Lost my DSLR in a recent burglary and want to wait for advances in the mirrorless field before deciding on a new replacement. In the meantime, any suggestions for an under $500 used DSLR for mainly portrait shooting?
Thanks,
Bruce H.
delaw3 wrote:
Lost my DSLR in a recent burglary and want to wait for advances in the mirrorless field before deciding on a new replacement. In the meantime, any suggestions for an under $500 used DSLR for mainly portrait shooting?
Thanks,
Bruce H.
What did you have before and why would you not want to replace it?
Dennis
Do you have any lenses left after the burglary? Do you have any preferences to manufacturer? Do you have to buy lenses for a new camera. Providing more information will aid in discerning help.
Any interchangeable-lens camera requires lenses. Your request of ideas is missing some relevant details ....
Brand? If you have Nikon lenses, then get a D700.
Do you have ANY gear?
A
Fuji S5pro and a Nikon 85mm 1.8D should be close to $500.
Stunning skin tones right out of the camera.
My favorite combo is the S5pro and a Sigma 50-150 2.8. (the Sigma is out of your budget.)
delaw3 wrote:
Lost my DSLR in a recent burglary and want to wait for advances in the mirrorless field before deciding on a new replacement. In the meantime, any suggestions for an under $500 used DSLR for mainly portrait shooting?
Thanks,
Bruce H.
I have a Nikon D3300 with a 35mm 1.8g lens, a 50mm 1.8g lens, a 18-140mm 3.5-5.6 lens Buy used on eBay or B&H, Adorama, KEH, Amazon, etc
Creates great images for me, Do your research. Should be able to get a D3300 + a 50mm 1.8g lens (Portrait) for $500 or less.
I bought my camera and Lens on eBay about 3 years ago, working Great.
If your a Canon guy then look at a used 6D with an 85 f/1.8.
Any inexpensive camera. The lens is much more critical, and should be in the 85-105 range and no slower than f1.8
Of course, it depends on many factors but from my personal experience, Canon 5D mk 1 is a great camera for portraits (of course the "right" lenses are needed but - hey - get a used "nifty fifty" and you could make some descent work). This is an old, Canon full frame camera, allowing plenty of light in.
In my experience, the Sony a6000 is (roughly) the best camera under $500 for portraits. It has a pretty fast autofocus, and you can set the back-button for eye-autofocus. The Sony 50mm F1.8 OSS lens is great for portraits, and fairly inexpensive, but the two of them together will run over $500.
If you buy the a6000 with the kit lens, it will be under $500, but the kit lens is at F5.6 when it is at 50mm, and it does not have the same level of sharpness or color as the portrait lens.
If you want the total price under $500, then you might want to look at used cameras. All of them are good, these days, but you might want to start with the Panasonic LX100 or LX100m2. The 4/3 sensor is surprisingly good, the 24-75 lens (built in) ranges from F2.8 at the long end to F1.7 at the wide end, and has better character than almost any kit lens. The only weakness of the camera, in my opinion, is backlit situations, (and even then, if you have the time to fiddle with the focus, color, and starburst, you can produce some excellent portraits).
Resqu2 wrote:
If your a Canon guy then look at a used 6D with an 85 f/1.8.
Yes, this would be a great combo, probably more in the $800 to $900 range though.
delaw3 wrote:
Lost my DSLR in a recent burglary and want to wait for advances in the mirrorless field before deciding on a new replacement. In the meantime, any suggestions for an under $500 used DSLR for mainly portrait shooting?
Thanks,
Bruce H.
Too much missing info. What camera body did you have? What lenses do you have? Are you doing studio portraiture, natural light, location with off camera lighting.....? Are you doing this professionally or for friends and family?
12 hours later and no clarification.
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