reality of glass made for 16-20 Mpx sensors and 35mm film (!). They fixed it fith the second generation, so that one is better but still not as good as a modest Tamron or Sigma today. That said there's a few lenses that are still worth a look. Their 180mm macro is better and quite usable on small apertures and sharp enough for portraits. EF 135mm f2 L is sharp wide open; 16-35 f4 IS L is also sharp for a zoom, same for 11-24 and their funky fisheye zoom. Their specialised stuff like telephoto primes, 100 and macro, tilt-shift architectural jars are all still used professionally. The late primes like 35 1.4 II are also decent.

The prices of dslr lenses still very expensive. Sure you can buy use one cheap dut is not common. Sorry bad video.

With camera's getting much higher resolutions and newer coatings being developed, I would think that the older L lenses might not be good enough for adapting to newer bodies. I was looking up some info about the Canon EF 16-35mm L lenses and version I and II are pretty soft in the corners, which is fixed in the newer versions. Also many older L lenses are a little soft when shooting wide open, while most newer L lenses and even regular lenses are sharp even when shooting wide open.
Not saying that older L lenses are bad, but I think it's normal that prices are going down. People move to the newer mount, so the market gets flooded with good EF glass and prices need to be competitive to make the sale.

Still can't find a 500 or 600 at a price i can afford 2nd hd

I recently bought a 5D Mark iii with a 24-105 kit lens, 50mm 1.2, 16-35 f2.8 mkii and the 70-200 mki with IS for under €2000. Pretty happy with that. Normaly your bank account wouldn’t be happy with those kinds of lenses 😂

I defy anyone to tell the difference between photos taken on the high end DSLR cameras and pro lenses and the mirrorless versions.
Mirrorless was a great way for camera manufacturers to screw a lot more money out of consumers.

Canon FD is the way to go!

I still have a large collection of EF L glass. Looking for a more modern DSLR body. Have a 5D mark 0 that was my wife’s camera and I switched to Sony primarily for video but there is nothing wrong with the glass, time to start using it again.

L series glass is addictive and the opportunity for anyone to cost effectively pick one up and pop it on an R or 5D series body is something no one should pass up. My two RF lenses (RF 100-300 2.8 and RF 100-500 4.5-7.1) are in fact better than their EF counterparts which I also have and will keep. The 100-300 does not really have a counterpart but effectively is like blending my 300 2.8 and 70-200 2.8 into one lens ...AND... it is as sharp as the 300 prime. As a sports shooter it is nirvana. But it was 10,000 USD. As you pointed out, the EF 70-200 2.8 is well within reach of many. The EF 300 2.8 IS is a bit more but much less than original 7000 USD price tag. I still have and will keep all of my EF L glass including the EF 100-400 MII which I use on a 7D MII when kayaking. No, it is not as "good" as the 100-500 on the R7 but it is still extraordinary. Last week I shot a bald eagle backlit by sunlight as it landed in a tree above me. No chromatic aberration or purple fringing. That's L glass for you. Good advice

EF lenses (as well as EF bodies) are going for significantly less now on the used market as everyone and their dog is switching over to mirrorless. Hell, I was able to pick up a used Canon EF 28-300mm L for under 700 USD!

The 85mm II I wouldn’t say is a good lens. The focus was awful and good luck trying to get a shot wide open! I had to always shoot at 2 or 2.5 to get decent shots (on a Canon 5D3). Possibly it would have worked better on my R5 which I have now.

I now use the RF85mm 1.2 which is an incredible lens and probably the best lens I have ever owned.

For EF mount the newer 1.4 version is way better than the older EF 85mm II 1.2. Skip the 85mm 1.2 it’s pretty bad.

Although the 5D4 is good, if you can manage an R6, you get way more than you expect from the cost that is double.

The focussing of mirrorless compared to DSLR is in another league. The benefits far outweigh the extra cost. If someone was on a really tight budget I would say get a 5D3, but if they can stretch to it and maybe delay a fancy lens so they could get the R6, definitely do that!

DSLRs have had their day and will slow you down. If you are in a position to compare a DSLR to a mirrorless I’m very certain you won’t want the DSLR once you understand the advantages of a mirrorless camera.

Cheap? How it's cheap ? Where ? Not cheap at all due to still high demand. These are often still the most sensible lenses for the newer eos R cameras, because Eos R line is a complete mess.
Old lenses for Sony/Minolta and Nikon are much cheaper due to limited compatibility with modern cameras and the fact that Sony and Nikon have better developed new mirrorless systems, so there is less demand.
Compare prices for the first generation sigma art lenses on different mounts. EF would be 20-30% more expensive. Look at the old nikorrs, especially the ones with the screwdriver - that is what i call a "cheap lenses".

I’ll be honest with you, I resisted mirrorless for a long time. Then one day I picked up the EOS R on display in BestBuy, the eye tracking AF and exposure simulation sold me instantly. By the way, the EOS R has the 5D Mk4 sensor in it. I eventually made the break from EF to RF L lenses (which are lighter, smaller, faster focusing and sharper) and I haven’t looked back. I eventually bought an R5 for the higher megapixels and better user interface.

Great input, thanks for sharing!

Astrophotography, you mentioned it but I didn’t see much more. I’ve bought some of the old Pentax 6X7 lenses for use with cooled astrophotography cameras. The advantage to those 6x7 lenses is the large backfocus that allows room for an off axis guider setup and a filter wheel. Anyway those old lenses are excellent and available used for $100-200, a small fraction of their original cost. They’re absolutely great for wide angle astrophotography.

because regular folks don’t like big cameras like they used to

Traded up 3 times for 5drs cost less than 800.00 3 years ago. Used 16-35, 24-70, 70-200. all f4 is - cheep!
Want the 100-400 ii but price is holding up at 1 k.
Now looking at 5d iv for screen and focus.

I have a good set of EF lenses. Trying to upgrade my 50mm to a f/1.4. Purchased two - one from an auction site (not Ebay). at $110.. another from a huge online retailer.. at $190, both arrived with broken AF. Canon is still selling the lens at $400.00 new. None of them would IMO be a bargain in 2024. Not seeing this discount wave yet.

i use the EF 24-70mm f2.8L and the EF 200mm F2.8L with my Canon R7. Great lenses, and I could never have afforded them before.

i have just added the Sigma RF-S 18-50mm f2.8, which is very good and the size and weight of the R7's kit lens.

What makes all of this practical is the R7's IBIS, since none of these lenses have stabilization built in.

Shhhh. Don't tell everyone.

A little-known gem is the Canon EF 28–80mm f2.8–4 L mini-magic drainpipe, with leaded glass.

Well said.

One excellent opportunity with the old EF L series lenses is that they work magnificently on the new Canon RF bodies. So you can upgrade to a modern mirrorless camera and still take advantage of these excellent older EF lenses.

L stands for low dispersion glass.

I just came across your video. Great topic and Thank You. Im also a EF Canon hobbyist doing Astrophotography and Sports.
Have notice as the years go buy the EF L glass becoming very responsible. Even if you have a EOS R Camera the EF glass works incredibly. Thanks to no real 3rd party glass yet we dont have much joices
To tell you the truth I find the RF glass in regards to AF to be about 5% to 10% better at the best . RF L glass is top of line for sure but you will pay a high price.
I have been actually thinking of getting the EF 135mm f2 and the EF 400mm F5.6 somtime in the future. They would be totally compatible with my old 6D , 80D my kids 70D and my R6MARK2.
I did find another parts of your video intriguing in regards to the Classic Qlick Bait " Why im switching to Sony" lol
In my photography journey so far i have only used Canon 18 -24mp Cameras.
I have been thinking of trying a used Sony like the A7R3 42mp.
I was thinking how did you make out with Canon Glass on your Sony. Apart from Canon EF I also have Sigma EF glass.
Im thinking A7R3 , MC11 adapter with my Sigma 14-24mm f2.8 and Sigma 35mm F1.4.
My question is how would this combo work out with Sony?
Regards Sean

only got 50 1.2L. not really impressed. my sony a7r iv likes the 35 f2 is and 85 1.8

At the end of the day, glass is glass and I think the L Series have some of the best glass out there. As long as your still in the EOS ecosystem, which unless you're an intense professional, I see no reason to switch, it's a good time to be in the hobby! I am going to pick up a 1DX to replace my 1DS. I love that big body format and I think for my landscape photography, general hobby stuff, that would be a great buy and addition to my collection. I also dabble in film photography and I like that you can use L series lenses on a lot of canon film cameras such as my A1. I think L series is a great sweet spot for a hobbist

Make the switch to Mirrorless if you have the ability and keep the EF lenses. I use my EF lenses with an R3. I won’t buy an RF lens. Maybe they are even faster but the L lenses perform beyond anything the average photographer would need. But like in the video , I do have a 5D3 and if it ain’t moving super fast and I don’t need high FPS, there’s very little difference.

Mark my words, don’t sell that 85 1.2, it’s going to be a future classic, if you look at the FE version of this lens, which was for film, they’re selling for astronomical money because of the 1.2 aperture, I believe most of this range of lenses will be worth a fair wack in the not too distant future.

Love my Canon R5 and have a few great RF lenses, but most of my lenses are EF L lenses with an adapter. Works great

Because everyone is switching to RF lenses and mirror less cameras

I haven't seen L lens's cheep. I still see them way much money.

damn this USA prices are very good. Bigger market effect, in EU we still have a bubble

I have a question! I've been wanting to purchase the 70-200mm 2.8 and I've noticed most sellers on ebay for this specific lens state that there from Japan in the name title of the lens. Does that make a difference from the ones on the canon website?

nee kon

The EF 70-200L IS version, the Mark II version is sharper than the first IS version, which actually is less sharp than the non-is version. The EF to R adapter is supposed to be quite good with no compromises.

I dunno man... I bought a $3000 Sony 12-24 GM F2.8 last night... and just the preliminary stuff ive seen with it is mind blowing.... My camera gear was all 20 years old, I had one high end canon lens left, and I just decided I wanted to drop the cash for another 20 year set up

I'm confused with this video. There should be much more focus on the fact that these lenses can be adapted to work on current mirrorless and they work great so why box them into the same body of the time? I mean you did mention but briefly. I think it should have been the main focus.

To me one of the reasons to choose Canon over other brands is the ability to use EF lenses on modern state of the art mirrorless cameras like an R3, a huge range of DSLRs, and even film cameras. Yes the RF camera will need an adapter, but it will autofocus that EF lens from the late 80s as good or better than any of the canon cameras that came before it.

hint they are not.

I gave a thumbs up as soon as I heard you endorse Robert's Camera. Great company. Their storefront in Indy has a great stock and a really knowledgeable staff if you get a chance to visit them. Everything I've ordered from Used Photo Pro, their online used store, has arrived to me in eastern Kentucky in two days. If you're in the midwest US I highly recommend them. And their condition assessments have also always been spot on.

Watching this now I just bought the 24-70 mark ii and 85 1.4 $1500 for both I love them so far I am considering a used 5d iv for $900 on KEH or a used r6 ii which I’ve found on Facebook for $1500. Help what should I pick lol.

RF glass imo is excellent but I cannot resist the bargains to be had in EF. 24/1.4 L II, TSE 24 L II, 100-400 L II, 200-400 1.4x L all within the last year or so and I might get the 16-35 and 24-70 2.8 zooms and the 35 & 85 1.4 primes. For me, eBay is my jam. Only RF I have is the 600/11 and it’s light and quick to zoom and having used most of the full frame bodies and the marvellous 100-300/2.8 I really think one can stick to EF L glass in most cases and just upgrade the mirrorless bodies. I think only now Canon are making more interesting lenses, such as the 24-105/2.8, 100-300/2.8 & the 28-70/2, now they might be worth while. Don’t get me wrong; most the RF range has IS now and focuses lightning quick but I don’t need that right now.

Thanks.

Robert's Camera are great people to work with! I have bought many things from them through the years, and they have always provided great products with great service! Five Stars!!!

Canon are still selling some of the L series EF lenses on their website, they are holding prices for new high, in many cases at the same level as they were before the RF mount was launched.