We’ve spent the past few weeks trawling the UK’s reputable secondhand camera sellers, and have uncovered the most outrageous bargains on the used kit market. From pocketable compacts to pro DSLRs and cutting-edge mirrorless cameras, the world of secondhand is a brilliant place to find bargains.
We’ve kept our list to exclusively feature cameras that can be bought used for under £500. Times are tough at the moment, with the continually rising cost of living, and it can be tough to justify spending money on our hobbies. So, if you need a new camera, but haven’t quite found enough change down the back of the sofa to scrounge up £2,400 for a new Nikon Z f, we’re here to help.
We’ve kept our second-hand golden rules in mind for this list. We’ve stuck to reputable sellers when checking prices, so if you see a camera available for significantly cheaper than we’ve listed, research the site you’re buying from and think twice before you buy.
Where to buy used cameras
We recommend sticking with a trusted retailer, where you can rely on the accuracy of the used gear description. Many of these retailers also offer limited warranty and/or guarantees.
● MPB - mpb.com
● Clifton Cameras - cliftoncameras.co.uk
● Park Cameras - parkcameras.com
● Wex Photo Video - wexphotovideo.com
● Ffordes Photographic - ffordes.com
● Castle Cameras - castlecameras.co.uk
● CameraWorld - cameraworld.co.uk
● Camera Jungle - camerajungle.co.uk
● London Camera Exchange - lcegroup.co.uk
● Grays of Westminster (Nikon only) - graysofwestminster.co.uk
Used compact cameras under £500
Compact cameras aren’t as popular as they once were, but if you’re shopping on a limited budget, they can be an excellent way of ensuring you get bang for your buck. Unlike with DSLRs or mirrorless cameras (which we’ll get to), you don’t need to worry about factoring in the extra cost of a lens.
Compacts come in all sorts of shapes – some are slim and pocketable, others are styled after DSLRs and come packing big zoom lenses. We’ve included a mix to give you plenty of options, and while the upper limit of our budget is £500, there are some great compacts on this list you can pick up for a good deal less than that.
Canon PowerShot G5 X
● Expect to pay: around £400
● www.canon.co.uk
At a glance
● 20.2MP 1in sensor
● 24-100mm (equivalent) f/1.8-2.8 lens
● 5.9fps continuous shooting
● ISO 125-12,800
A nifty little compact camera from the earlier days of the PowerShot range, the G5 X is not quite as common a sight on the second-hand market, but at the time of writing there are a couple available at MPB for less than £400. You get a decent amount of camera for that outlay, with a 1-inch sensor providing image quality that’s a step above the 1/2.3in sensors of cheaper models, and a versatile 24-100mm equivalent lens that covers most bases for day-to-day shooting. There’s also a built-in three-stop ND filter.
The burst speed of the G5 X is 5.9fps for JPEG only; switching to raw it slows down considerably. Battery life is okay – the camera is rated to 210 shots, or 350 in Eco mode. While these estimates tend to be conservative, it’s also hard to predict
