Recommend a $150 camera kit for a kid in a new country
Hi everyone,
I am a high schooler moving into a new country (USA) in a few weeks and was wondering what camera and lens I should buy. I am a complete beginner in the world of photography and know very little about cameras and especially lenses. It would be much appreciated if you could suggest me a camera and a lens with which I could do some architecture/street photography. I was thinking of getting the Canon EOS 40D with a EF-S 18-55mm lens. I would like to hear your insights on whether it would be good for me. Coming from taking pictures on a 5 year old budget android phone, anything would be a drastic improvement for me but I would like to make an informed choice given that I have such a tight budget. Thanks in advance!
Have a look at the Panasonic lumix g1. In uk it’s very cheap, 12mp micro 4/3 sensor, flip out swivel screen, I’ve just picked one up and love it. Great images from it and very easy to use not to mention very light.
Welcome, @doughnut-on-a-stick! I think you've come to the right place for recommendations like this. @james-warner-b and others here do a great job of finding and using inexpensive cameras with great results. Just chiming in with a few ideas:
- Pentax K10D: There are a lot of great examples on this site of people using this camera with beautiful results. I want one myself! Anyway, they seem to be rather available on ebay, and elsewhere. Most everyone else here can chime in better than I about this camera, but, it seems like a cool, solid bet.
If you don't mind a camera without a viewfinder, there are a couple that come to mind:
- Olympus E-P1: They seem to be out there on ebay with an included kit 14-42mm lens for under $150.
- Olympus XZ-1: I'm intrigued by this camera which was featured on another cool Youtube channel (here). There's one for $150 on Facebook Marketplace right now (here), and one for $199 at Kenmore Camera (here) (which I know isn't $150, but, close.)
- Sony RX100 (the first version): I have a friend who uses this older point and shoot camera and I'm always blown away by his great photos. It seems there's one on MPB.com for $189 right now (here), which I know isn't $150 but it's close.
Anyway, just a few musings while browsing the forum tonight. Good luck with the move! Where in the U.S. are you moving?
Quote from Lock5 on June 22, 2022, 8:44 pmHave a look at the Panasonic lumix g1. In uk it’s very cheap, 12mp micro 4/3 sensor, flip out swivel screen, I’ve just picked one up and love it. Great images from it and very easy to use not to mention very light.
The camera does seem light and might be good for my rather small hands. However, from my very rudimentary research, it seems like the lenses for this camera might be a little expensive for my tight budget.
Quote from denniscrommett on June 23, 2022, 2:25 amWelcome, @doughnut-on-a-stick! I think you've come to the right place for recommendations like this. @james-warner-b and others here do a great job of finding and using inexpensive cameras with great results. Just chiming in with a few ideas:
- Pentax K10D: There are a lot of great examples on this site of people using this camera with beautiful results. I want one myself! Anyway, they seem to be rather available on ebay, and elsewhere. Most everyone else here can chime in better than I about this camera, but, it seems like a cool, solid bet.
If you don't mind a camera without a viewfinder, there are a couple that come to mind:
- Olympus E-P1: They seem to be out there on ebay with an included kit 14-42mm lens for under $150.
- Olympus XZ-1: I'm intrigued by this camera which was featured on another cool Youtube channel (here). There's one for $150 on Facebook Marketplace right now (here), and one for $199 at Kenmore Camera (here) (which I know isn't $150, but, close.)
- Sony RX100 (the first version): I have a friend who uses this older point and shoot camera and I'm always blown away by his great photos. It seems there's one on MPB.com for $189 right now (here), which I know isn't $150 but it's close.
Anyway, just a few musings while browsing the forum tonight. Good luck with the move! Where in the U.S. are you moving?
Glad to be here! I've been watching Big Snap's videos for a while and decided to ask this forum since I am a complete amateur at stuff like this. As for your recommendations-
The Pentax K10D looks very sweet. Unfortunately I don't see the listings for this camera in mpb, keh or usedphotopro. While it does exist in ebay, I am very much not inclined to buy it from there because I've heard you could get scammed. Ebay doesn't exist in the country I'm in right now and I always bought things physically so you could say it's rather an uneasy territory for me. As for the other cameras you suggested, I would like to have a viewfinder so I wouldn't really chose them. I would appreciate it if you could suggest other websites from where I could buy cameras for a decent price and tips on how to find good deals and what general rules I should follow when buying a camera.
Also, I am moving into the Upstate New York. I am hoping I don't freeze to death in the six months of winter since I grew up in the tropics!
I have Pentax k10d, it is a great camera. If your after cheap lenses then maybe look at the Sony A mount cameras. That has lots of lenses and very reasonable prices. Have a look at the a200
Quote from Lock5 on June 23, 2022, 8:32 amI have Pentax k10d, it is a great camera. If your after cheap lenses then maybe look at the Sony A mount cameras. That has lots of lenses and very reasonable prices. Have a look at the a200
Sorry for the late reply! I will probably just go ahead and get the Pentax K10D. I'm still skeptical of buying from ebay but it's worth giving a shot!
The other good thing about the Pentax system is they use the same lens mount that they have since the 70’s so there are tons of cheap lenses out there for that system
You will get a lot of Pentax recommendations here (and I'm about to give you another!) but really as you can see from the photos here and videos by James, any camera is going to do a great job. It makes it hard to pick a first camera. My first DSLR was the K10D because I wanted weather sealing (and with that it does not disappoint!).
The K10D is a fine camera and the images have a unique quality that you are bound to love. Another option with a bit more features and ISO performance is the Pentax K-7. I see one on Adorama for $119. I would recommend a kit lens for your first lens. A zoom is good because you can explore different focal lengths with one lens and see what kind of photography you enjoy most. It will give you direction for getting your first prime lens. I see an SMC 18-55 for $29 on MPB.
I wish I could give you recommendations for other brands but my experience is pretty limited to Pentax right now. They are all good, though! It is hard to go wrong. The Canon 40D would be a great choice too, and you can probably stretch a tight budget a bit more with Canon lenses because there are just so many of them on the used market. Someone correct me if I'm wrong about that.
Hello - and another vote for the Pentax system as a first choice.
As a first camera I'd recommend the K-7 too: it doesn't cost that much and is more capable than the K10D.
Please don't get me wrong, the K10D is a fine camera, but both of mine had serious back focus issues, which seems to be quite common with this model. I had to put them in debug mode via pktriggercord which requires a computer or - if I remember correctly - at least a RaspberryPi or something similar.
E.
