What 2nd hand DSLR? (fleabay)

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SmartDEV

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Hi guys, I'm new here and new to photography. I've been playing around with some product photography as I sell a lot of things on ebay however I would really like to get into nature photography and some night photography. I'm thinking it's time to look for a dslr.

I've been looking on ebay and there seem to be some good deals. I know there are risks with buying 2nd hand cameras in terms of lens damage but I generally stick to well described auctions.

I've seen some (what I think) are great deals for under £300, but there is that much up for offer I know what's best to go for!

Some of the things ive seen are the sony A100 / A200 complete with accessories for around £200. Have any of you guys brought a camera for under £300 second hand recently? or any recommendations would be great! :)
 
Thanks for your reply and yeah i will check it out. What do you guys think of the sony a100?
 
does it have to be sony? as if you look for the canon outlet on ebay you can get a good refurb unit with 12 months warrenty aswel for about £350 if you can strech that far?
 
Hi Dev, I had the A200 with kit lens (18-70mm) for a long while and I loved it! Was a great starter camera for the money.

+1 on the classifieds its a great place to pickup an honest second hand DSLR.

Chris
 
+1 for the A200, thats what i started with, the 18-70mm kit lens is far better than the newer 18-55mm kit lens as well :)
 
I second the idea of looking on the classifieds here. I've done 3 trades now and they've all been excellent.

But back to your original question. I paid £200 (+ postage) for a Canon 350D and kit lens on eBay last September and it was a great little buy. It wasn't so expensive as to wipe me out, but was good enough to give me a good feel for photography. I've only recently sold that on and upgraded to a 40D which I'm now coming to grips with.

There are bargains to be had, especially on auctions ending at "unpopular" times - e.g. Monday mid-afternoon as opposed to Friday/Saturday evenings. But make sure you have a good idea what you're buying and what it's really worth!
 
Thanks for the replies guys, no it does not have to be sony, the only reason I say sony is the few i looked at 2nd hand seemed good for the money. I did see the a200, i might post a want ad in the classifieds and also have a browse.

I did consider getting a bridge camera rather than a SLR, but when i can get (what i think) are good deals on a 2nd hand slr with a "kit" lens, all i will have to do is buy more/specific lenses at a later date (weeks/months) when I get used to it. It seems to me that a lot of them hold there "2nd hand" prices for quite a while to.
 
I recently bought a D40 off the for sale section here. I'd recommend going into Jessops and taking a look at the newer models to give you an idea of what you want.
 
Mardave Mad said:
I recently bought a D40 off the for sale section here. I'd recommend going into Jessops and taking a look at the newer models to give you an idea of what you want.
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But then you get attached to the idea of a new camera and you end up getting something you really can't afford for no reason...

It's never happened to me.
 
Yep go in store and hold the different cameras and see which on you like the feel of.

Don't forget once you have a camera body you will also need a lens or lenses to go with it.

I agree about looking in the forum classifieds as well.
 
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I've got the Sony a200 off my dad for Christmas. He's had all sorts of cameras over the last 40 yrs or so and told me it's a great entry level dslr. I've jumped straight in at the deep end and try not to bother with all the preset functions and it's pretty easy to get to grips with. I've got no complaints at all about it and the 18-70mm kit lens is fantastic. I've obviously got nothing to compare it to being a beginner but I'd highly recommend it for a first camera.
 
+1 for the TP calssifieds. I bought my 30D (my first DLSR) used from here a year ago and it's still going strong.

Incidentally, I've noticed 30D's go for very very little money these days - I'm sure I've seen some go here for £200-£250. Great cameras for the money and you could do a lot worse IMO.
 
I picked up a 40D as a backup on ebay for £499

Canon EOS 40D plus EF-S 55-250 and EFS 18-55 IS Lenses
Plus Dust Removal system, LowePro Case, Book, 8GB Card
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sold the two lenses for £200 and kept everything else.
so really cost me £300 for 40D + 8gb Card 60mbs, book, case and Artic Butterfly SL700

I'd go for 30d or 40d if you can get one cheap!
 
callen9797 said:
Hi Dev, I had the A200 with kit lens (18-70mm) for a long while and I loved it! Was a great starter camera for the money.

+1 on the classifieds its a great place to pickup an honest second hand DSLR.

Chris
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Hi Chris, I'm glad to hear it. I'm trying to learn about what makes a good camera, so what is it a bout the cannon 40d that you have now that makes it an improvement over the A200? Sorry about the daft question :p.

RedTele said:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-EOS-20D-8-5-MP-DIGITAL-Camera-Body-BOXED-XTRAS-/110657701032?pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN&hash=item19c3b684a8#ht_500wt_1156

sounds like a bargain
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Thanks for the link, looks good I will put it in my watch list! and I will research the 20/3040 D's...how do these compare up to the sony a230 / a200's?


Thanks for all the reply's guys, theres that much choice its mad! Ive noticed no one has recomened a Nikon camera, is that because these would be too expensive for my budget?

Also is it good that the sony's I have been looking at are compatible with old konica minulta lens's? Im guessing I'd get cheaper lenses potentially?
 
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Nikons are fine but cheap ones don't have focus motor built in so you're limited in what lenses you can use. FWIW I prefer the feel of Nikon's cheap models to Canon xxxD series.
 
SmartDEV said:
Thanks for all the reply's guys, theres that much choice its mad! Ive noticed no one has recomened a Nikon camera, is that because these would be too expensive for my budget?
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I think it's just that no nikon users have chanced across this thread yet.

A D40 or D60 would be another good option for a starter DSLR (just remember you only get AF on AF-s lenses.).

Good luck trying to find the right option. There are so many to choose from and they're all great to be honest.
Have a look at the pentax K-x and 18-55mm kit new as well. It's more than £300, but it's an excellent starter camera (and an excellent camera _period_). Definitely worth a look.


When you say nature photography, how do you mean exactly? Do you mean landscapes or wildlife? You should put some thought into lenses, buying a good lens, suited to what you want to use it for is very important. The choice of body is really not as important as the lens, it's the lens that resolves the images, the body just records them.
 
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More landscapes than anything, though with wildlife if i come across it :D. So if I went with a sony (which supports minolta alfa lens's) what sort of lens would best suit landscapes?
 
As redtele said, the kitlens makes a decent landscape lens. Sturdy tripod and filters are a good investment.

If you want to spend some more cash, you can go ultra-wide to really capture huge landscapes, a lens like the tokina 11-16mm would do this well.

You might be able to get some cheap wide manual focus minolta lenses for this? I don't know anything about old minolta lenses. But manual focus is perfectly fine for landscapes, especially if you pick a camera with live view.

Just something else to mention, but pentax mount is also very backwards compatible, it'll take any K-mount lens ever made (+ like sony you still get stabilisation), some great manual focus bargains to be had with pentax as well.
 
I recently bought a Nikon D40 from ebay, as described and was in very good condition for around £200. The trouble is within hours of paying for it the classifieds on this forum seemed to be flooded with people selling their D40's for better money lol, sods law. I would definitely try and narrow down the model your after and check the classifieds on here for a well looked after example.
 
if youre looking at canon xxD's then the 20D and 30D are pretty much the same apart from a couple of negligable differences so you can save some money and go with the 20D out of those two. we've still got 2 in our house and theyre going strong, only downside is low light performance.

MPB Photographic for 2nd hand goods with warranty also (now ive mentioned them there might be a banner advert in the top right)
 
SmartDEV said:
Hi Chris, I'm glad to hear it. I'm trying to learn about what makes a good camera, so what is it a bout the cannon 40d that you have now that makes it an improvement over the A200? Sorry about the daft question :p.
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Hi Dev, sorry i've been a while! its not a daft question at all....

The A200 was a great DSLR that is easy to use and most importantly comes with a very good kit lens (18-70). As mentioned the A100/200 can be used with old minolta lenses due to having a motor built into the body of the camera which the entry level Canon xxxD/Nikon Dxx does not meaning that older lenses without a motor built into the lens will still work but only in manual focus mode.

This may not be a problem for you now as I would tend to stick to the kit lens until you find what your main focus will be, then buy a lens to cater to that.

The reason I upgraded to the Canon 40D was for a number of reasons, non may I add had anything to do with the quality of the A200. I went for the 40D for its bigger size making it feel better in my BIG hands, also I wanted something a but more rugged and with live view. all in all I was ready to take the next step into more expensive and higher quality lenses which I decided had more future possibilities in the Canon.

Ultimately the main thing that makes a camera good is the person stood behind it, whether you go for the Sony/Canon/Nikon or even Pentax you will be able to create some fantastic images.

Hope this helps

Chris
 
squishy said:
I think it's just that no nikon users have chanced across this thread yet.
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Here I am!!! :lol:

I am not going to recommend a camera though, although I may be slightly biased...

I have bought a few cameras and lenses off ebay, just done it again! But, as with everything, go for something that seems to be described properly with good photos of the actual item. You can usually tell a genuine seller, they will describe their stuff properly, pointing out anything bad / good. Check their feedback and read what other people say. That way you should get a feeling, good or bad, about the seller. You have some protection too if you use Paypal.
Classifieds here are very good too, lots of genuine sellers who look after their kit and dont forget our sponsor, www.mpbphotographic.co.uk they have a great range of Nikon and canon stuff and items will come with a reasonable guarantee. Great people to deal with too.
Allan
 
Well thanks for all the replys guys, ive found a great deal on a sony A380L for £270 with kit lens (manufacturer refurb)
 
Sounds great, manufacturer refurbs are a great way of getting a perfect condition camera cheaper.

It'll be like new, but more thoroughly tested and cheaper :D!
 
Ive ordered it, thanks for all the great advice guys this is a nice forum you have here :). Also Id imagine I will get either a 32 or 16 gb SDHC class 10 memory card. Would there be any benefit in using the sony propriety (pro duo) format in terms of performance?
 
Just to throw another option into the pot. Nikon D80's are just about buyable for £200 on ebay. I've been keeping an eye on them myself as a second body and have seen low shutter count examples go for as little as £150. That seems pretty decent value to me. Only drawback for some would be lack of live view though that will depend on what the intended use is.
 
SmartDEV said:
Ive ordered it, thanks for all the great advice guys this is a nice forum you have here :). Also Id imagine I will get either a 32 or 16 gb SDHC class 10 memory card. Would there be any benefit in using the sony propriety (pro duo) format in terms of performance?
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Chances are the Sony pro duo will be slower!

If in doubt, the specifications for a given card should give the speed in MB/s (though often they give something like 200x instead) - and higher is generally better.

Note that unless you are using the camera in burst mode the speed of the card will not have a great impact on taking shots, as there will usually be a high speed buffer of 10 or more shots. Where you will notice the difference in in transferring the shots to the PC - but the camera will have a maximum speed it will support (not sure what that is for the A380, sorry), and a dedicated card reader will usually be faster.

Note that there are also a few dedicated forums for the Sony (and Minolta) system if find you have any specific questions that you don't get an answer to on here - well worth checking, and generally very friendly.
 
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