Used Camera advice

Flyfish1

Recycles dryer sheets
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Apr 17, 2016
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Coastal CT
I'm getting frustrated with the pics from my very expensive iPhone 15Pro. Seems like there is a lot of distortion due to the very small lens aperture. Now, I know very little about such things but I used to have Pentax full frame cameras many years ago and the pics were stunning. Don't get me wrong most times the iPhone is great but I'm not blown away. So.....I'm looking for advice on a used DSLR camera and lens combo for occasional use. I'd like to keep the combo around $2K more or less. I see there are tons of web sites selling used gear, any thoughts on the better places to deal with? Thank you.
 
I'm getting frustrated with the pics from my very expensive iPhone 15Pro. Seems like there is a lot of distortion due to the very small lens aperture. Now, I know very little about such things but I used to have Pentax full frame cameras many years ago and the pics were stunning. Don't get me wrong most times the iPhone is great but I'm not blown away. So.....I'm looking for advice on a used DSLR camera and lens combo for occasional use. I'd like to keep the combo around $2K more or less. I see there are tons of web sites selling used gear, any thoughts on the better places to deal with? Thank you.
To beat a phone camera, I hope you wouldn't need $2K for a used camera. I'm guessing $500 for a decent DSLR with variable lens.

 
If you want something that takes great pics, and can deal with something that is big and heavy, then go with a Nikon D850 and a 24-120 mm lens. Maybe a Sony RX-100 VI if you want something small.

I've sold to KEH before and they seem like they'd be a good company to buy from.
 
If you're in the US, these are pretty good sites to buy used. Keh.com, mpb.com & bhphotovideo.com. I've also bought & sold cameras & lenses on ebay.

I'd start with an inexpensive, say 3-4 year old model with a lens that meets your needs. Many of my friends experienced the same frustration with smartphone cameras that you did, spent a lot of money on good camera gear and then found it too inconvenient to carry around. They now continue to shoot with their phones.
 
Before you abandon the iPhone Pro, Is the problem repeatable with your iPhone 15 Pro? I have been using my iPhone 13 Pro as my primary camera and use it almost exclusively. I really needed to practice with it at the beginning and learn how to get the most out of it, and yes they have their limitations. In fact I have Canon 5D Mark III that I've been kicking around selling as I don't use it enough to justify keeping it. So before you give up on your iPhone, work with it and try to get the most out of it, if you haven't already.
 
Look at the micro four-thirds cameras; Olympus and Panasonic. There is a wide variety of bodies at a wide range of prices and there is a huge variety of lenses. I shoot a couple of GX-8s. Current lenses are 12-200 and 8-25.

This is not like getting married, so don't agonize over it. Just buy (used) something that looks to be worth trying and be ready to ditch it if it isn't right. Often the first thing we buy just teaches us what we really wanted.
 
Have you looked at something like an all in one super zoom camera? I have so much fun with this one. No extra big old lens to haul around or swap out. Does everything I want as a point and shoot to full automatic if you prefer. Good for close ups and big zoom ins. You can pick up a used one for a few hundred. One of the key limitations of the camera is the lack of RAW support if you need that. There maybe newer better super zooms but I sure love mine.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V from 2014.​

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX400V - Wikipedia

420px-Sony_Cyber-shot_DSC-HX400V_%28B%29.JPG

Quick review in the camera.
 
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Sony's HX series takes nice photos. For their price range they have decent lenses, better ones than the H series.
 
With a modern iphone you only get 2x optical zoom, beyond that you get digital zoom which can introduce distortion. If you like wildlife or scenic photos even a point and shot with zoom can give better results.
 
The smartphone camera vs. SLR debate is eternal. Smartphone cameras have improved substantially, and it's possible that the OP's experience is with a manufacturing defect or some odd choice of settings. That said, my own gripes with smartphone cameras are....

1. They're hard to grip and hold properly.
2. Slow autofocus.
3. Poor performance in low light.
4. No lens interchangeability (obviously).
5. Minimal manual control, especially over depth of field.
6. Shutter (for lack of a better term) lag.

Assuming that the smartphone camera focuses on the right thing, at the right moment, with the right lighting, then results are pretty decent; they vie with that of "kit lenses" and consumer-grade SLRs. Even so, I have little patience with photography equipment reviewers who decry expensive lenses in untutored hands, as "compensation" or mindless performance chasing. Top-shelf equipment, within reason, makes a difference.

With respect, I would avoid mass-market zooms such as the Nikon 24-120 mentioned above. Stick with primes, don't be afraid of "vintage" manual focus lenses, and pay attention to technical data such as Modulation Transfer Function. Distortion can be corrected in software, but "sharpness" corrections are phony. If the lens isn't sharp to begin with (and the focus and so on, set correctly!), nothing will help the image. And yes, the lens matters far more than the camera body.
 
If you had a full frame camera in the past, then you might prefer that again, and not one of the crop sensor cameras. I would suggest a mirrorless Z6 II, with an 18-140 lens. If you really prefer a DSLR, then the D780 and 18-140. I personally have a Z6 II and a D850.
 
I have a (10 year old?) Canon Rebel T5 DSLR that still works great, and takes better pics than my phone. It's bulky, but it's still worth a take-along on vacations. It's pretty simple to use for the basics, but there's a learning curve for anything really fiddly.

You can find refurbs of it for less than $500 which might be a good way to enter into and then decide to upgrade later.
 
Thanks - I've spent a lot of time with the iPhone, watching you tube videos and playing with settings. On our NatGeo cruise they actually had a long lecture on smartphone photography. It's good for most things, but I really miss an "actual camera" with a real lens. Now I'm looking on Keh and there is a lot to choose from. Wow.
 
If you want something that takes great pics, and can deal with something that is big and heavy, then go with a Nikon D850 and a 24-120 mm lens. Maybe a Sony RX-100 VI if you want something small.

I've sold to KEH before and they seem like they'd be a good company to buy from.
Been using KEH since 1989 bought a lot of equipment from never had a problem.
 
Just kidding: I got a used Nikon D750 DSLR , with a Nikkor 24-120 Lens, for $1267. Seems like a pretty good price.
D750 is a fantastic choice, but I'd rethink that lens. Good news is, that used lens prices stay steady, and the resale market is robust. You can recover what you paid for it, by selling on Craigslist. Pick up a $100 50mm prime, and the difference in image quality will be.. substantial.

In circumstances not unlike yours, I bought some years ago, a D610. Wish that I'd gotten the 750 instead, mainly because the D610's focus-points are too crowded around the image center... but it's a small gripe.

Welcome to the Nikon family!
 
Congratulations! I'm sure it will meet your expectations BFC (before 'fone camera). I moved from an all in one (Nikon) years ago to a Sony mirrorless (A6000) with a wide angle pancake lens this is a workhorse, and a 200MM zoom lens for long landscape shots. The mirrorless camera body and pancake lens fits in a pocket and does a great job using aperature mode.
 
I had camera with interchangeable lenses and found for trips it was just too heavy to cart around.

I'm happy with my Nikon COOLPIX A900 it has a very long built-in zoom lens. Easy to carry.
 
What exactly does the OP mean by 'distortion'? The traditional definition of straight lines becoming bent, or some other sort of aberration or reduction in image quality. There are certainly some ways in which DSLRs do better than phones, but I haven't noticed distortion being a particular issue where DSLRs offer a big improvement.
 
Just kidding: I got a used Nikon D750 DSLR , with a Nikkor 24-120 Lens, for $1267. Seems like a pretty good price.
A good choice! Now - you got to get out and use it.

If you're enjoying photography, learn a good software processing program too. I use the Adobe Photography plan and it works for me, but you may want to research what will work for you. I'm sure Nikon has a perfectly workable solution at no cost - I know that Sony & Canon do.
 
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I have asked many experts about the this topic. The suggestions are to buy the best equipment you could afford. Spend more money on lens rather than body. Because a good lens could last 20 years and new body comes out every other year. They said the practice of buying a basic unit and move up later actual cost a lot more money. Because you will have to sell the old at a loss to buy the new ones. Every cycle costs additional $.

Regards to the lens, they said you buy the prime lens only. A 200mm F2 will get far better pictures than a 70-200m F2.8.
 
Another vote for KEH camera if you are looking for used gear. I'm a retired professional photographer and I've purchased gear from KEH since around 1984 or so. There rating system is very exacting. Even a camera with a "Bargain" rating will be much better than you are expecting.
 
I had camera with interchangeable lenses and found for trips it was just too heavy to cart around.

I'm happy with my Nikon COOLPIX A900 it has a very long built-in zoom lens. Easy to carry.
I have the same - the zoom on it is about 15 power in telescope language. The sunset macro is very good on it.
 
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