Do secondhand cameras for $300 exist?

[bitsnpieces]

As the subject says, looking for a secondhand camera for $300, for my friend.

What she's after is something that can do decent macros and enough zoom from wide to do some basic portraitures.

She doesn't mind if it's point and shoot, mirrorless, bridge, or DSLR sized, just wants something that will give enough zoom to take some basic pictures, but provide enough image quality (colour, sharpness, etc) to feel happy with the photos.

With so many cameras out there, I don't know where to start, so thought I'd ask here, since it'll be quicker based on user experiences.

Any recommendations that I can look into?

[Kym]

You get a decent P&S for $300

You might get an older DSLR and kits lenses for that on Gumtree or Ebay

[MissionMan]

Definitely. You would get some old decent DSLR's with kit lenses and perhaps an old macro lens for that.

[ameerat42]

Going along Kym's line, part now with $300 and hope you'll find something you'll soon grow out of,
and lose interest in photography with, or...

Along with the "whats" for your friend, are there any "whys"?

[bitsnpieces]

So I guess to add more to the list to see if we can find a specific camera:

She simply likes to take photos; get a decent portrait shot with the background blurred, freeze the action when taking a picture of someone doing something, travel shots, and doing some macros.

She has a simple Canon point and shoot, but the problem as we all know with most point and shoots are that they are just that, point and shoot - not necessarily suitable for freezing action.
So of course, being the only cameras I know of, I thought of the RX100ii which has S and M modes, etc, and a 28-100 equivalent zoom - not bad.

So of course, wondering what other options there are

Mirrorless? I thought of the Fujifilm X20 or X30, as my friend had the X20 and it was a really nice camera - 28-112 equivalent zoom with a fast f1.8-2.8 lens, compared to Sony's f1.8-4.9 lens. Only difference is sensor size, but I think image quality equates in the end, in essence.

But of course, future growth is a consideration, but I doubt she'll be doing much of that - financially, it's just not something sustainable, which is $300 is her limit, and of course, second hand to try and get the best we can out of the $300.

So the RX100ii and Fujifilm X20/30 are the only ones I can come up with at the moment, thus, wondering if anyone else has any other suggestions from what you've seen/used?

Olympus E's? I see a few of them floating around and they seem quite popular.

[enseth]

I just bought a Sony 550A as a backup camera off Gumtree for $250. It works well. Honestly there are plenty options. It just a matter of choosing the right one, which I guess is what your post is about.

[bitsnpieces]

Looking around some more, I'm really leaning on the Fujifilm X20 right now, simply because there's one for $300, it has sufficient zoom, and the size is probably just right for her for travelling and doing everything.

But before making the purchase, want to hear some more thoughts.

The 550a, and probably like many DSLRs, will definitely be better in the long run (if she decides to go further into photography and wants more room to grow (lens-wise)), but I feel the live view might be something she'll appreciate. She's used my a55 and enjoyed it, and like many point and shoots, what you see is what you get. So after some thinking, I might take DSLRs off the list as an option. :confused013

Had a look at the Olympus Pen E-PL6 because maybe I can just get away with it if I can find a good second price, and it looks like an amazing camera, but I couldn't find a cheap enough lens whilst still in usable range... (24-48 (14-42 lens) and 80-300 (40-100 lens)... bit of a polar extreme in the range...)
Shattered... to say the least...

So the X20... (only because I couldn't find an x30 for $300 yet) - thoughts? Other options?

[arthurking83]

I'm thinking something along the lines of a bridge camera .. like a Pana FZ<insert number here) model.

I don't know nuth'n about most of these other than what I've read.
They are better than most compact P&S tho as they have more manual controls if needed.

I'm also assuming that you'd be looking for an AF lens for macro stuff too(as most folks want).

(in Nikon circles) as a rough guide you could easily find a D70/80/90 camera for about $100 or so and an appropriate AF (say Tammy 90mm) macro lens to AF with for about $200 or less.

The trick is to match the camera and lens tho. So while you may find say a D40 or D3000 for abotu $50 or so, they only focus with AF-S lenses.
Such macro lenses(for AF) are usually a bit more expensive anyhow(compared to an old AF Tammy 90).

So you save on the swings and pay on the roundabouts!

Just something to watch for when matching and selecting some gear!

I'm sure there would be some equivalent Canon/Pentax gear out there in the same price brackets too tho(I just now naught about such things).