Camera Suggestion

Gallowbraid

Adventurist
My daughter is asking nicely (begging) for a new camera for her birthday. We previously had a Canon Powershot point and shoot with a 12X optical zoom...something in the 12MP range. She was able to teach herself to do some cool things with it, even got some cool shots of the moon at night. She really wants to move further with photography and has plans to take some photography classes as she enters high school.

I'm looking for suggestions for a DSLR camera that isn't going to have me taking out a second mortgage. Something several years old that I can look for on ebay or discounted somewhere would be ideal. Not looking to shell out $1000 on a body and lenses. Any suggestions?
 
Canon refurbs are a great option, though I'd recommend snagging something a tad newer with a DIGIC6 or better. You can still stay around the $500 mark, but get something that'll better handle low light/contrast and be a solid workhorse for years to come.

T6i kit best bang for the buck, bigger 24MP sensor — down the road she can sell the included lens for ~$100 and buy a Sigma 18-300mm (currently my primary travel lens, it's like having two lenses in one). Amazon's current NEW price is less than the Sigma refurb. :eek:

SL1 Kit with 18-55mm and 75-300mm — smaller sensor (18MP), but less expensive and still a good modern camera. I actually kinda miss mine, sold it to @BlkWgn with my Sigma 18-250mm.
 
Canon refurbs are a great option, though I'd recommend snagging something a tad newer with a DIGIC6 or better. You can still stay around the $500 mark, but get something that'll better handle low light/contrast and be a solid workhorse for years to come.

T6i kit best bang for the buck, bigger 24MP sensor — down the road she can sell the included lens for ~$100 and buy a Sigma 18-300mm (currently my primary travel lens, it's like having two lenses in one). Amazon's current NEW price is less than the Sigma refurb. :eek:

SL1 Kit with 18-55mm and 75-300mm — smaller sensor (18MP), but less expensive and still a good modern camera. I actually kinda miss mine, sold it to @BlkWgn with my Sigma 18-250mm.

this.
 
A recommendation for purchasing a used body is make sure you find out the shutter count. All you need is a current photo taken by the camera and you can upload it online and find out the count.

https://www.camerashuttercount.com/

Just ask the seller to take a picture of something showing the current date to ensure it's a new pic and upload that. Then you can make sure the body isn't way past the estimated count.
 
The reason I like $330 for a younger photographer is they can carry it, have it out and "if" something happens, it's not worth getting mad over. If you stay Canon and crop sensor, you can update the body to a 7d mkII used.... I bought my older daughter a Nikon d3200 and about teh same price point one year, she never takes it on trips or sight seeing - "I don't want to lose it" that defeated the whole reason I gave it to her.... just my 2 cents
 
If I may, can anyone give an opinion on a Canon GX3? I have a Canon S3 IS from about '06. Its failed. When I called Canon about getting it repaired, they said it wasnt supported any longer, but theyd give me a discount on a refurbed GX3. They said it wasnt a "repair" refurb, but overstock, undelivered, or closed store stock sent back, but had been checked out and had a full factory warranty. Does it sound like a worthwhile general purpose camera? I'm not in the market for anything more expensive. I can get into this one for $462 and my dead camera.

I liked the very sharp images of my old Minolta 35mm, the S3 was my fisrt digital, and was OK for learning the basics, but never shot as clear of pictures as my old Minolta,and I never figured out how to run it on manual for many things, like focus, and longer depth of focus and such. The Canon guy said I could do a bit more with the GX3, and it will be noticeably sharper images.
 
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Canon's GX line is good, not great. Sadly, and as a fanboy I hate to admit this, Canon's reign over the point-and-shoot world is over. Sony has toppled them off...or more accurately Canon shot themselves in the foot by not keeping up with new technology. Even the older Sony RX100 Mark IV (around the same price as a GX3) is a better machine, and for a few bucks more you could have a Sony RX100 Mark V (the ultimate compact camera at the moment).

That said, that sounds like a great deal on trading in the S3. At that price you could get it, see if you like it, and still trade it in to Amazon for $500 off the Sony. :thumbsup
 
Thank you. Very useful information. My budget will not support a better camera at this point. This seemed like a reasonable step up for the time being, I'm currently without any useful camera besides my older, very poor cell camera. Id like to get a decent DSLR at some point, but it most likely wont be soon.
 
I can second KEH - in fact what they think is VG (Very Good) I have found to be damn near perfect. The only rating I have not bought from them is BG - Bargain.
 
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