My youngest boy loves photography. He has an old Fuji X10 which was perfect for him until he recently wanted to do some long exposures to photograph the aurora borealis, which the X10 is incapable of. He was absolutely gutted and his reaction really highlighted how much he loves photography, so I’m trying to find him an upgrade which doesn’t break the bank, ideally around £300-350. I don’t want to spend much more because it’s likely to get damaged and need replacement at some point. The X10 is bulletproof and has many battle scars but still works, surprisingly!
I’ve been looking at mirrorless cameras, mainly due to size. He’s 9 so it needs to be comfortable to hold and not too heavy. I previously had a Fuji X-T200 which he loved so that was my first thought, especially as it would mean we could share lenses. I sold mine for £300 a while ago. Now the cheapest I can find a body for is £400+. Add to that £100-120 for a 15-45 kit lens and it’s above budget.
His spec list
So yeah, he doesn’t want much…
We went to LCE today and they had a Canon EOS M50 Mk.II which seems to tick all the boxes except for them wanting £500 for it. I’ve had a look on Faceache marketplace and they seem to go for £300-350 there which is within budget. My only reservation with it (as a Fuji user) was the need to interact with some critical settings via the touchscreen. E.g. if shooting in M, the aperture had to be adjusted via the screen. Shooting in Av or Tv was less of a problem as the wheel at the front could be used to make the necessary adjustments. I also thought the menu system and available settings was a bit too dumbed down. Anyway, he liked it but we walked away because of the price.
I also looked at M43 options and the only one I can see that fits the criteria is the Olympus OM-D EM5 Mk. II/III. I know very little about these and it’s not as easy to find one to have a play with.
Are there any other options I am overlooking?
I’ve been looking at mirrorless cameras, mainly due to size. He’s 9 so it needs to be comfortable to hold and not too heavy. I previously had a Fuji X-T200 which he loved so that was my first thought, especially as it would mean we could share lenses. I sold mine for £300 a while ago. Now the cheapest I can find a body for is £400+. Add to that £100-120 for a 15-45 kit lens and it’s above budget.
His spec list
- Fully articulating screen
- Touchscreen
- A nice shutter sound
- Easy to hold
- Not too heavy
- Quick and accurate autofocus
- Able to take knocks and drops reasonably well
- Full manual control
- Hot shoe for external flash
- Jack for external mic (not essential but nice to have)
So yeah, he doesn’t want much…
We went to LCE today and they had a Canon EOS M50 Mk.II which seems to tick all the boxes except for them wanting £500 for it. I’ve had a look on Faceache marketplace and they seem to go for £300-350 there which is within budget. My only reservation with it (as a Fuji user) was the need to interact with some critical settings via the touchscreen. E.g. if shooting in M, the aperture had to be adjusted via the screen. Shooting in Av or Tv was less of a problem as the wheel at the front could be used to make the necessary adjustments. I also thought the menu system and available settings was a bit too dumbed down. Anyway, he liked it but we walked away because of the price.
I also looked at M43 options and the only one I can see that fits the criteria is the Olympus OM-D EM5 Mk. II/III. I know very little about these and it’s not as easy to find one to have a play with.
Are there any other options I am overlooking?
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