Recommend a used digital SLR on a budget

[Dos_Box]

I've been a big fan of digital photography for a long time now and my Canon G10 is getting a bit long in the tooth and not providing the kind of features and zoom capability I need, especially now spring is around the corner and our kids are old enough to be dragged up mountains so the opportunity to take some really nice shots are presenting themselves once more.

Now, I don't really want to buy new as I'd like to find my feet with an SLR once more (my wife and I used to have 35mm SLR's) but would rather do it on a budget. I notice that older Canon EOS cameras go for a decent price on eBay (circa £140), but what would you go for. I'm not fussy about brand, but have had Canon cameras for years, so would be more than happy to carry on the use of them.

Any recommendations?

[sonofsanta]

Do you already have existing lenses from your old SLRs? If you have the glass, stick with that brand. Will make it cheaper for you to get up and running, and lenses are generally considered more important than the body anyway. Not that it stops me fantasising about upgrading my Nikon D70s.

 

Canon-wise, the EOS 450D/500D/550D/600D/650D/700D (depending on what's available at what price and how far back you want to go) were all solid cameras, each massively popular in their day. Get the newest one you can and you're well away, I reckons.

 

I always preferred Nikon myself - they felt better made, sturdier and better sized for my orang-utang size hands - but they also seem to hold their price better (perhaps because the second-hand market isn't flooded with them like it is with the Canons). The Nikon D5000 and Nikon D80 seem to be available used at an alright price.

[AJWhite1970]

Try the London Camera Exchange for second hand cameras. You often get a fully refurbished camera with a guarantee for a very good price and piece of mind

 

Second hand cameras, camera part exchange, digital cameras UK, used cameras, photographic shops, England

 

Andrew

[Norphy]

I have a Canon 350D which is an 8 megapixel camera. Still works well for me. MBP Photographic are selling second hand ones for about £100. www.mpbphotographic.co.uk - Used Secondhand Canon EOS 350D. You don't get a lot of the fancy features that more modern cameras give you like telescopic LCDs and video shooting but it's still a respectable still camera which gives you full control over all of the important bits. The only disadvantage it has would be in low light situations, newer cameras will give better results there.

 

Pair that up with their 18-55mm IS lens which has a good reputation for the price and you've got yourself a nice cheap starter kit www.mpbphotographic.co.uk - Used Secondhand Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS. That's £64

 

If you want to get fancy, a 50mm prime lens is always fun too

www.mpbphotographic.co.uk - Used Secondhand Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

 

I would prefer to buy from a shop like mpb or the one that @AJWhite1970 recommended than from Joe Q RandomeBaySeller, it reduces the risk of getting a dud and places like those will give you a warranty.

 

/edit If you still have Canon lenses from your 35mm days that you're planning to use, make sure that they're EOS mounts rather than the old FD mounts. EOS lenses will fit, FD ones won't. The easy way to tell is to see if the lens has autofocus or not.

Edited February 5, 2014 by Norphy

[Drenlin]

I confirm what sonofsanta said. If you have lenses that are usable on a digital body, stick to the brand.

 

If you don't then you should look at the lens prices as well. Chances are that you will be buying one other lens to fill your needs (unless you find someone selling all you need for the right price).

[Seb1780]

Get yerself down to Mather's - they're one of the few independents left and always had excellent secondhand stuff when I started out (many moons ago)

 

Mathers of Lancashire, Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Digital Cameras for Sale at best UK price.

[pantscat]

Personally with D-SLRs I'd always buy the best you can afford... if you're reasonably serious about taking decent shots then you'll soon want something bigger, shinier, and betterer... :-)

 

Generally speaking, with Canon cameras the fewer digits before the "D" the better the body is. I'd go for something like a 30D, or, if you can afford it a 40D is a fine camera - these are more towards the "semi-pro" end and will be slightly better built and have slightly better feature sets than a xxxD.

 

 

If you want to get fancy, a 50mm prime lens is always fun too

www.mpbphotographic.co.uk - Used Secondhand Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

.

 

I wouldn't bother getting a second-hand "nifty-fifty" - I've got one and although they're great, they are quite fragile so the warranty is definitely worth having. They're also only about £75 on Amazon...

[Jawloms]

I used MPB Photographic - Buy Used Canon & Used Nikon Digital SLR Cameras, Lenses & More too for my second hand Canon 1000D and it's brilliant, looks as new and has no problems at all. I'd look at the very best you can afford, then bung yourself another tenner on the top to treat yourself!

[sted]

i have a canon eos400d with 18-55 and 90 - 300mm lenses im willing to let go of since i bought a 70d

[LosOjos]

I know everyone and their dog is either a Canon or Nikon shooter (I'm a Canon shooter!) but I have to say that the Sony dSLRs are excellent. You get a lot more for your money generally and the A mount bodies can take Sony and Minolta/Konica glass which means you can pick up second hand lenses ridiculously cheap. When my 40D dies, I'm seriously considering a Sony...

[Dos_Box]

i have a canon eos400d with 18-55 and 90 - 300mm lenses im willing to let go of since i bought a 70d

 

PM Sent.

[Dos_Box]

One thing that this kind of discussion brings up as well is the megapixel argument. IIRC, a few years back a US academic had some pictures taken using various cameras using a variety of resolutions, had the pictures blown up to a HUGE size and asked passers by on the street to try and guess which pictures were taken with a higher resolution. Very few guessed correctly.

Which is why image quality rather than pixel count is often what I look for.

 

Ah, found it: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/08/technology/08pogue.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

[pantscat]

Yep - you can, to a certain extent, ignore the megapixel argument. It could even be argued that the more megapixels you have the more flaws in technique/lenses you're likely to 'see'.

 

Good glass is usually more important that a good camera body - although having said that the 18-55mm IS lens is a cracker and a bargain - must better than the non-IS version.

[creese]

I know everyone and their dog is either a Canon or Nikon shooter (I'm a Canon shooter!) but I have to say that the Sony dSLRs are excellent. You get a lot more for your money generally and the A mount bodies can take Sony and Minolta/Konica glass which means you can pick up second hand lenses ridiculously cheap. When my 40D dies, I'm seriously considering a Sony...

 

I have Sony @200 (Sonya, as I call her) I bought for a trip to S Africa several years ago. It has helped me take many a good photo. I would like to upgrade but always find something else to spend spare cash on.

[Gibbo]

Another vote for the Canon 350d. Or its rival at the time, the Nikon D40.

 

The only problem is that they've held their prices.

 

So with that in mind the Pentax or Sony equivalents are usually much cheaper.

[LosOjos]

My missus is looking to sell her 350D with 18-55 IS lens, spare battery and shoulder bag, although I'm not sure what she wants for it... @Dos_Box if you're interested I'll email her now and ask her price

[pr1vate_piles]

350D was a brilliant camera, highly recommended.

[MYK-IT]

Look at second user Canon EOS 30/40 or 50 (which I've got, solid magnesium body)

 

http://www.ffordes.com

http://www.wilkinson.co.uk

[featured_spectre]

Got another vote for the 350D. I have one and it is producing some fantastic shots. As for the megapixel argument, I posit that the more pixels, the better the zoom quality, and that's it. If you are a crap photographer, all the mega/giga/tera pixels in the world wont help you out!

[LosOjos]

Got another vote for the 350D. I have one and it is producing some fantastic shots. As for the megapixel argument, I posit that the more pixels, the better the zoom quality, and that's it. If you are a crap photographer, all the mega/giga/tera pixels in the world wont help you out!

 

Better digital (i.e. false) zoom, yes, but that's simply because you can perform a tighter crop and still maintain acceptable quality. Optical zoom (the type your lens provides) will be no more affected by MP count than any other element of the camera.

 

It's worth mentioning that a 5MP dSLR will take significantly better quality photos than a 5MP smartphone as it has a much larger sensor.

[featured_spectre]

Sorry, I should have made that distinction, you are correct.

[pcstru]

Look at second user Canon EOS 30/40 or 50 (which I've got, solid magnesium body)

 

Ffordes Photographic

Camera Shop: Buy Camcorders, Cases, Accessories, Lenses and More

 

Or the original D60 which was nearly £2K new, but can be had today for peanuts.

[creese]

Sony Alpha A200 Digital 10MP SLR Camera Body & Charger + Free UK Postage 4905524415094 | eBay

[glennda]

I have a Canon 350D which is an 8 megapixel camera. Still works well for me. MBP Photographic are selling second hand ones for about £100. www.mpbphotographic.co.uk - Used Secondhand Canon EOS 350D. You don't get a lot of the fancy features that more modern cameras give you like telescopic LCDs and video shooting but it's still a respectable still camera which gives you full control over all of the important bits. The only disadvantage it has would be in low light situations, newer cameras will give better results there.

 

Pair that up with their 18-55mm IS lens which has a good reputation for the price and you've got yourself a nice cheap starter kit www.mpbphotographic.co.uk - Used Secondhand Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS. That's £64

 

If you want to get fancy, a 50mm prime lens is always fun too

www.mpbphotographic.co.uk - Used Secondhand Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

 

I would prefer to buy from a shop like mpb or the one that @AJWhite1970 recommended than from Joe Q RandomeBaySeller, it reduces the risk of getting a dud and places like those will give you a warranty.

 

/edit If you still have Canon lenses from your 35mm days that you're planning to use, make sure that they're EOS mounts rather than the old FD mounts. EOS lenses will fit, FD ones won't. The easy way to tell is to see if the lens has autofocus or not.

 

I have done work for these chaps in the past - they are pretty good and know what they are doing.

 

With regards to the camera's I haven't got a clue tho!

[Dos_Box]

Some good advice and links their guys, keep 'em coming.

I've had a good offer of a Canon from one of the members, so we'll see how that pans out