DPReview TV: Best camera under $500 in 2021

This would require buying used currently to meet the $500 limit, but Instead of the FZ300 with a tiny sensor (1/2.3''), I'd recommend the Lumix FZ1000 (first gen mk1, not the very pricey mk2). Currently at new prices, it is nearly $700 which is ridiculous, considering I bought mine in 2014 for less than $400 on Amazon as a 1 day deal (normally around $500) at Christmastime. It has a 1" sensor with a quality F2,8 across the range lens, 25-400 zoom, easy to access manual controls, EVF and articulated screen. IQ is every bit as good as my M43 Oly OMD 10 mk2 with kit lens, maybe better. I don't understand why older cameras like this go up in price so often, compared to when they were recently introduced. Madness. Who pays these prices?

Sony NEX F3 (used, shutter count - 850) - 100$,
18-55 - 100$,
Konica / NEX adapter and 2 legacy prime 28mm and 50mm lenses - 100$.
200$ left for tripod, card, light or software...
Not so bad, i think. Enjoying photography very much.

How 'bout Best Camera Under $350 compris? Olympus E-M5i with Olympus grip for ~~~ $175. Then lens? Pick it from wide range of M43 choices. My current fave -- Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 used for under $150.

Used market: Oly EM 10.3 with 14-42 EZ lens and 40-150 f4. Grand total $450! You get IBIS, 4k video, Live Composite. Insane value. With EZ lens it's about the size of a point and shoot. Put it in a jacket pocket and take it anywhere.

I honestly have to say that this video seems either uninformed and/or even sponsored. T7 sucks, you could get far better cameras (even new) for that price. 9 focus points, no AF in video, 3fps in burst. Also, that kit lens 18-55 has got to be the worst lens I have ever used in my life. For that money one could get a way better MFT lens such as 12-32 Lumix and a body with IBIS, 10fps, 4K with AF ofc, waaay more AF points such as GX80 or E-M10II (1080p though).

I was going to ask why there was no mention of m43, even Panasonic m43, but I realized that the low end there starts at about $550. I'd rather save up another fifty bucks and get the E-PL10 versus a Rebel T7, not the least of why is that it shoots 4K video.

I bought Oly M10-2 kit for $240. It's used but absolutely new. Also I bought a bunch of fast M42 lenses for $20..$50 and a $80 Chinese speedbooster. Would buy the same again if needed.

For that price I'd buy used every time. Buy from a reputable dealer that offers a guarantee and you'll get far better value for money which will really open up your choices in that price range.

Idea for next time: $1500 US budget, used market, body and 1 lens.

Get the Oly TG6. I have the TG4 and I am still using it as it punches way above its weight. Very often, my TG4 could do a lot of things other cameras can't. From some landscape shots to shooting a menu page in a restaurant or a flower or a plate of food or some playful shots under a waterfall or just shoot some candid shots in the rain. It never fails. Actually, it is also best for street photography as no one bothers about you with that camera. Then, you can easily put it in your pocket with a small plastic bag just to keep it clean and from scratches.

The photos are sharp enough for an A3 print anytime.

Then, if you want a camera with a bigger sensor, go for the Canon M100 which is now very much cheaper and get one or two TTArtisan 17mm f/1.4 and the 35mm f/1.4 lenses. And if you can stretch it , get the TTArtisan 50mm f/1.2 lens too. Don't worry about manual focus. In fact it is better in low light as it does not hunt.

I am saying this because I have both.

DSLRs would make a lot of sense for a lot of people. For photography only, the Pentax K-70 is very comparable to a Fuji X-T4, and it costs you $1K less.

I thought cameras like the FZ300 with 12.1 Megapixel, 1/2.3-Inch Sensors were pretty much obsolete by now? I guess if you need a 25-600 mm zoom, it's serviceable. :/

As for the Rebel T7, most new cell phones match or beat it in IQ with it's 18-55 kit lens, and are a lot smaller/lighter and always with you. How is the video on it, 4K? ;)

I recently bought a T7 for travel and as a second camera to my RP. I am pretty happy with it. Size is perfect. I am not going to mount one of my tilt shift lenses on it or a heavy telephoto but it does a good job and I still like OVFs, even the small one on the T7. I consider it appropriate technology for the task at hand. It has drawbacks but I am satisfied with it. Cost me $270 used in excellent condition, probably would cost $230 in average condition. I consider that a decent value proposition.

What about the Panasonic GX80 with 12-32 mm , great little camera with many useful features. The 12-32 is a very good lens and the whole thing is small. Use mine alongside my G9. For an interchangeable lens camera worth a look.

All used from a highly reputable camera store. Can test before you buy. USD:

70D = 330$
80D = 500$
7Dm2 = 620$ prices gone up recently actually
5Dm3 = 680$

D7200 = 490$
D610 = 550$
D750 = 740$ wow, forget this one. Im buying it.
D800 = 450$

x-t30 = 570$
x-t2 = 510$

a6000 = 350$ not a good deal, they were new near this price a few years ago.
a7R = 630$

Buy them people. Far better than any new camera at this price range.

ehh. passed this vid

iPhone SE?

You could get an OM-D E-M10 Mark II body only for $450 and then one of the many affordable m4/3 lenses separately. That's what I would do if I had $500 to spend and wanted a new body.

Or to be honest, I'd probably get a used OM-D EM1 for like $250 and a 25mm f1.8 Olympus lens on the used market.

The $500 camera no seems to be $600. Sigh.

Was gonna say, if your budget's $500, you aint buying new.

Things have certainly moved on since I bought my first two rebels back in 2012 and 2013. Back then I got a 600d plus 18-55mm IS II for £465 in 2012 and a 700d body only for £495 in 2013. Both cameras had £50 cashback too. I'm surprised there aren't any mirrorless options for less than £500 these days. You would have thought the lack of an OVF would have kept the price down.

Then again I recently got a used A7 MK 1 for £440 and a used 7D for £138. Both are still brilliant cameras. The original NEX-3 and NEX-5 cameras regularly come up for around £30 used these days and are brilliant if you are shooting with vintage lenses.

If you get used cameras from places that actually test them they are a brilliant deal. I wouldn't trust buying them from someone on eBay in case the cameras had broken buttons, dead pixels or a bent mount.

Truth is, it's a tough time for buying electronics because it's a tough time for building 'em. When parts are in short supply, higher-profit-margin devices get 'em, and prices on lower-end items bump up. There used to be multiple mirrorless cameras under $500... and I expect there will be again, but probably not for another year or more.

Anyway, none of the cameras are bad these days, so even a $160 Canon PowerShot ELPH 180 (which normally would have been under $120) delivers reasonable image quality and offers raw capture and has decent controls including Lua scripting if you use it with CHDK https://chdk.fandom.com/wiki/CHDK .

Yes please to a used gear episode! Especially at this price point, I almost think it would be silly to buy new. There's a lot of lightly-used gear out there, and as long as you can live with being a generation or so behind the curve, your money will go much farther in the used market. Since the stuff in this video is at least two generations old, I feel like that's a good way to go. In fact, I'd say that unless you've got over two grand to spend on a body you will probably do better buying used.

In light of how good cameras have been for the past 5+ generations, I can't think of any convincing reason to purchase a new camera over used in this budget price range. I'm looking forward to the next installment that addresses the used market choices.

Chris gave the reasons why the Rebel series was and is still so successful. By implication, also why Canon knows what it is doing.

Great choices Chris and Jordan, I think I would choose those as well.

Supply-chain shortage price hikes make this an awkward video. The market is all over the place. Pre pandemic, you could wait a couple months and find great deals for good MILC kits under $500 easily. APS-C X-T100, X-T200, EOS M50; MFT GX85 (2 lenses), OM-D E-M10ii or iii. Couple years ago these were recent releases with moderately current tech. Today we're between sensor generations. The cameras named are getting older but not cheaper. Definitely buy used like everybody else here is saying. On a shoestring budget, I would get a previous-gen 20-24MP mirrorless body with a kit AF lens and add a smattering of manual focus lenses, which can be very fun and won't make you miss eye-AF because you're not using your camera's aging AF feature anyway. The modern kit will do well for wider shots, and the manual lenses will give you gorgeous portraits. A cheapo mirrorslapper without AF adjust won't help you get sharp images no matter if it's AF or manual focus.

Older, used cameras perform very well. You can get a used D7200 for $370, a used D7100 for $350, and a D7000 for $230.

Older Olympus E-M1 and E-M5 bodies perform excellently and are cheap too.

There's little reason to get a current camera if you're price-constrained.

The under $500 test is very difficult, I think you have to go used if you're doing that. Look at how much the playing field opens up if the goal was to stay under $750. Suddenly a bunch of good crop sensor cameras from Fuji, Panasonic, Olympus, and Sony are in play.
Under $500 is just barely too low unless you're going with 1" sensors or smaller, pocket and bridge cameras. The ILC market doesn't really seem to open up until just over $500.

Nikon d3500
Im amazed at how good the image quality from this plastic fantastic is, even the twin kit lenses punch way above their price point. Blows the t7 and t100 Canon rebels away in raw image quality

I am surprised, TCS - The Camera Store wasn't being choosen for this, but i think, it's simply because that store mentioned into the video is more close to the DPR Studio into Seattle. ;) TCSTV back into the older days, before Chris & Jordan here was besides DigitalRev TV always a nice watch, and for the latter one, back into these days, Kai was being funny...somehow, unlike nowadays.

A fine weekend, guys.

Hi, Chris and Jordan,
Thanks once more for your video - it perfectly demonstrated the market shift towards more expensive gear.
I think one step up in price (i.e. < 1,000 US$) might be much more interesting as excellent older cams often come down below this threshold. And, actually, you won't sacrifice much in image quality - although you might have to find the eye of your pet manually ... ;-)
So below 1,000 US$ would be a very interesting price region for me - and through all sensor sizes starting from m4/3s.

Buy used!

Chris, you should have also looked at the FZ300 and then not worried about choosing more lenses. O.K. It has a small sensor but otherwise is very capable full featured camera which can produce excellent results.

I'm a DSLR user, but it just doesn't seem responsible, to me, to recommend that Canon Rebel given that Canon has pivoted toward mirrorless.

And to praise that tiny, dim OVF... yuck.

You can get a D610 & a 50mm prime, or a D700 with the 35-70mm F2.8D, or whatever range for the type of photos you want to do. If you're only doing stills then that's probably the best route.