I don’t just shoot with older cameras. I also use a Fujifilm X-T5 for travel and a Canon EOS R8 for video and product photography. I also review many of the latest cameras, so I have plenty of context for comparing the performance of older used models. For regular everyday stills photography, I think so little has changed or advanced over the past ten years that most beginners and enthusiasts, even many professionals, will be perfectly happy with most of the mid-high-end cameras from the past decade.
Nikon
Nikon is one of the best-know brands in photography. Its Coolpix compact cameras are still going but in a declining market, while its DSLRs have been largely superseded by Nikon's latest Nikon Z mirrorless cameras. For a while some thought Nikon's continued prosperity was in some doubt, but the success of the Z series and in particular the flagship Z9 say otherwise.
My top 10 best used cameras to buy today: and I’ve owned all of them
This is not an exhaustive list! There are still lots of older cameras I will try to get hold of when good ones become available and funds permit. This list is of cameras I own right now or have owned, and which I think are particularly interesting buys. I happen to think that some of the best cameras have already been made, and that the new cameras now being released are not necessarily better than the ones we already had and which have now passed into history.
Nikon D610 review in 2024: Nikon’s forgotten classic
Nikon D610 verdict: 4.6 stars The Nikon D610 is from what I consider the golden era of Nikons DSLRs. As a camera for regular stills photography it’s as good as any modern 24-megapixel full frame camera for image quality and offers a completely different – and refreshing – shooting experience. Its video features are pretty primitive, as you would expect, but that aside, this is a superbly made camera that is heavy, yes, but handles brilliantly. It’s also cruelly undervalued, even forgotten, as a used buy.
Nikon’s retro revival is great to see, but it burned its boats with lenses
The Nikon Z fc offers beginners and vloggers a charming old-school camera look with thoroughly modern tech inside, while the new Nikon Z f delivers the same retro charm in an altogether better-made full frame model. So what’s the problem?
The unfair stigma of Gear Acquisition Syndrome
Gear Acquisition Syndrome is a standing joke in the photographic community. It describes photographers who are constantly buying new gear instead of spending their time actually taking photographs. Well, I think it’s time to stop sneering and start accepting.
Why are kit lenses getting worse?
It’s as if the makers of full frame mirrorless cameras have suddenly realized that there’s no point making mirrorless cameras smaller if the lenses are as big as ever. So there’s a trend now to make compact zooms for these cameras to cut down on the overall system size. That’s great. But in making these kit lenses compact, have they also made them next to useless?
Canon and Nikon’s APS-C mirrorless lenses: strategic error or clever upsell?
Back in the days of Nikon and Canon DSLRs, both makers had APS-C cameras backed up by extensive ranges of APS-C lenses. You could buy an APS-C DSLR and stick with it for good. That’s not happening with their mirrorless replacements.
I like the Nikon Z30 more than I thought I would
When I attended the Nikon press briefing for its new, affordable vlogging camera, I was not convinced. I thought it was a rather lazy and predictable reworking of Nikon’s Z50 and Z fc cameras with essentially the same hardware in a new skin. I haven’t really changed my mind about that, but having actually tried […]