Which second hand £300 camera

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JimM169

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Jim
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Hi all

I want to have a play with photography but as it may just be another of my passing fads I don't want to go too mad at first so am limiting my budget to £300.
Initially I'll just be photographing landscapes, nature and family so no fast moving subjects and not interested in video but would like to go for a DSLR over a compact or bridge camera.
Guessing that the best bang for buck will be with the second hand market so could I have some suggestions of cameras that would suit a beginner and come within budget including a (albeit) basic lens.

Thanks

Jim
 
You could probably do a lot worse than a (nice) second-hand Canon 7D.
 
A 7d with a lens may be pushing your budget, may need to try an older model.
 
550D is the same sensor as a 7D. I just gave away a 550D to a friend as I didn't think it would be worth the hassle of tyring to sell it.
 
Also consider the 40D which will be much cheaper and very capable in normal conditions. It would allow you to get a few lenses and you could upgrade if you take to photography.
 
That kind of money will get you an entry DSLR such as the Canon 700D with kit lens or perhaps an CSC such as theOlympus EM5 with 12-50 lens. There are other camera brands etc but you wouldn't go far wrong with either of those options. The 700D has a resolution advantage as well as having a larger sensor over the Olympus however you'd be hard pushed to tell them apart for the most part.
 
One of the cheapest ways of playing about would be to go for a mirrorless camera and old film era manual lenses.

I have endless fun with lenses that cost less than £50 and sometimes less than £20 and a camera that's worth about 2p (almost :D)

You could get a camera for under £100 and a two or three manual lens set (maybe 28mm f2.8, 50mm f1.8 and 135mm f2.8 or 3.5) for £50 to £75. Add a £10 adapter and you're good to go :D
 
Nikon D3300 with a 18-55 kit lens. I bought one new the other month for £275 new (with the latest AF-P lens).
 
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plamen_gb said:
Second to that, if you want to go with Nikon D7000 prices have gone down
Click to expand...

I read (all) the D7000 thread - got the impression it would be a bit OTT for a newcomer

I just bought a Nikon D90 - seems it would be a good camera to start with - even if a little old now

you could add a 18-55mm AF-S VR ( and maybe a 35mm/1.8 later)
 
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I'd go with a s/h Micro 4/3rds.

Something like a Lumix GX7, kit zoom and a 14mm (for landscapes).
 
Another vote for a used D90.

Do any of your mates have a dslr? If they do check what they have and see how it feels in the hand, then decide which to go for.
 
Yardbent said:
i doubt if you'd find a D7000 body, with enough money left for even a kit lens, for £300
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I got one on here with 800 clicks and kit lens for £300 :)
Sold my old one on Gumtree for £225 so it is possible if in no rush.
 
Yeah d7000 or similar like a 550d would be my choice. Buy a body only and you'll probably have enough for a tamron 17-50 too instead of the kit lens.

If you really think it's going to be a fad buy something like a Samsung nx 5,10,11 for about £100-£150 and save your money.
 
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furq said:
I'd go with a s/h Micro 4/3rds.

Something like a Lumix GX7, kit zoom and a 14mm (for landscapes).
Click to expand...

Unfortunately the combination of GX7 and kit zoom is one that has me reaching for a pitchfork and wanting to insert it in the Panasonic chairman's bottom. Panasonic should not IMO be selling these shutter shock affected products at all never mind bundling them in the same box, it's a sin that someone should serve their time in Hell for.
 
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Personally I wouldn't bother with Nikon/Canon, if you MUST then a D90 will be fine (until you figure out that you can't AF tune), then a D7000 will be OK, until you regret purchasing a brick to carry around.

I'd start off on the right foot with m4/3 or Fuji. m4/3 would fit very nicely into that budget. You could afford any of the primes below for £100-150 used:

14mm 2.5
20mm 1.7 (I'd go for the 25mm 1.4 if budget allows)
45mm 1.8

+ your choice of body. Trust me - you'll get better performance out of that that a Canon/Nikon setup. Not only that but you get a ton of other advantages as well.
 
In your opinion.

All these Canon and Nikon owners must be doing something wrong...
 
jojo90 said:
Personally I wouldn't bother with Nikon/Canon, if you MUST then a D90 will be fine (until you figure out that you can't AF tune), then a D7000 will be OK, until you regret purchasing a brick to carry around.

I'd start off on the right foot with m4/3 or Fuji. m4/3 would fit very nicely into that budget. You could afford any of the primes below for £100-150 used:

14mm 2.5
20mm 1.7 (I'd go for the 25mm 1.4 if budget allows)
45mm 1.8

+ your choice of body. Trust me - you'll get better performance out of that that a Canon/Nikon setup. Not only that but you get a ton of other advantages as well.
Click to expand...
Funny you calling DSLRs bricks then recommend the Fuji x series. If there was ever a camera you could describe as a brick it's the x series particulary the xpro.
 
jojo90 said:
Personally I wouldn't bother with Nikon/Canon, if you MUST then a D90 will be fine (until you figure out that you can't AF tune), then a D7000 will be OK, until you regret purchasing a brick to carry around.

I'd start off on the right foot with m4/3 or Fuji. m4/3 would fit very nicely into that budget. You could afford any of the primes below for £100-150 used:

14mm 2.5
20mm 1.7 (I'd go for the 25mm 1.4 if budget allows)
45mm 1.8

+ your choice of body. Trust me - you'll get better performance out of that that a Canon/Nikon setup. Not only that but you get a ton of other advantages as well.
Click to expand...
What are the other advantages?
 
Thanks guys, sounds like the general consensus is a Nikon D90 or D7000, time to hit the classifieds!
 
woof woof said:
Unfortunately the combination of GX7 and kit zoom is one that has me reaching for a pitchfork and wanting to insert it in the Panasonic chairman's bottom. Panasonic should not IMO be selling these shutter shock affected products at all never mind bundling them in the same box, it's a sin that someone should serve their time in Hell for.
Click to expand...

Ha. I searched for more info on that, and soon found your posts. :-)

I've never experienced shutter shock on my GX7... prob because I've only ever used primes with it.
 
I think you might find a D90 a bit dated to be honest. I still have one as a backup but the megapixel count is low and low light performance is poor, it may be worth looking at a D3300 kit unless you can find a cheap D7000. The trade off is the lower end Nikons (D5000 series and below) don't have dedicated buttons for ISO among other things, but the specs are quite hard to argue with
 
How big a camera do you want and are you looking to get into photography seriously as a hobby.

There are plenty of high end point and shoot cameras that will forfil most happy snappers needs.


If you want to have interchangeable lenses then m43 system is not a bad choice. You could pick up a Panasonic G3 for about £80-90, then the excellent 14-45mm kit zoom about £80-90 ( I have these for sale by the way)
and that could be a great starting point. You could add a fast prime for indoors a little later.
 
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