Understanding Our Lens Condition Grading System
Every vintage lens tells a story through its condition. At LensSeed we grade every lens on three axes — Optical, Mechanical, and Cosmetic — each scored from 0 to 5.
These three scores combine into a single overall letter grade, so you always know exactly what you're getting.
Letter Grades
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| A | Lens is in collectible condition. Scratch free in both optic and body. Very minimal sign of use. |
| AB | Lens is in mint condition. Look very new. There might be a few scratch but (not more than 4 scratches) |
| B | Lens is in good condition. It can work perfectly. There might be scratches around lens body but no performance impacted. |
| C | Lens is in fair condition. You can expected this lens as a general second hand item. If there are any imperfect condition, this lens grade still practically work practically with minimal difficulty. |
| D | Lens is in poor condition. Heavy sign of use. It is still work but some function need to be restored in order to make it perfect. |
| F | Lens is in bad condition. Sales for part or repair only. It need repair before you start using it. |
Optical Condition
The glass elements: coatings, clarity, haze, fungus, and scratches that affect image quality.
No scratch, Coat complete. No haze, No fungus. Like new.
No scratch, Coat complete. No haze, No fungus. Top mint.
A few hair scratch or tiny mark on the front lens element.
Impacts picture quality. Ghost, blur picture, low contrast.
Mark or scratch at the rear lens element. This will affect the image.
Lens optic cracked
Mechanical Condition
Focus and aperture operation — smoothness, accuracy, and reliability.
Focus smooth, aperture snappy. Works perfectly.
Smooth focus, accurate aperture. Normal wear.
Focus slightly stiff or loose. Aperture works but maybe dry.
Aperture blades slow to return. Focus uneven.
Focus stuck or aperture blades stuck.
Mechanically broken.
Cosmetic Condition
The exterior: barrel wear, paint, dents, and scratches on the body.
No scratch, Like new. Colors are perfect
Overall look new. But a few scratch, a few paint loss.
Average wear, some scratches on barrel.
Heavy wear, dents or deep scratches.
Very poor condition. Ugly test lens.
Junk condition.
How the overall grade is calculated
Each lens gets three independent scores (0–5). Because optical quality matters most for a vintage lens, the scores are weighted, not averaged equally:
| Weighted score | Grade | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 5.0 (all axes = 5) | A | Collectible / Near-perfect |
| 4.5 – 4.9 | AB | Mint / Excellent |
| 4.0 – 4.4 | B | Good / User-grade |
| 3.0 – 3.9 | C | General second-hand |
| 2.0 – 2.9 | D | Poor / Needs restoration |
| Below 2.0 | F | Parts or repair only |
Example: a lens scoring Optical 4, Mechanical 5, Cosmetic 3 → (4×0.5)+(5×0.3)+(3×0.2) = 4.1 → grade B (Good).
Any axis scoring 0 automatically results in grade F, regardless of the other scores.