Question Camera needed for my son

jonnybee123

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Hi all.
My 13 year old boy has taken a liking to photography and uses his phone to take pictures with. It's his birthday coming up and I'd like to buy him a camera for no more than £100 second hand. I've just been looking through that site with a tree in its name and found loads in my price range but I have no clue what to buy. Back in my youth I was the proud owner of an Olympus OM10 with my own darkroom so I know a little about cameras but now I find that knowledge very dated in this world of hi tec megapixals.

If you have any suggestions on what I should be looking for I'd appreciate it. I think something with a manual option and maybe an interchangeable lens if that's still the thing to do.
Thanks.
 
Hi all.
My 13 year old boy has taken a liking to photography and uses his phone to take pictures with. It's his birthday coming up and I'd like to buy him a camera for no more than £100 second hand. I've just been looking through that site with a tree in its name and found loads in my price range but I have no clue what to buy. Back in my youth I was the proud owner of an Olympus OM10 with my own darkroom so I know a little about cameras but now I find that knowledge very dated in this world of hi tec megapixals.

If you have any suggestions on what I should be looking for I'd appreciate it. I think something with a manual option and maybe an interchangeable lens if that's still the thing to do.
Thanks.
Unfortunately I don’t think your budget will allow for anything that will give better images than a phone. I certainly can’t think of an interchangeable lens camera that would be under £100, especially with a lens, and compact cameras in that price range will only have small sensors and essentially give the same IQ as a phone.

The only route I could suggest is an old manual film camera. You could probably get an Olympus OM1 or OM10 with 50mm f1.8 lens within budget.
 
You could just about get an old Nikon 1 (probably the J1 model) with a couple of lenses from Facebook market place. These have a 1” 10mp sensor which is ok and probably a step up from a mid range phone. However it is 7-8 years old tech and cameras have moved on a bit from then. Got good review in its time.

Example - Facebook Marketplace: Nikon 1 J1 – Cameras – Fordingbridge

For a DSLR’s you may be lucky and pick up a Canon 550d with 18-55 lenses for that but I think that is about as far back as I would go in the canon range.

Example -

 
You could just about get an old Nikon 1 (probably the J1 model) with a couple of lenses from Facebook market place. These have a 1” 10mp sensor which is ok and probably a step up from a mid range phone. However it is 7-8 years old tech and cameras have moved on a bit from then. Got good review in its time.

Example - Facebook Marketplace: Nikon 1 J1 – Cameras – Fordingbridge

For a DSLR’s you may be lucky and pick up a Canon 550d with 18-55 lenses for that but I think that is about as far back as I would go in the canon range.

Example -

Cool, that’s surprised me that you can get a DSLR and lens for that :smashin:
 
I just saw an ad for this one.
Nikon D40X With 18-55mm Lens.
Is it any good do you think?
 
He's only 13. It'll be his first camera. So just a basic one he can experiment with and looks like a real camera. I also don't want to spend too much in case he loses interest. You know what boys are like, they get bored quickly.
 
I just saw an ad for this one.
Nikon D40X With 18-55mm Lens.
Is it any good do you think?

Only a 10mb sensor, but a competitor to one of my sisters first cameras, the Canon 400D. One of the con's in this review is that the camera has no lens motor in the body, so non auto focus lens' are manual focus only?
I thought all cameras had auto focus.. Maybe someone can spread some light.

I've not got time to go into it all at the moment, but if that's the case, it'd be a deal breaker for me at any price, especially for a beginner.


I always use the above site for reviews, samples, etc.. Might be helpful :)
 
Don't get hung up on tech (a bold statement on this forum, I know ;) ).
A 10Mp sensor will be fine. My first DSLR was "only" a 6Mp Canon 10D. I regularly printed A3+ with no loss of quality.
 
Only a 10mb sensor, but a competitor to one of my sisters first cameras, the Canon 400D. One of the con's in this review is that the camera has no lens motor in the body, so non auto focus lens' are manual focus only?
I thought all cameras had auto focus.. Maybe someone can spread some light.

I've not got time to go into it all at the moment, but if that's the case, it'd be a deal breaker for me at any price, especially for a beginner.

It does have autofocus as long as the lens has an autofocus motor which is most current lenses. Older lenses didn't have their own AF motor and instead used an AF motor in the camera body to focus the lens. The cheaper Nikon DSLRs lack this motor to save costs which limits the old legacy lenses they can use although it probably doesn't matter for most of the people these cameras are aimed at.
 
It does have autofocus as long as the lens has an autofocus motor which is most current lenses. Older lenses didn't have their own AF motor and instead used an AF motor in the camera body to focus the lens. The cheaper Nikon DSLRs lack this motor to save costs which limits the old legacy lenses they can use although it probably doesn't matter for most of the people these cameras are aimed at.

Ah ok, thank you for clarifying that :)
 
@jonnybee123 does the budget of £100 include a lens, or would this be extra? Just seen the Nikon D3200 with kit lens and other bits and bobs for £150, the D3200 is a great camera

 
@jonnybee123 does the budget of £100 include a lens, or would this be extra? Just seen the Nikon D3200 with kit lens and other bits and bobs for £150, the D3200 is a great camera

Thanks for that but it's a bit of a way from Bristol. Cheers
 
my daughter wants to sell her canon 350d which has been sat for a couple of years not doing anything.
it's boxed with battery and charger but no lens but you could pick up a used 18-55 kit lens for about £50
 
to be honest though you would be better looking at somewhere like MPB for larger selection and at good prices too
 
Thanks guys. I picked up a FinePix S4200 and tripod today from the classifieds for a £50 bargain. They even threw in 8 new AA batteries and a sd card. It's a Bridge camera so it'll do for now just to get him into photography. Thanks for your help.
 

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