Cheap Mirrorless Camera

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con81a

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Richard Eaton
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Hello all, hopefully you can provide be some constructive advice. I'm looking to purchase a second hand Mirrorless camera, budget up to £300. I want to be able to use it for general photography and also Astrophotography.
I have been looking at:
Sony Alpha A5000/6000
Olympus om-d e-m10 mark ii
But there are also so many other options from Nikon, Canon, Fuji and TBH I'm now quite overwhelmed.

Any advice/suggestions appreciated

Regards Richard
 
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I suppose to that little list you could add Panasonic MFT.

BTW.
Hello and welcome Richard :D
 
I have been using an E-M10ii since 2018. I haven't found anything better at a price that I am prepared to pay.
Couple it with a 14-42mm Olympus kit lens - probably the II R version not the EZ pancake and you have a very small, capable camera kit.

Not sure what you need for astro as it's not something I've ever shot. There are cheapish wide angle primes available or given you're probably doing everything in manual you might want look at an adapted older lens. Worth investigating LiveBulb and LiveComposite modes on the Olympus for this type of thing.

I have no experience of the other options so I'll leave it there.
 
Hi & welcome.

At this price point you're going to struggle with Astro as you'll need a fast lens and they ain't cheap for any camera.

I have the Olympus EM1 MK2 and for astro use the 7-14 PRO f2.8 getting reasonable results. (M43 cameras struggle a little in low light if you don't DeNoise the images).

Can highly recommend Olympus though having tried all the major brands including full frame.
 
Just a thought on FF v APS-C v MFT.

I suppose the bigger the sensor the better but it might be worth remembering that many smaller format cameras (APS-C and MFT) offer a higher dynamic range than the original Canon 5D. Anyone wondering if these smaller format cameras can provide good enough image quality could try googling their way to example images.
 
For Astro I would consider staying with a DSLR. Does your budget include lenses? A Nikon D610 or Canon 6D with a Rokinon/Samyang 14mm f2.8 is a pretty unbeatable value for money astro setup. Add a 50mm prime for more general photography.
 
For astro, at least as important as sensor size is lens aperture and quality. It will be cheaper to buy a DSLR and fast lens than to go mirrorless, but you may find the £300 budget too tight for that.
 
Thank you all so far, TBH I want a mirrorless due to it's more compact size for travelling.
My budget is for the camera body, any lens included would be a bonus.
 
con81a said:
Thank you all so far, TBH I want a mirrorless due to it's more compact size for travelling.
My budget is for the camera body, any lens included would be a bonus.
Click to expand...

This might help.

A list of wide aperture Micro Four Thirds lenses.

Micro Four Thirds | Camera Lenses | Wex Photo Video

Shop for Micro Four Thirds camera lenses by Panasonic, Olympus, Samyang, Tokina, Sigma, Lensbaby, and more. Part exchange, next day and free delivery available.
www.wexphotovideo.com

If there's anything here that interests you you could then check the used market. I've bought a lot of my kit used.

Same for Sony APS-C but I think Sony APS-C might well bust the budget.

Sony E-Mount | Camera Lenses | Wex Photo Video

Discover the latest range of Sony E-Mount and Sony Fit camera lenses from Sigma, Tamron, and more. Free delivery and 30-day returns available at Wex Photo Video.
www.wexphotovideo.com
 
woof woof said:
...

Same for Sony APS-C but I think Sony APS-C might well bust the budget.

...
Click to expand...
The OP could certainly get a user A6000 for under £300, LCE and MBP both have ones available - and personally I think the A6xxx range is a great size as a travel camera, small enough not to take up too much space, large enough to make the controls easy.
That said, on my recent trip to Seoul and Australia, it was the A7iv that I took rather than my A6000, as I knew I'd be going places I might never get the opportunity to visit again, and wanted the best I had.
 
Faldrax said:
The OP could certainly get a user A6000 for under £300, LCE and MBP both have ones available - and personally I think the A6xxx range is a great size as a travel camera, small enough not to take up too much space, large enough to make the controls easy.
That said, on my recent trip to Seoul and Australia, it was the A7iv that I took rather than my A6000, as I knew I'd be going places I might never get the opportunity to visit again, and wanted the best I had.
Click to expand...

A body and a suitable lens could be a problem.

Or there's my usual suggestion... An original Sony A7 or A7II and a film era 24 or 28mm f2.8 could be in budget :D
 
woof woof said:
A body and a suitable lens could be a problem.

Or there's my usual suggestion... An original Sony A7 or A7II and a film era 24 or 28mm f2.8 could be in budget :D
Click to expand...
Budget of £300 was for body only (post #8)
 
Faldrax said:
Budget of £300 was for body only (post #8)
Click to expand...

Great.
A used Sony APS-C camera + used Sony 16-50mm kit lens (it's a power zoom though, not to everyone's taste) and 16 f2.8 or go for a f2.8 zoom but these can be pricey.
Used Panasonic GX80 with 14mm f2.5 and 14-45mm kit lens or go with a f2.8 zoom but as above these can be pricey.
Personally I'd go for the A7.
 
Oh! I just remembered something :D

Some cameras like my Panasonic G100 do in camera stacking, you press the shutter to start, watch the stacking as it happens and press the shutter again to stop. Something like that could be a help.
 
A panasonic G7 might be worth considering.
They are great value on the second hand market, and you could certainly pick one up with a decent lens within your budget.

Also have a look at the other models in the panasonic range, such as:
Gh4
Gh5
Fz1000
 
You can probably get away with the A6000. That's what I had until recently(still have but will sell it soon) and I paired with with a Revuenon m42 28mm f/2.8 in order to shoot the night sky. You lose autofocus ability but I'm sure you can find a wide enough lens with f/2.8 or greater. All you need is an m42 adapter and m42 lenses are failry cheap(a lot cheaper than new options). That should keep you going for a while. Can't post link to photos, nor they are great, but I could shoot just fine using the above.
 
I was going to suggest a Fuji X-T20, the slightly smaller/cheaper version of the X-T2, but when I checked on LCE the cheapest was £349. Both are good cameras though and very intuitive to use.
 
if it was my money I would go for a used Olympus omd-em1 or MKii depending on funds and a MF Chinese lens with the widest aperture you can find the whole system should come in at around 3 to 4 hundred pounds .. you can then add A/F lenses at your leisure
 
Bearing in mind the budget I would definitely go down the Sony route for sensor size and lens availability, and future upgrade paths. I love my micro four thirds camera but low light isn't a strong point for sure.
 
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