New Canon...

Would any Canon afficionado be able to assist me? I need to update my camera, and I will be staying with Canon as my lenses are all that make (28-135 mm, 50 mm and 18-55 mm). My present camera is a Canon DSLR 300D, and it’s twelve years old. I would appreciate some advice on the best model to get, and whether it would be a good idea to buy secondhand.

Many thanks,Sheila

SheilaO wrote:

Would any Canon afficionado be able to assist me? I need to update my camera, and I will be staying with Canon as my lenses are all that make (28-135 mm, 50 mm and 18-55 mm). My present camera is a Canon DSLR 300D, and it’s twelve years old. I would appreciate some advice on the best model to get, and whether it would be a good idea to buy secondhand.

Many thanks,Sheila

Hey there.

Between Canon EOS SL2 / 200D, EOS M50, 800D, 77D and 80D worth mentioning, I would think twice about your lenses.

The sensor technology moved on quite a bit, and some of your lenses might not be able to support the image quality which this sensor can achieve.

Especially original 18-55 is pathetic by todays measures. You would really appreciate getting newest, or second-newest 18-55, Not only it is stabilized, it is much sharper.

The 50mm f/1.8 also got "a bump", and I don´t know personally about 28-135.

Yes, it might get expensive, but good compromise needs to be done.

For EOS M50 - normal EF-S lenses will not fit without adapter, and I highly recommend use equivalent native lenses if these exist (depends on lens model).

For any choice you do (from mentioned camera models), the jump will be quite significant.

SheilaO wrote:

Would any Canon afficionado be able to assist me? I need to update my camera, and I will be staying with Canon as my lenses are all that make (28-135 mm, 50 mm and 18-55 mm). My present camera is a Canon DSLR 300D, and it’s twelve years old. I would appreciate some advice on the best model to get, and whether it would be a good idea to buy secondhand.

Many thanks,Sheila

Welcome to the forums!

Open Talk is not necessarily the best place to ask a Canon-specific question, but perhaps we can help steer you to the correct section of the forum. If you wish to stay in the “consumer” model series, the Canon Rebel (200D-800D) Talk will be your “home.” If you wish to upgrade to an enthusiast-level camera, which facilitates your taking more-direct control of your shooting, and offers such features as the ability to micro-adjust your camera’s AF with individual lenses, the Canon EOS 7D/10D-80D Talk section is the place to look. EOS M Talk is the place for the more-compact mirror-less system cameras, which can use your lenses, with an adapter.

I started with a second-hand XTi, a.k.a. 400D, which my wife had bought from a colleague, to try digital shooting. (She had subsequently become a dedicated Nikon fan, when her employer issued her a Nikon D300s.) I appreciated a camera with more-direct control, better ergonomics for my hands, and better weather-sealing, so bought a second-hand 40D.

My next step was a new 7D, in late 2010, for even better performance, for some of the shooting I planned to do, and even better weather-sealing. I soon added a second, pre-owned 7D, because I was using my cameras while on duty, as a public servant, and felt compelled to exercise a professional level of care and diligence. In 2014, I upgraded to 7D Mark II cameras. So, other than the 40D, I cannot be helpful with specific information on Rebels, EOS 100D-800D, and EOS 10D-80D cameras, though they are very good cameras, depending upon one’s preferences.

The EOS M system is nicely compact, with its own EF-M lenses, and an available adapter which allows using your EF and EF-S lenses. I really liked my M3, which I used with the adapter. I would still have it, but Hurricane Harvey decided otherwise. (Fortunately, most of my things, including the rest of my Canon gear, survived.)

Buying pre-owned/second-hand cameras can be a very good idea. Buy smart, from reputable sellers, for best results. I live near Houston Camera Exchange, in Texas, which are reputable, and honor a 30-day warranty. That is where I bought my pre-owned 7D in early 2011, and my pre-owned 1Ds Mark III, in 2018, plus most of my pre-owned lenses.

SheilaO wrote:

Would any Canon afficionado be able to assist me? I need to update my camera, and I will be staying with Canon as my lenses are all that make (28-135 mm, 50 mm and 18-55 mm). My present camera is a Canon DSLR 300D, and it’s twelve years old. I would appreciate some advice on the best model to get, and whether it would be a good idea to buy secondhand.

Many thanks,Sheila

Your 18-55mm kit lens may be getting a bit tired. As it is so economical to buy a new camera with an included kit lens, I recommend doing so when you upgrade, if you buy a new camera.

Your 50mm lens may be getting tired, too, if heavily-used, but it may well continue to provide good service for many more years. There is probably no need to replace/upgrade this one, yet. My EF 50mm f/1.8 is probably actually older than yours, with the somewhat-collectible “metal mount” feature, but optically identical to its successor, which was in production at the time of the 300D camera.

Your 28-135mm lens, if kept in a clean, dry place, may continue to serve well. This is a quite useful lens. This is the lens packed as a kit lens with my first 7D camera, and remained quite useful until I upgraded to an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS lens, in 2014. Its only “fault” was that 28mm is not very wide-angle when used on a “cropped-sensor” APS-C camera. I simply bought a nicely wide-angle EF-S 10-22mm lens, to complement the 28-135mm lens, soon after I bought my first 7D. Canon now makes a more-economical EF-S 10-18mm lens, though that will leave a larger gap, from 19mm to 27mm, if you choose this one to complement your 28-135mm lens.

Personally, I tended to use my EF-S 10-22mm lens at 14mm and 22mm. (Others’ preferences may vary.) After my EF-S 10-22mm lens suffered structural failure, after more than six years of hard use, which included more than one impact against vehicle doors and door frames, one tumble from a vehicle seat onto pavement, and unknown knocks while being loaned to a colleague, after which I found the filter to have been badly chipped, I would buy a replacement EF-S 10-22mm lens, if I still shot only with APS-C-sensor cameras.

I should emphasize that ultra-wide angles are an acquired taste, and you may never desire to own a zoom lens that starts at 10mm.

SheilaO wrote:

Thanks so much for the advice, I hadn't thought of it like that - in my innocence I thought lenses stayed the same, but of course they also move on with the improvements in technology. Maybe I will just have to begin again... Tell me one more thing, is it safe to buy secondhand, and how can you know if you are getting good equipment?

Thanks again,

Sheila

It might be too much information from so many people, but hope you manage.

For the second hand things, only thing you can do is: Check for bumps and scratches (especially on the lens elements), cleanliness of the inner lens elements - no dust, not weird stuff, fungus and such..., clean smooth movement of focus ring and zoom ring, if lens barrel is supposed to move during focusing or zooming, it should go about smooth. No crackling sounds or scratching. No big wiggle to the side, but little is allowed.

Check if no "maps" are visible on the device, which might be caused by liquid intrusion.

Check if ellectrical contacts are clean and look "gold", no oxidation....

Test it on the camera, check it if doesn´t make weird noises during focusing and if image stabilization works (it´s relatively subtle, but you should spot it at longer focal lenghts when zoomed in). Especially when you compare it on/off...

Then you should take some image of a "straight thing" like a wall, from a good distance (10-20 feet) and check for general sharpness and corner sharpness. Might not be stellar, but should be EVEN across the frame, especially when stopped down to larger aperture numbers like f/8 or more.

And that´s it. After you checked this (takes like four minutes when experienced) you have to rely on your luck. I bought a lot of used stuff and not a single thing was bad, broke on me, or anything like that.

Wish you good luck!

About mirrorless: It usually is smaller, it´s build more around responsive "digital" UI. So ellectronics viewfinder and LCD. The focusing is "super precise" because it works directly from the image sensor. Yet can be little slower. Also it needs different set of lenses, or it needs the adapter to adapt normal DSLR lenses.

DSLR has usually better ergonomy, more hardware controls, and of course, optical viewfinder - You do not see what you´re going to get before you shoot. You have to shoot and then check. But the viewfinder is nice and "real time" while mirrorless cameras can bring delays, lag and noise to the viewfinder.

DSLRs have dedicated focusing system. generally better and faster, but it might be a draw sooner than later.

mirrorless can be made smaller, but not all setups are smaller. Some are as big as with DSLRs. So it is matter of ones preferences.

I would also suggest the Canon refurbished online store.  They also have lenses.  Try looking at a Sl2.  It's small, about the same size as a mirrorless, but you won't need an adaptor for your existing lenses.  But, if video is your thing, you might consider mirrorless, but would go Sony.

dmi wrote:

SheilaO wrote:

Would any Canon afficionado be able to assist me? I need to update my camera, and I will be staying with Canon as my lenses are all that make (28-135 mm, 50 mm and 18-55 mm). My present camera is a Canon DSLR 300D, and it’s twelve years old. I would appreciate some advice on the best model to get, and whether it would be a good idea to buy secondhand.

Many thanks,Sheila

Hi Sheila,

I just ordered a refurbished SL2 (200D) directly from Canon:

https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/cameras/refurbished-eos-interchangeable-lens-cameras

I have not yet received it, so I can't say anything about the condition of the camera, but I have seen multiple people on this forum recommend the refurbished store, so I feel optimistic. The savings are pretty good, and they have just about every current model of Canon camera available.

The big retailers, (B&H, Adorama, etc.) have used departments, so you might also check there.

Best of luck with your search!

Danny

Given Sheila is talking about the 300D rather than a Rebel, it looks likely she's not in the US, which rules out the Canon refurbs and rather limits NYC retailers.

Sheila, where in the world are you so we can make tailored suggestions?

Isn't the 300d a Rebel?  They didn't go to the T series Rebel title in the States until later.  I could be wrong.

Lepewhi wrote:

Isn't the 300d a Rebel? They didn't go to the T series Rebel title in the States until later. I could be wrong.

It was the Digital Rebel in the US.