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Just saw this thread and wanted to jump in. Tbh, what kind of stuff are you actually planning to shoot? Like, are you looking for portraits, or maybe something for street photography? A $500 budget goes a long way if you’re looking at the non-L primes. I’m a bit of a DIY enthusiast when it comes to maintenance, so I usually look for 'Bargain' or 'Excellent' grade items on sites like KEH or even the official Canon Refurbished store. If you find a lens with some minor external dust, don't sweat it—you can usually handle the cleaning yourself with a rocket blower and some quality lens tissues. Just be super cautious about anything mentioning 'haze' or 'fungus' internally. Tearing down an RF lens to clean internal elements is a total nightmare because of the tight tolerances; you’d basically need a collimator to ensure the optical alignment and centering are still within industry standards after reassembly. It's usually a pro-only job at that point. For your budget, you could easily grab a used Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM or maybe a Canon RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM and still have some cash left for a proper maintenance kit. Honestly, buying used is great, but just gotta make sure the mechanics are solid before you commit.

MPB's been solid for me. Got a clean RF 35mm there last year. Worth a look!

Careful with used RF glass! Check lens coatings and IS function thoroughly. At $500, you might want to consider adapting EF lenses instead. Sigma ART series are often cheaper used and optically superb. Adapters are $100; image quality is key.

Beyond Canon, explore Sony E-mount lenses with adapters! The used market's flooded, creating price dips; research MPB.com for trends before buying.

eBay's good, but *really* inspect photos. Factor in potential repair costs – $500 might not cover it.