Dust Inside Lens

I have a Canon EF-S 18-55/2.8 lens that I would like to sell. It's only for APS-C sensor Canons, and now that I have the 5DII, the 16-35/2.8 and the 24-105/4, I have no need for it. It is a superb lens and was my main workhorse for several years. It's about a $1200 lens new. The problem is that it has a lot of dust on the inside of the lens. It doesn't seem to affect image quality at this time, though I wonder if it might if it gets worse, and I would imagine it may be more susceptible to lens flare. Would it be worth sending it to Canon for a cleaning? Has anyone had experience with this and/or know the cost? Thanks for any input.

I can't help you, but it wouldn't hurt to submit a repair cost estimate to Canon. They're pretty quick with the replies.

I have the same problem with a couple Canon lenses. I haven't found a solution yet so I'm interested to see what others say.

For dust on the 24-105 L lens it cost me around $200 using Canon repair to get the grit out...

Not sure if it's that Canon lenses are not as well sealed or what, but I never had any interior dust problem with my Nikon lenses when I shot with Nikon equipment. But have seen this recently with Canon when I looked at a couple used lenses that someone was selling over in the Portland area (Canon 500mm and a 100-400mm). Both seemed to have some dust inside, so I didn't buy either one. Since I've never bought a used lens before, I didn't want to take the chance of having to send it in to Canon right away for cleaning.

Every time I start worrying about my lens being cleaned I remember this.

http://www.lensrentals.com/news/2008.10.30/front-element-scratches

For the most part, dust inside a lens will have no impact on the image quality of the lens. There are a few exceptions, but this is the general rule. Do you believe you would receive $200 more for your lens if it were cleaned by Canon prior to sale? If not, then this is not a task that will lead to a good return on investment.

Mel-

Thank you for the links and the comments, folks. Mel, your point makes sense, and given the cost of the lens and people's misconceptions about the significance of dust inside the lens, it would probably be worth it.