Second Hand Camera with good Image Stabilisation

[Grth]

Hi everyone!

I'm looking to upgrade from an old Fuji bridge to something a bit more serious. My main criteria are as follows:

- Image Stabilisation - I have super shaky hands - I can't shoot anything handheld unless it's a really short exposure. So this is my main determinant - good IS or GTFO.

- Cheap - I don't have a big budget and I'm looking to spend no more than A$450 (US$300)

- Viewfinder and Articulating Screen - I'm a viewfinder guy most of the time, but want the flexibility to go high or low angle and see what I'm doing. I'm unlikely to use it for vlogging, but you never know.

- Good DXOMark Scores - Rather than getting into specifics of dynamic range, colour depth, etc. I'm simplifying to a single number (possibly to my own detriment). My brain likes numbers, bigger the better, and easier to compare.

- Decent Continous Drive rate - The more shots I can take per second, the higher the probability of a good one.

From my own research, here's what I'm finding

- Olympus OM-D E-M5 ii (~A$350 / US$230) : This ticks all the boxes, I hear Olympus IS is best in the business, and it comes with some extra toys like Live Composite and Bulb modes. My only concern is the lack of quality lenses.

- Nikon D600 (~A$245 / US$160) : Very cheap shout for a full frame with great reviews. Doesn't have an articulating screen, which I could probably live without for everything else it offers. My big unknown here is how effective Nik VR lenses are, and if there's anything to be aware of in terms of compatibility with a 2012 body.

- Sony a7 (~A$400 / US$262) : Another full frame option with great reviews and features, but again - I'm struggling to find much info on Sony OSS lenses.

- Sony SLT a57 (~A$200 / US$131) : Another cheap oldie, meets the brief comfortably, and this time has IBIS.

I guess my biggest question is how do the various IS flavours compare? It's pretty easy to find demos of the E-M5 on Youtube, the D600 and a7 are variable since it depends on the lens, and I can't find anything for the a57. Does anyone have hands-on experience with any of these?

Anything else I ought to be aware of in looking at potentially 10+ year old cameras? Obviously shutter count and physical inspection is some indicator, but are there any gotchas that an amateur like myself should be aware of?

Thanks!

 

[robgendreau]

Hi everyone!

I'm looking to upgrade from an old Fuji bridge to something a bit more serious. My main criteria are as follows:

- Image Stabilisation - I have super shaky hands - I can't shoot anything handheld unless it's a really short exposure. So this is my main determinant - good IS or GTFO.

- Cheap - I don't have a big budget and I'm looking to spend no more than A$450 (US$300)

- Viewfinder and Articulating Screen - I'm a viewfinder guy most of the time, but want the flexibility to go high or low angle and see what I'm doing. I'm unlikely to use it for vlogging, but you never know.

- Good DXOMark Scores - Rather than getting into specifics of dynamic range, colour depth, etc. I'm simplifying to a single number (possibly to my own detriment). My brain likes numbers, bigger the better, and easier to compare.

- Decent Continous Drive rate - The more shots I can take per second, the higher the probability of a good one.

From my own research, here's what I'm finding

- Olympus OM-D E-M5 ii (~A$350 / US$230) : This ticks all the boxes, I hear Olympus IS is best in the business, and it comes with some extra toys like Live Composite and Bulb modes. My only concern is the lack of quality lenses.

- Nikon D600 (~A$245 / US$160) : Very cheap shout for a full frame with great reviews. Doesn't have an articulating screen, which I could probably live without for everything else it offers. My big unknown here is how effective Nik VR lenses are, and if there's anything to be aware of in terms of compatibility with a 2012 body.

- Sony a7 (~A$400 / US$262) : Another full frame option with great reviews and features, but again - I'm struggling to find much info on Sony OSS lenses.

- Sony SLT a57 (~A$200 / US$131) : Another cheap oldie, meets the brief comfortably, and this time has IBIS.

I guess my biggest question is how do the various IS flavours compare? It's pretty easy to find demos of the E-M5 on Youtube, the D600 and a7 are variable since it depends on the lens, and I can't find anything for the a57. Does anyone have hands-on experience with any of these?

Anything else I ought to be aware of in looking at potentially 10+ year old cameras? Obviously shutter count and physical inspection is some indicator, but are there any gotchas that an amateur like myself should be aware of?

Thanks!

I agree about the Oly; some of the best IBIS I've used. And easy to handle. The M5ii was one of my favorite cameras ever, although I don't have it now. I'd take it over the others.

 

[OpticsEngineer]

i have a variety of cameras if the brands you mentioned. Olympus stabilization is the best. I recommend going that route for shaky hands.

something that helps counteract shaky hands is pressing the eyecup of the viewfinder against your eye brow

 

[leorimkus]

Hi everyone!

I'm looking to upgrade from an old Fuji bridge to something a bit more serious. My main criteria are as follows:

- Image Stabilisation - I have super shaky hands - I can't shoot anything handheld unless it's a really short exposure. So this is my main determinant - good IS or GTFO.

You probably need to improve your camera holding technique. Yet good stabilisation is always handy.

- Cheap - I don't have a big budget and I'm looking to spend no more than A$450 (US$300)

- Viewfinder and Articulating Screen - I'm a viewfinder guy most of the time, but want the flexibility to go high or low angle and see what I'm doing. I'm unlikely to use it for vlogging, but you never know.

- Good DXOMark Scores - Rather than getting into specifics of dynamic range, colour depth, etc. I'm simplifying to a single number (possibly to my own detriment). My brain likes numbers, bigger the better, and easier to compare.

- Decent Continous Drive rate - The more shots I can take per second, the higher the probability of a good one.

From my own research, here's what I'm finding

- Olympus OM-D E-M5 ii (~A$350 / US$230) : This ticks all the boxes, I hear Olympus IS is best in the business, and it comes with some extra toys like Live Composite and Bulb modes. My only concern is the lack of quality lenses.

Concern is absolutely wrong. Most of m43 lenses are very good, even cheap kit lenses might surprise you with IQ. Besides you have a choice of Olympus, Panasonic and some third party lenses.

- Nikon D600 (~A$245 / US$160) : Very cheap shout for a full frame with great reviews. Doesn't have an articulating screen, which I could probably live without for everything else it offers. My big unknown here is how effective Nik VR lenses are, and if there's anything to be aware of in terms of compatibility with a 2012 body.

You might find the body cheaply, but stabilised Nikkor lenses are on the pricier side. Besides D600 has a very poor AF system.

- Sony a7 (~A$400 / US$262) : Another full frame option with great reviews and features, but again - I'm struggling to find much info on Sony OSS lenses.

Look at A7II which has IBIS and can be found for not much more that the original A7. Can't comment on stabilisation as my Sony lenses don't have it.

- Sony SLT a57 (~A$200 / US$131) : Another cheap oldie, meets the brief comfortably, and this time has IBIS.

I guess my biggest question is how do the various IS flavours compare? It's pretty easy to find demos of the E-M5 on Youtube, the D600 and a7 are variable since it depends on the lens, and I can't find anything for the a57. Does anyone have hands-on experience with any of these?

Anything else I ought to be aware of in looking at potentially 10+ year old cameras? Obviously shutter count and physical inspection is some indicator, but are there any gotchas that an amateur like myself should be aware of?

Thanks!

 

[Grth]

Awesome, thanks Rob.

I've asked the same question elsewhere and have been steered toward the best Canon Rebel i series I can afford, so it's nice to have an endorsement for the Oly.

 

[Chris R-UK]

Awesome, thanks Rob.

I've asked the same question elsewhere and have been steered toward the best Canon Rebel i series I can afford, so it's nice to have an endorsement for the Oly.

Where did you get the idea that there are quality lenses available for Olympus? That is just nonsense.

But, remember that quality lenses on any system cost quality money, and your budget may not be large enough.

 

[Grth]

So I think my misconception around Olympus lenses came from looking at DXOMark lens sharpness as a score - with big aperture full frame primes clocking big "scores" and Olympus MFT zooms getting low "scores".

But then I checked myself and started reading it as a value relative to the resolution of the camera they tested the lens in, and re-rationalised it as a way of making relative comparisons between lenses with the same mount and sensor. Rookie mistake, but it's led to a better understanding of the basic characteristics of a lens, and an appreciation that primes are geared to be the right tool for a more specific job, while zooms give versatility at the expense of quality. The same way that a Leatherman or swiss army knife is handy and portable, but won't deliver the same result as the right knife/pair of pliers/saw/driver/etc.

So yeah, feel free to ignore that nonsense about low quality lenses. :-D

 

[OpticsEngineer]

the way I like to say it about a Swiss Army Knife is, "if you need a screwdriver, and you have a Swiss Army Knife, you still need a screwdriver."

it is not that extreme with zoom lenses versus prime lenses. but the zooms that are nearly as good as primes are quite expensive. and many of the new zooms are better than some of the less expensive primes of old.

 

[SelrahCharleS]

Pentax also has fantastic in body stabilisation and there are some deals to be found on the used market.

Based on your criteria Olympus seems to check the most boxes though. They have some very nice lenses too, but as with any system the quality lenses command a premium (but this is especially true as you move to larger formats).

The nice thing about buying used is as long as you keep your gear in the same condition you can probably sell it for a similar price as you bought it.

 

[BBbuilder467]

If your main concern is image stabilization with an old body, the Olympus would be my first choice. With IBIS, you'll have image stabilization with any lens, plus the non-IS lenses are less expensive. You can find new or used fast primes and long telephoto zooms in the $100 range to get started on a budget.

 

[Grth]

Great, thanks for the comments! I'm now looking at a ($A300/US$195) second hand E-M10ii bundled with a handful of batteries, SD cards, bag, mini-tripod and most importantly - the pancake kit lens, which seems very well-regarded as a kit lens.

It does mean I'll miss out on the weatherproofing and fully articulating screen of the E-M5, but it leaves me with enough in the budget to buy a 40-150mm (A$50) and keep A$100 in the bank to put toward a prime in future once I get my head around what focal length floats my boat. Or a 75-300mm if I feel like going full Rear Window.

 

[UsherFellig]

The Nikon D600 has a low price tag in large part due to a problem with oil spots on the sensor in a certain Serial # range. Some were repaired, sometimes effectively, other times less so. The headache of figuring it all out makes this a used purchase to avoid, one might surmise.

The last few generation models of the APSC sensor Nikon D3#00 and D5#00 series offer some very nice 24mp cameras with beautiful IQ, with like new examples available at reasonable prices, as are VR F-mount zooms.

 

[Martin_99]

Hi everyone!

I'm looking to upgrade from an old Fuji bridge to something a bit more serious. My main criteria are as follows:

- Image Stabilisation - I have super shaky hands - I can't shoot anything handheld unless it's a really short exposure. So this is my main determinant - good IS or GTFO.

- Cheap - I don't have a big budget and I'm looking to spend no more than A$450 (US$300)

- Viewfinder and Articulating Screen - I'm a viewfinder guy most of the time, but want the flexibility to go high or low angle and see what I'm doing. I'm unlikely to use it for vlogging, but you never know.

- Good DXOMark Scores - Rather than getting into specifics of dynamic range, colour depth, etc. I'm simplifying to a single number (possibly to my own detriment). My brain likes numbers, bigger the better, and easier to compare.

- Decent Continous Drive rate - The more shots I can take per second, the higher the probability of a good one.

From my own research, here's what I'm finding

- Olympus OM-D E-M5 ii (~A$350 / US$230) : This ticks all the boxes, I hear Olympus IS is best in the business, and it comes with some extra toys like Live Composite and Bulb modes. My only concern is the lack of quality lenses.

Based on your description I would go Olympus way. Not sure why you think lenses are bad. There are many quality standard zooms like 12-40f2.8, 12-45f4, Leica 12-60 etc.

What lenses are you actually looking for?

- Nikon D600 (~A$245 / US$160) : Very cheap shout for a full frame with great reviews. Doesn't have an articulating screen, which I could probably live without for everything else it offers. My big unknown here is how effective Nik VR lenses are, and if there's anything to be aware of in terms of compatibility with a 2012 body.

- Sony a7 (~A$400 / US$262) : Another full frame option with great reviews and features, but again - I'm struggling to find much info on Sony OSS lenses.

- Sony SLT a57 (~A$200 / US$131) : Another cheap oldie, meets the brief comfortably, and this time has IBIS.

I guess my biggest question is how do the various IS flavours compare? It's pretty easy to find demos of the E-M5 on Youtube, the D600 and a7 are variable since it depends on the lens, and I can't find anything for the a57. Does anyone have hands-on experience with any of these?

Anything else I ought to be aware of in looking at potentially 10+ year old cameras? Obviously shutter count and physical inspection is some indicator, but are there any gotchas that an amateur like myself should be aware of?

Thanks!