[camerateen]

Hello everyone.

Thank you for a great site.

I'm a teenager from the UK that wants to learn photography as a hobby. After I realised my mobile phone photo shots were rubbish, I've been slowly saving to buy a camera. But with so much choice out there, I don't know which one to go for. My dad used to have a 2009 Panasonic FZ38 bridge camera which I know is now a bit on the old side, but it did have good quality photos. I'd love to get some of those gorgeous bokeh shots the people are posting on here.

Forgive me but I'm on a very tight budget. I want a digital camera within £200 (approx $250) range for a used one (with lens if possible). I'm not too fussed if it's slightly outdated or doesn't have stuff like wifi etc.

The main features I'm looking for are:
As good quality photos as possible
Can do good Bokeh/Shallow Depth of Field - Especially portraits with blurry backgrounds
Can do 1080p movies at least at 30fps


Bonus Features (if possible)
Hackable to allow for improvements to it's OS
Wireless
Can exchange lens
Not too bulky
If it can be modern with good features then that would be great


If I've missed anything out, then please let me know.

So what can you guys recommend?

[Kevin B123]

Your budget make this a tough call, but here is a fine body only for the money:
K5 Black Body Only by Pentax - Ffordes Photographic


Then you could explore the same place or cameraworld for a cheap lens, they don't need to cost much starting out.
More suggestions incoming because we love this kind of stuff.

[lithedreamer]

Hello everyone.

Thank you for a great site.

I'm a teenager from the UK that wants to learn photography as a hobby. After I realised my mobile phone photo shots were rubbish, I've been slowly saving to buy a camera. But with so much choice out there, I don't know which one to go for. My dad used to have a 2009 Panasonic FZ38 bridge camera which I know is now a bit on the old side, but it did have good quality photos. I'd love to get some of those gorgeous bokeh shots the people are posting on here.

Forgive me but I'm on a very tight budget. I want a digital camera within £200 (approx $250) range for a used one (with lens if possible). I'm not too fussed if it's slightly outdated or doesn't have stuff like wifi etc.

The main features I'm looking for are:
As good quality photos as possible
Can do good Bokeh/Shallow Depth of Field - Especially portraits with blurry backgrounds
Can do 1080p movies at least at 30fps


Bonus Features (if possible)
Hackable to allow for improvements to it's OS
Wireless
Can exchange lens
Not too bulky
If it can be modern with good features then that would be great


If I've missed anything out, then please let me know.

So what can you guys recommend?

I'd suggest searching around online for Magic Lantern and picking up an older Canon Rebel body and a used fast fifty lens. Then you have bokeh, probably the video features you want, hackable firmware, interchangeable lenses in a not too bulky body. That's most of what you want?

[camerateen]

Hello and Thank you very much for your wonderful suggestions.

@ lithedreamer - that you've recommended a different brand as here was me thinking this forum was all about Pentax ........I do like the canon cameras, but there's something about the Pentax image quality that makes it really stand out. The colours are vibrant and images are sharp.

@ Kevin B123 - I can pick the K5 model for approx £140 (Body Only). I still need the lens, which I don't know how much these will cost.

[Photator]

Hi CT!
I am one of those blokes that went down the Canon route and am currently using a 7D which I'm very happy with.
I used to use a 50D (mark 1 not 2) and got a lot of mileage out of it so would recommend one any time BUT it doesn't do video.
For me, the toss up was between a 50D and the 550D, the latter of which has more features including video, what swung it for me though was that the 50D
has a much chunkier and more 'professional' feel about it with a weather sealed magnesium body and a pentaprism (rather than a pentamirror)
which makes the eyepiece much clearer.
If you go on Youtube, Kai from (Digital Rev) does a 'shootout' between the two, be aware though that both cameras are quite old now
but most likely within your budget even with a basic lens. Canon do a very nice lens on a budget that most people affectionately
call the "nifty 50", or to be exact the Canon 50mm F1.8 mk 2 which can be picked up for about 50 or 60 quid.

You might also consider a mirrorless, I have one of those two because I find that it can do things the SLR can't so well and it's more compact.
You could pick up a used Fuji X-M1 for about 150 quid (that's what I have and it has been brilliant) video quality out of it is OK but not brilliant.
The best thing about it, if you have the patience, is that you can retrofit old film camera manual lenses onto it and this will give you
bokehlicious lenses galore to choose from at very low prices!
I'll end by emphasizing one thing: sensor size, it's all about that sensor! You can have loads of megapixels but if that sensor is the size of a little fingernail
it simply will not function well in low light ...some people might rubbish that last statement but that's just my experience, both of my cameras have APSC size sensors
which are biggish though not as big as "full frame" but that's a different league and the newer full-frame sensor cameras will be well outside your budget.

Good luck.

[tryphon4]

On a K-5 you can use an old A mount 50mm, that kind of lens is "manual focus only" but the price is nice: less than £50 for a Pentax A 50mm F1.7, and the bokeh is smooth if you shoot between F1.7 and F2.8!

Canon really sucks, they do not allow the use of a manual focus old lens (FD mount) on an AF (EF mount) reflex. I hate that brand.

[Kevin B123]

@ Kevin B123 - I can pick the K5 model for approx £140 (Body Only). I still need the lens, which I don't know how much these will cost.

That's a good price for a K5, from ebay?
We need to discuss how fast you want this lens to be. I just bought an M 50 f1.7 for £32, it's manual focus though. Fast and cheap and autofocus = DA 50 f1.8 from the market place here or ebay maybe. I think I have seen them go for around £70 ish.


Would any old lens do for a while to get you started?

[ChristianRock]

I have no idea why people are recommending Canon here, especially considering that their recommendations pale in comparison with the K5.

Honestly I would pair up the K5 with a DA 35 2.4. Yes it is a prime but it's surprisingly flexible. Or you can also get the 18-55 within your budget I think, if you need the flexibility of a zoom, at the expense of image quality. And fun, IMHO

A 50mm is fun as well but it would not be my only lens.

[Photator]

Here's one I took using my X-M1 with a 1970s manual focus Pentax Takumar lens that cost me £30 at a car boot sale (including the old Spotmatic camera it was attached to)...
Blues Night at The Oval Tavern | Lens: (1971 7 element SMC)T? | Flickr

...and another with the same lens on my old 50D
Strat | Lens: SMC Takumar 50mm 1.4 | Photator | Flickr

[Alex645]

@ Kevin B123 - I can pick the K5 model for approx £140 (Body Only). I still need the lens, which I don't know how much these will cost.

If you went with that used K5, here are some suggestions for AF lenses. Note: In your budget, all the AF lenses will be noisy for video.

a) Pentax SMC FA 50mm f/1.4 prime, used, excellent condition, £169
This lens will be fast and give you a good short telephoto for portraits and nice shallow depth of field bokeh
50mm F1.4 SMC FA by Pentax - Ffordes Photographic

b) Pentax SMC DA 40mm f/2.8 Limited prime, used, excellent condition £179
Not as fast as above, but super compact and light. More of a walk around lens good for full body shots.
40mm F2.8 SMC DA Limited Edition by Pentax - Ffordes Photographic

c) Pentax SMC DA 50mm f/1.8 prime, new, $117
Fantastic plastic light and small but very sharp for the price and fast for the bokeh.
Pentax smc DA 50mm f/1.8 Lens 22177 B&H Photo Video

d) Same as above but used in Like New or Excellent Plus condition $94-$99
Pentax 50mm F/1.8 SMC DA K Mount Autofocus Lens {52} | KEH Camera

[lithedreamer]

I have no idea why people are recommending Canon here, especially considering that their recommendations pale in comparison with the K5.

Does the K5 offer 1080p at 30fps or hackable firmware? I'm trying to find something that meets the OP's needs, not mine, though I adore my Pentax(es).

[Alex645]

I have no idea why people are recommending Canon here, especially considering that their recommendations pale in comparison with the K5.

Honestly I would pair up the K5 with a DA 35 2.4. Yes it is a prime but it's surprisingly flexible. Or you can also get the 18-55 within your budget I think, if you need the flexibility of a zoom, at the expense of image quality. And fun, IMHO

A 50mm is fun as well but it would not be my only lens.

Why Canon? Better overall for video, quieter AF and so common that you can find many used inexpensively. Why not Canon? Just about every other reason including weather resistance, better low light/high ISO capability, better dynamic range, etc., with Pentax.

I would agree with the 35mm or the 18-55mm if the OP didn't mention portraits and bokeh. That's where the 50mm has the edge.

[Photator]

...pps
I have only recommended Canon as that is just what I know from owning them. The APSC sensor on Pentax DSLRs is slightly bigger so theoretically it will perform slightly better in low light.
It's likely someone will chime in soon to promote the merits of Nikon, you'll just have to study the mixture of opinions and read some comparison reviews and take the plunge when you feel more informed.
One other thing I left out is why I abandoned using old manual lenses on my Canon DSLRs and that is because I found it too difficult to focus accurately even with specialist adapters with "focus confirm" chips.
The Fuji mirrorless has a "focus peaking" feature that when activated, puts a sparkle round the edges of areas when they are in focus and that makes it a breeze to use.

[HarisF1]

Buy your camera and then look for old and cheap lenses to use with it. Takumars can be a bit expensive (looking at around 30 - 40 quid unless your eBaying is good). Other good M42 lenses can be found much cheaper (Helios 44 stands out) and still do a terrific job.

If you buy Pentax, get in touch since I've got a ton of old PK and M42 lenses you might be interested in.

[Kevin B123]

Does the K5 offer 1080p at 30fps or hackable firmware? I'm trying to find something that meets the OP's needs, not mine, though I adore my Pentax(es).

Good point. The K5 spec for video is

Video/Movie Mode
1920x1080 (16:9 Full HD) at 25 fps,
1280x720 (16:9) at 30 or 25 fps,
640x480 (4:3) at 30 or 25 fps,
Motion JPEG (AVI)



One point to note, I think the K5 lacks focus peaking for manual lenses?, can someone confirm?

Is that enough for the OP?
Given the budget can it be bettered?.
Hackable firmware point away from Pentax of course, but to what end?

---------- Post added 10-11-16 at 02:45 PM ----------

A point to note for manual lenses, I think the K5 lacks focus peaking, can someone confirm?