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As a student my budget is pretty limited, but I would like to get into photography as a hobby. I've used a Canon EOS1300d of a relative for some time and had great fun with it. I would not consider myself as a total beginner, but of course also not as an expert.

So I would like to buy my first own camera. I searched around the web and it seems that you can buy also used cameras and get pretty good quality. However I'm struggling to figure out which model is suitable. It should be in the price range of roughly $250, it can be new or used, but it should include a lens. Since there is already another Canon in my range, I think that it would make sense to get myself a Canon, too. At the moment I really enjoy landscape and architecture photography.

Do you have any recommendations for me? Also if you think, that some of my prerequesites don't make sense, please point it out, so I can rethink them.

I know that there are a lot of similar questions and articles, but I could not find a recommendation guide for a (used) camera in this price range that was up-to-date (written in 2017/18). If I have overlooked anything, please point it out to me.

Thanks for your help!

MikeW
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Sicarius
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    See What should I look for when shopping for my first DSLR? – xiota Oct 17 '18 at 09:43
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    One of the problems with your question is that it too will be out of date in a year or two. It's one of the reasons why shopping questions are actually not all that helpful for anyone. You would be better served not by blindly soliciting suggestions, but by making your own decision using info such as that linked by xiota in a previous comment. – osullic Oct 17 '18 at 09:48
  • @osullic I've already read a number of similar questions and articles like the one xiota linked, but had some problems to decide on a specific model based on the given information. However I totally understand why this question is problematic. Would a question, like "what out of theses 5 models would you buy?" be better? Sorry I'm new to StackExchange. – Sicarius Oct 17 '18 at 09:52
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    With such a low budget, your options are going to be limited. So, what options have you found? And what are the specific problems that are making it hard to make a decision? – osullic Oct 17 '18 at 09:55
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    Hint - don't ask "which is better?" Everyone loves to poke holes in the definition of "better". What do you want from the camera? What is a must-have feature for you? What options have you found? What's wrong with these options? What are the differences between these cameras? Which features don't you understand? What are the obstacles stopping you from making a decision? – osullic Oct 17 '18 at 09:58
  • @Sicarius "Which of these five models" is probably even worse, because that set of five models is unlikely to occur ever again. Instead, focus on the difficulty you have.... you say "I had some problems to decide on a specific model". So, there's the question: what problems do you have? What do you need to know to help you inform your decision? – mattdm Oct 17 '18 at 10:53
  • 250 bucks will get you a used body from at least ~4 years ago. Sorry, nothing sold new in 17/18 will be that cheap. Buy an old rebel with a kit lens - they pop up for sale all the time. Keep your eyes open on apps like letgo and offerup. Do some research on how to tell if a used camera has been abused or is in decent condition. Good luck! – OnBreak. Oct 17 '18 at 13:48
  • Also, as soon as possible, extend your system with parts that will allow to take advantage of cheap old accessories. A $20 radio trigger set opens up the option to use old cheap semi-manual flashguns (working ones at GN38@28mm-equivalent, with 24V-ish sync, can be had for $10 with patience), without risking damage to the camera. An M42 adapter gives you a choice of cheap and sometimes great manual focus lenses. – rackandboneman Oct 17 '18 at 21:51

1 Answers1

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With such a limited budget, you'll be looking at cameras several generations old.

Since you're interested in Canon, you'll have to learn Canon's model-naming scheme, find out which models are current, then search backwards until you find the models that fall within your budget. The most likely candidates at this time are the 50D, 550D, and 600D.

Follow the same process for any other camera manufacturers you are considering. For instance, for Nikon, start with the Nikon naming scheme...

Whatever body you decide on, you should pair it with the standard kit lens, usually an 18-55/3.5-5.6, because of its versatility and your limited budget.

See also:

xiota
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