Second Hand Camera Bargains
Derek Smith • 9 September 2020
With a Budget of £500
Second-hand Camera Bargains
No, this isn’t an article on Sony cameras specifically, but more an article on the piece that Amateur Photographer ran on the 22nd August about buying a second-hand camera for £500 which I found to be very interesting.
Firstly a couple of thoughts on this from my own experience, look at the new camera market in the first instance, many camera manufacturers continue to sell an older version of the latest updated camera, so you may well find a mark II version at a cheaper price than a mark III flagship model, and lots of camera manufacturers run discounted promotions, cashback, £200 pounds off, or free accessories. Also, bundling, where a camera manufacturer offers a two lens and camera body bundle, this can really get you quickly started into photography.
The second point is when buying an interchangeable lens camera is that you will be buying into a camera system, there’s no point in paying £300 for a camera body, then finding that the lenses are twice that price.
Right, so in the order that AP published:
Canon EOS 70D – An APS-C DSLR, 20.2MP sensor, Dual Pixel CMOS AF, with phase detect AF in Live View, single SD card slot, the body is dust, and moisture resistant - £370
The lens choice, and prices impressed me with the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM - £209
Fujifilm X-T2 – An APS-C mirrorless 24.3MP X-Trans CMOS III sensor, hybrid AF, dual SD card slots, very good ergonomics and analogue setting dials - £459
A good range of lenses are available, but the Fuji lenses do tend to be a little pricier, the Fujifilm XF 18-55 F2.8-4R LM OIS, standard zoom range - £249
Nikon D7200 – An APS-C DSLR, 24.2MP CMOS sensor, dual card slots, long battery life, and Wi-Fi connectivity, large buffer for continuous shooting, autofocus is 51-point phase detect. - £479
Second-hand DX-format lenses are plentiful, and inexpensive, a Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8 G - £109. Nikon AF-S 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR - £129
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II – A Micro Four Thirds mirrorless 16MP CMOS sensor, autofocus is 81-point contrast detect, single card SD slot, weather sealed, and 5 axis IBIS. - £319
An interesting choice this one, in choosing the mid-range camera, personally if I could do without the weather sealing, I would choose the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II, second-hand price £199, or new, Olympus were recently offering this camera at only £499, with the 14-42mm kit lens. If I could push the budget the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, fully weather sealed, with dual card slots, and the 20.4MP Live MOS phase detect sensor, autofocus is 121-point phase detect. - £679
Lenses are plentiful for the long-established Micro Four Thirds system, prices seem to polarise a little, dubbed the “plastic fantastic” Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F4-5.6 R can be obtained new online for £99. For a dedicated prime portrait lens the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm F1.8 is amazing value at £139. However, if the PRO line-up of lenses takes your fancy, full weather sealing, and metal construction, look to pay £500 - £1000.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G80 – Another Micro Four Thirds mirrorless system camera, styled as a DSLR, with 16MP CMOS sensor, weather sealed, IBIS working in conjunction with certain Panasonic stabilised lenses Dual IS, 4K video, autofocus is 49-point contrast detect (Depth from Defocus) - £369
If you would prefer a smaller range finder style of camera, then consider the Panasonic DC GX7 16MP sensor, 3 axis IBIS – under £200, or the GX8 / GX9 with the 20.3MP sensor, and improved IBIS. – up to £400
Lens choices, simply spoilt for choice, Panasonic Lumix G 20mm F1.7 ASPH “pancake” lens - £159. Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm F4-5.6 II OIS (that’s a full frame reach of 200-600mm weighing 520g) dust, and splashproof with Dual IS stabilisation - £359
Sony Alpha 7 – This was the very first full frame mirrorless camera launched in 2013, 24MP CMOS sensor, autofocus 117-point hybrid, and 25-point contrast detect focus points. - £409
Another interesting choice from AP, this camera is for someone who has to have a full frame camera on a budget, and can live with the cameras many quirks, for the rest of us don’t even think about it, save your money and go for the Sony Alpha 7II, much more polished, with full 5 axis IBIS - £754. Personally, at this price point, I wouldn’t even consider a full frame camera, the hobbyist photographer would be better served by buying a crop sensor mirrorless camera such as the Fujifilm X-T2, or one of the Sony A6000 series APS-C cameras.
So, how about a brand new Sony A6000? Widely available at only £499, with the 16-50mm kit lens. This APS-C camera has a 24MP CMOS sensor, autofocus is 179-point hybrid AF, the camera body is un-stabilised, but Sony lenses for APS-C cameras have built-in Optical Steady Shot (OSS) stabilisation, this option is an excellent beginner camera, with several advanced features, and great image quality.
Sony lenses can be quite expensive to buy, third party lens manufacturers such as Tamron, Sigma, and Samyang produce excellent optics for the Sony system with realistic pricing. A word about the Sony system, both full frame, and APS-C lenses use the same Sony E-mount. Lenses designed for the full frame cameras are designated as FE lenses and can be used on the APS-C cameras without any issues. As an example I used the Samyang AF 24mm F2.8 FE lens on my Sony A7II, and it was an excellent lens providing a 24mm field of view on the full frame camera, and the lens worked extremely well on the Sony APS-C A6300, with the only change being the field of view with a crop factor of 1.5x the 24mm lens becomes a 36mm equivalent lens. Working the other way around the Sony 35mm F1.8 OSS lens performs very well as a 50mm equivalent lens on the A6000 APS-C series cameras, but with the lens mounted on the A7 full frame camera the lens will only illuminate the smaller APS-C part of the full frame sensor, the camera defaults to “crop sensor” mode, and the benefit of the full frame sensor is lost.
Lots of choice then for not very much money, relatively.
Camera choices from Amateur Photographer magazine, with my own thoughts, and observations, photo of the Sony A6000, A6300 APS-C cameras, and lenses.
Derek Smith
No, this isn’t an article on Sony cameras specifically, but more an article on the piece that Amateur Photographer ran on the 22nd August about buying a second-hand camera for £500 which I found to be very interesting.
Firstly a couple of thoughts on this from my own experience, look at the new camera market in the first instance, many camera manufacturers continue to sell an older version of the latest updated camera, so you may well find a mark II version at a cheaper price than a mark III flagship model, and lots of camera manufacturers run discounted promotions, cashback, £200 pounds off, or free accessories. Also, bundling, where a camera manufacturer offers a two lens and camera body bundle, this can really get you quickly started into photography.
The second point is when buying an interchangeable lens camera is that you will be buying into a camera system, there’s no point in paying £300 for a camera body, then finding that the lenses are twice that price.
Right, so in the order that AP published:
Canon EOS 70D – An APS-C DSLR, 20.2MP sensor, Dual Pixel CMOS AF, with phase detect AF in Live View, single SD card slot, the body is dust, and moisture resistant - £370
The lens choice, and prices impressed me with the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM - £209
Fujifilm X-T2 – An APS-C mirrorless 24.3MP X-Trans CMOS III sensor, hybrid AF, dual SD card slots, very good ergonomics and analogue setting dials - £459
A good range of lenses are available, but the Fuji lenses do tend to be a little pricier, the Fujifilm XF 18-55 F2.8-4R LM OIS, standard zoom range - £249
Nikon D7200 – An APS-C DSLR, 24.2MP CMOS sensor, dual card slots, long battery life, and Wi-Fi connectivity, large buffer for continuous shooting, autofocus is 51-point phase detect. - £479
Second-hand DX-format lenses are plentiful, and inexpensive, a Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8 G - £109. Nikon AF-S 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR - £129
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II – A Micro Four Thirds mirrorless 16MP CMOS sensor, autofocus is 81-point contrast detect, single card SD slot, weather sealed, and 5 axis IBIS. - £319
An interesting choice this one, in choosing the mid-range camera, personally if I could do without the weather sealing, I would choose the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II, second-hand price £199, or new, Olympus were recently offering this camera at only £499, with the 14-42mm kit lens. If I could push the budget the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, fully weather sealed, with dual card slots, and the 20.4MP Live MOS phase detect sensor, autofocus is 121-point phase detect. - £679
Lenses are plentiful for the long-established Micro Four Thirds system, prices seem to polarise a little, dubbed the “plastic fantastic” Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F4-5.6 R can be obtained new online for £99. For a dedicated prime portrait lens the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 45mm F1.8 is amazing value at £139. However, if the PRO line-up of lenses takes your fancy, full weather sealing, and metal construction, look to pay £500 - £1000.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G80 – Another Micro Four Thirds mirrorless system camera, styled as a DSLR, with 16MP CMOS sensor, weather sealed, IBIS working in conjunction with certain Panasonic stabilised lenses Dual IS, 4K video, autofocus is 49-point contrast detect (Depth from Defocus) - £369
If you would prefer a smaller range finder style of camera, then consider the Panasonic DC GX7 16MP sensor, 3 axis IBIS – under £200, or the GX8 / GX9 with the 20.3MP sensor, and improved IBIS. – up to £400
Lens choices, simply spoilt for choice, Panasonic Lumix G 20mm F1.7 ASPH “pancake” lens - £159. Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm F4-5.6 II OIS (that’s a full frame reach of 200-600mm weighing 520g) dust, and splashproof with Dual IS stabilisation - £359
Sony Alpha 7 – This was the very first full frame mirrorless camera launched in 2013, 24MP CMOS sensor, autofocus 117-point hybrid, and 25-point contrast detect focus points. - £409
Another interesting choice from AP, this camera is for someone who has to have a full frame camera on a budget, and can live with the cameras many quirks, for the rest of us don’t even think about it, save your money and go for the Sony Alpha 7II, much more polished, with full 5 axis IBIS - £754. Personally, at this price point, I wouldn’t even consider a full frame camera, the hobbyist photographer would be better served by buying a crop sensor mirrorless camera such as the Fujifilm X-T2, or one of the Sony A6000 series APS-C cameras.
So, how about a brand new Sony A6000? Widely available at only £499, with the 16-50mm kit lens. This APS-C camera has a 24MP CMOS sensor, autofocus is 179-point hybrid AF, the camera body is un-stabilised, but Sony lenses for APS-C cameras have built-in Optical Steady Shot (OSS) stabilisation, this option is an excellent beginner camera, with several advanced features, and great image quality.
Sony lenses can be quite expensive to buy, third party lens manufacturers such as Tamron, Sigma, and Samyang produce excellent optics for the Sony system with realistic pricing. A word about the Sony system, both full frame, and APS-C lenses use the same Sony E-mount. Lenses designed for the full frame cameras are designated as FE lenses and can be used on the APS-C cameras without any issues. As an example I used the Samyang AF 24mm F2.8 FE lens on my Sony A7II, and it was an excellent lens providing a 24mm field of view on the full frame camera, and the lens worked extremely well on the Sony APS-C A6300, with the only change being the field of view with a crop factor of 1.5x the 24mm lens becomes a 36mm equivalent lens. Working the other way around the Sony 35mm F1.8 OSS lens performs very well as a 50mm equivalent lens on the A6000 APS-C series cameras, but with the lens mounted on the A7 full frame camera the lens will only illuminate the smaller APS-C part of the full frame sensor, the camera defaults to “crop sensor” mode, and the benefit of the full frame sensor is lost.
Lots of choice then for not very much money, relatively.
Camera choices from Amateur Photographer magazine, with my own thoughts, and observations, photo of the Sony A6000, A6300 APS-C cameras, and lenses.
Derek Smith
Louth Photographic Society
Last night, Steve West gave a fascinating illustrated presentation on the long history of cinema, and stage plays in Louth. In the late 1890s some films were shown at various locations, in 1910 a “tent” cinema was showing films on Westgate Fields. During 1913 a site was purchased of 2 retail units, on Eastgate, the retail units were demolished, and the Palace cinema / theatre was constructed on the site ready for opening in 1914. During the interwar years many plays were staged at the Palace, and Steve has collected many of the original programs from this era. The current Playhouse was constructed in Canon Street in 1921 in the “art deco” style, some poor quality housing was demolished to make way for this new cinema. The Playhouse, and the Palace both continued in operation until 1960 when the Palace was sold, and the building was converted into a Fine Fare supermarket. During the 1970s when Bingo became popular, part of the Playhouse was used as a Bingo hall, with the reception area restyled to suit the new usage. The Playhouse was converted into a multi-screen cinema when purchased by the Parkway Cinema group in the mid 1990s. Louth is extremely fortunate to have retained a viable cinema in the town, many thanks to Steve West for a very polished presentation.
Good Morning All Sand racing starts again this week at Mablethorpe, this Sunday is practice day, times are on their website. Last week at the club we held a local competition, with the categories of: "Straight out of the camera" and "Open", there was a very good entry in each subject with Tony Gaskins having the task of judging the unedited ones and Robin Begley judging the Open. There is a full report on our website but well done to Harry for first place in the Straight out of the camera and Keith Rossington for first place in the Open. This week, Wednesday 14th, Steve West will be our speaker, talking and showing PDI's on the subject of the Louth cinema. The following week will be a print competition, with the categories of "Mono" and "Open", you need to bring your prints in this week and send an email to Dave Turner with your titles. Regards Graham
At our meeting last night we held a PDI (printed digital image) competition, with the categories of "Local Unedited", and "Open". As this was a members competition one of our members judged the competition, Tony Gaskins was our first judge for the "Local Unedited" category, these were .jpg images taken straight from the camera, without any editing, apart from the resizing for projection. Presenting an image such as this in a competition is quite a difficult task, the photographer has to ensure that the correct exposure is chosen, the composition, and subject matter has to be precise, everything done in camera. Normally for competition entries, a degree of post processing would be involved, simple edits like toning down highlights, or even removing extraneous objects from a scene, emphasising a moody sky, all not allowed. Tony Gaskins did an excellent job with his judging, providing clear and concise critique of the images presented, he "held back" 8 images for further consideration, awarding higher points, and finally choosing the top three placements. After the break it was Robin Begley's turn to judge the "Open" category, as these were post process edited images the standard was higher than the unedited images, but surprisingly not markedly so. Robin is potentially hoping to become a N&EMPF approved judge, and he had a different style, able to suggest edits that could have improved an image, again his critique was clear and concise communicating well with members. Robin chose 8 images for further consideration, awarding higher points, and finally selecting the top three placements. It was a fabulous, and interesting competition with excellent images, many thanks to both our judges, it's not an easy job, probably nearly as bad as being a referee in a football match!! Many thanks to both our judges, well done.
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Roger Hance Memorial Lecture 16th October
Last night Lee Dixon from Cleethorpes Camera Club gave his first ever presentation to a camera club, which we were privileged to view. His presentation consisted of portraiture, creative, and his genre of choice; wildlife. Lee is an extremely talented photographer, with a highly creative portfolio, his portraits are quite atmospheric, unusual, and capture the essence of the model, and scene. For Lee’s creative work, he buys props from charity shops, often very cheaply, reusing those props in various scenes. For his composite work he will often take one of his photos of a room, and blend it with a subject in Photoshop using “blend” modes. For wildlife he visited Lake Kerkini in Greece to photograph the Pelicans, if the sky is a little on the bland side, Lee will often over expose the image resulting in a striking white background to the subject. On safari in Africa Lee showed us some amazing images of the wildlife, the close-up images of elephants, the wildebeest migration, and this stunning image of a cheetah. Lee was ably assisted by Mike Bennett. More of Lee’s work can be found on his website: https://leedixonphoto.co.uk/ Lee his kindly given permission for his images to be used in this post. Many thanks to Lee, and Mike for an amazing evening.
Good Morning All Last week at the club we held our monthly PDI competition, with the categories of "Objects in the Air" and "Open", there was a very high-quality entry in both competitions and judge Mike Bennett had quite a job on his hands scoring the entries. Well, done to Dave Turner for first place in the Objects in the Air and Tony Gaskins for first place in the Open. All the results are on our website. This week, Wednesday 30th September, our speaker will be Lee Dixon from Cleethorpes Camera Club showing us his natural history, Creative and many other photographs he has taken. It will be the first time Lee has shown his photographs at our club. If anyone else wants to enter PDI's in the 2027 N&EMPF Exhibition, the deadline is this Wednesday at midnight. Harry is still taking entries for the PDI competition, with the categories of "Local Straight from Camera" (unedited .jpg), and "Open", to be held on Wednesday 7th October. Regards Graham
At the meeting last night Mike Bennett judged our competition with the categories of “Objects in the Air”, and “Open”. The standard of entries was excellent, and it gave Mike a tough task of judging the images, Mike gave some very good critique of the images displayed, the feedback helps members to develop compositional skills. Dave Turner was awarded first place for his image of the “Tiger Club Display Team” in the “Objects in the Air” category. Tony Gaskins was awarded first place for his image of the “Spectacular Rustgill” in the “Open” category.
Good Morning All, Last week at the club we watched the N&EMPF PDI Exhibition for 2026, it was a very good evening viewing very high standard images from all over the East Midlands. Dave Turner and I did manage to get images accepted; there is a full report on our website. This week, Wednesday 23rd September, we will hold our monthly PDI competition, with the categories of "Objects in the Air" and "Open", please send entries to Harry by midnight tonight. Harry is also accepting images for the PDI competition, with the categories of "Local Straight out of the Camera (only resizing permitted)" and "Open". Regards Graham
Members were shown the 2026 N&EMPF PDI Exhibition video last night with all of the accepted PDI images in the first part, and after the break the awarded PDI images. There were some stunning images on view, and Louth was successful in having 3 PDI images accepted, Graham Harrison with his image of a Stonechat, and Dave Turner with his portrait of Paul Rudd, and his monochrome image of Kings Cross railway station "Going Down". Overall it was a good inspirational evening.
