Anyone having traveled to Japan and stayed a little longer than normal will have undoubtedly been exposed to the likes of Hard Off, the premiere second-hand hardware store, offering goods at varying levels of value. Sometimes items are absolute bargains and on occasions they make me question whether they are trying to move the items at all.
On top of the main inventory, usually tucked away at the back of the store is a little section dedicated to junk items. For the most part at least in Hard Off stores these junk items are all electronics. Junk in western terms generally means that the item is of no use, but Japan is a little more of the approach ‘that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’. I am that second man.
What are Junk Lenses?
Junk items, at least for Japan, are generally items that have been deemed defective, obsolete, or damaged beyond practical repair. Consequently these items are sold without any warranty and are generally a no return item. Some stores have facilities for you to test the items and decide if you can deal with the item’s defect, which is sometimes listed on the label. This is more for TVs and computer monitors etc and not so much for lenses. Lenses in general, especially the older ones without electrical focus motors, can to a certain extent be tested by hand.
In the case of Hard Off these lenses end up in Junk boxes in the back of the store and are heavily discounted. To make the cut as junk the lenses generally have scratches, fungus, or mechanical issues. On occasion they are just old, sometimes it’s a combination of issues or the trifecta.
What have I found?
I have bought a number of what are so called junk lenses, but they would be quite evenly distributed on a good-to-bad spectrum. To go through everything I have bought wouldn’t be practical, which basically highlights how much jun- *ahem* …treasure I have bought. I will go through some of the better purchases and also the not-so-great.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Nikon 28-85 f/3.5-4.5 AF (The Good)
I can’t remember the price of this one, but I think I may have paid about 1,100 yen for it and so far I can’t establish if it has any real problems other than it being an old lens (1986-1990). Optically it is sharp and it doesn’t appear to have any fungus or delamination. The f3.5-4.5 isn’t ideal, but it makes for a light and versatile lens. I have been using this lens as my main shooter recently, whether that will continue time will tell.
Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 D DL Macro (The Bad, sorry Sigma)
This one I bought for 330 yen knowing it had an issue. To be clear the fault with the lens is not the fault of Sigma, but more likely an issue with how the lens was (not) cared for. The first lens in the series of internal lenses had some kind haze on it. Knowing how to take this section apart, I thought I would remove it, clean it and put it back together. The end result being a cheap working lens and some fun with no real heartbreaking loss if it all failed. Well the pulling it apart went fine and even the putting back together was without issue, but the cleaning off the haze proved to be the weak link in the plan. No amount of cleaning made anything beyond a marginal improvement. It shoots like there is condensation on the lens that just won’t evaporate. It is otherwise relatively sharp for what it is.
Tokina AT-X Pro 28-70mm f/2.8 (The Ugly)
Maybe it’s not ugly, just more of an acquired taste. Mechanically, the lens is fine and is sharp, but the haze generated by the fungus in the lens is definitely noticeable. It isn’t as noticeable as with the previous lens, but is present. Shooting during the day, the lens can be annoying and it requires some messing around in post to rectify. At night it does create quite a nice mist through the shots especially if there are some lights or illuminated signs. So, with this lens I have a love hate relationship.
My most remarkable find
Nikon Ai 50mm f/1.4
This Nikon 50mm f/1.4 is the most amazing find I’ve have ever come across. I paid 330 yen for it and it doesn’t appear to have any issues whatsoever. Being that it’s manual focus I don’t use it often, but when I do I must say I really like the results. Nailing focus at f/1.4 is a bit of a battle, but this is probably a problem with the photographer (me) not the lens. I found this treasure of a lens in a rural Hard Off in the junk section. I would be very surprised if I could get this lucky again.
Where to find junk lenses in Japan
Junk lenses can be found all over the place, from entire floors dedicated to junk lenses, like the one in Five Star Camera in Shinjuku, to the boxes at your local Hard Off or local second-hand goods store. They can also be found on online sites like Yahoo Auctions and Mercari. Personally I like to look at the camera stores and Hard Off as that’s where I’ve found the best bargains. The camera stores are more likely to have something for every camera brand, but normally the prices aren’t basement level like in general second-hand goods shops. At Hard Off the chances of finding something good are slimmer, but the price is likely to be outstanding.
Things to look for when buying junk lenses
If a lens is declared ‘junk’ there is usually a good reason. Some of the more organized places may state the fault in the lens which makes it easier to know what you are getting yourself into. More often than not you won’t know what was the determining factor in the junk rating. Now, in a camera store you could ask and there is a chance they can advise you, but in a place like Hard Off I personally have never asked and have just thrown caution to the wind and risked my lunch money.
The most common issue I have found is fungus on the internal lenses and when shooting this generally will give you a result like you have a mist filter on the lens. The issue is that even when you aren’t in the mist mood, you have to be in the mist mood, if that is the lens you want to use.
Other issues I have seen that are harder to spot are mechanical issues like the focus screw missing and delamination, which is the lens coatings starting to lift. Easier to spot issues are scratches on the lens and the body of the lens from having had a rough life.
An important thing to keep in mind is compatibility with your camera system when looking at lenses as you may find something that fits, but doesn’t actually work to its full capacity. For example a lot of the lenses I have bought are fine with my Nikon D610, but aren’t compatible with the Nikon D3300 I have as they don’t have an internal focus motor, so at best they become manual focus lenses on the D3300.
Just to be clear, an important consideration when buying these lenses is that you are unlikely to be able to return them once purchased, so keep in mind that if you have a mild hoarding issue, these will be with you for a long time.
You won’t get rich. You won’t get poor. You may have fun.
Not to be negative, but don’t be blindsided into thinking there is an arbitrage opportunity here. Rather than writing this I could have sold out and made an online get rich quick scheme selling the dream of selling lenses. The prices may look very attractive, but once coupled with finding the lenses and selling them and so on, it should become apparent this is more a bit of fun than an entrepreneurial opportunity. But who am I to stop you? Just don’t say I didn’t warn you not to go crazy buying everything you see.
All in all, there is some fun to be had messing around with old lenses and seeing what you get. I have found some of my favorite lenses amongst the junk and it has allowed me to take some shots with unique character that would not have been afforded to me without the imperfections of these junk lenses.
A collection of photos taken with ‘junk’ lenses
