Hello!
I am thinking of buying a mirrorless camera. It is only for hobby and new to photography. I am not yet sure what I want to take a pictures of but probably, mostly landscapes, people or live house performances of a band of my friend. Been really thinking about this for a long time even before I bought my current phone a year ago.
Currently looking into Sony a6600 (APSC). What I really wanted is A7C or a7iii but I think it is too expensive for me.
My budget is around 200,000 Yen.
I’m also open to buying second-hand ones but I don’t know what to watch out for when buying one.
As I currently own a Pixel 6 Pro, I am not sure if I should stick to my phone camera or really buy a decent camera.
18 comments
All I am going to say is make sure it’s not a cropped sensor. You don’t want to buy it and be stuck with it for the next five years just wishing you went for a full frame. It’s kind of like buying a bottom mid-tier gaming laptop and quickly wishing you got something better or entering into a contractual agreement for an apartment and wishing you got a mansion instead when your loud neighbor has been doing karaoke at home until 5am.
Also, just to make sure, your budget is just for the camera body only or camera and lense?
Nikon Z5 is a good full frame mirrorless camera, [it costs 170,000 JPY](https://www.yodobashi.com/product/100000001005733085/?gad1=&gad2=g&gad3=&gad4=452607594367&gad5=12796144637620022732&gad6=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwtWgBhDhARIsAEMcxeA5mHx3pA4a6FcQkpUZ9vCHIRjsgoaEqzG8IooLHaklVwlfPV-MccEaAmDvEALw_wcB&xfr=pla) for just the camera body. [Here is the American product page](https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/mirrorless-cameras/z-5.html) if you want to read more.
Be aware that local Sony models, you can’t change the language to english. Iirc Panasonic and canon you can.
Just remember that the best camera is the one you have with you.
I used to have the full-sized DSLR, but so heavy I stopped carrying it. Got the Sony Alpha 5100 years ago and it is small enough I can carry it easily, but still gives decent photos.
Consider a Fujifilm XT-3. With a nice lens or two.
One warning, Japanese cameras sold in Japan have different language options. Sony’s cameras are language locked to Japanese only, while Panasonic and other brands do have the option to switch to only English.
Beside that, can you be more specific with what are your photography styles? E.g., landscape, portrait, architecture, street, etc.
Second hand market for cameras is the best in Japan; as long as you get it from a reputable store, the store would’ve checked them before selling them, and usually you get a 30 days warranty.
With 200,000, you can easily get an used A7III with a decent prime lens and a SD card.
I can vouch for Sony one. A6600 is a good choice. I’ve used my NEX-5R for around 10 years and it’s still kicking. I’m actually waiting for it to break so I could finally have a reason to buy a new one lol.
One advice, invest in a good lens. If you only use the standard lens kit, you’re not really getting your money’s worth. Your picture will still look like flat phone pics. Get a fixed focal length lens with low F-number, and you can get a nice bokeh pics. I’m using my F1.8 35mm lens especially for portrait and the results are amazing.
Knowing your tool(s) is better than having tools that you don’t ‘know’. Phones do a wonderful job, esp ones like the 6pro. For what a phone can do, take a look at the [mobile awards.](https://mobilephotoawards.com/12th-annual-mpa-winners-honorable-mentions/) (and note that each category has lots of pics)
Have you tried a separate camera app for your phone–something that would give you control over the usual stuff? (focus, aperture, shutter speed) And I’m not sure about the 6pro, but have you tried shooting RAW on it via a camera app, and playing with that? That stuff is not a hurdle to jump, but phones can do more than most people think.
That said, mirrorless is the future–eg, sony has left full frame behind. And sony is common/popular enough that the used market is substantial. Another option might be fujifilm, their niche seems to be that they have the controls similar to traditional film cameras. And tho maybe overblown, their film simulations get good reviews.
Like you I have an interest in photography but don’t do it for any other reason than fun. I owned the first Panasonic mirrorless camera and now have an Olympus EM1 and a bunch of lenses, as well as a Leica rangefinder with a couple of lenses. I can count on one hand the number times I’ve used either camera in the last year vs my phone, which gets used almost daily.
Before investing in any kit, I’d challenge yourself to invest in a months subscription of SkillShare or similar, spend some time on a course around photography, both shooting and post production in Lightroom, and then pick a subject and go out and take some shots using your phone.
Whether the photos are great is less important than discovering whether or not you enjoy the process. Once you’ve found that out you can decide on whether you want to go down the rabbit hole of buying gear.
I recommend Map Camera for buying used gear – lots of options and gives some assurance that it has been looked over by a pro before being sold.
Highly recommend the MFT system as a “cheap” way of getting into it. Small and light, which means less annoyance when you’re carrying it around. Also loads of lenses available that aren’t too expensive.
If you can find a Sony full frame camera secondhand that’d be my advice
Sony a6000s are cheap and very good overall
You can easily find A7IIIs on Mercari for less than 200k. As a photographer who’s been shooting with Sony for 10 years I would strongly recommend them. I’m currently camera-less but my last camera was the A7RIV and it was an absolute dream.
[www.mapcamera.com](https://www.mapcamera.com) for used cameras at decent prices
specifically, for example,
[https://www.mapcamera.com/item/3717015474630](https://www.mapcamera.com/item/3717015474630)
I’d recommend a Nikon Zfc or Z50, or something from Fuji in a similar price range/feature set, which I’m guessing is the X-T30 or X-S10, though looking over the items there are some nice deals on the older X-T3 if you want something with more features/controls.
[full disclosure: Nikon Z 6 and D750 owner, no affiliation with Map Camera, though I have dropped significant amounts of cash on them over the years]
I’ve noticed recently that I mainly use my full frame mirrorless, when I know I want to spend some time in Lightroom with the images, or I know I will be using telephoto/macro/wide angle lenses.
The recent mobile phones (Pixel 6 Pro and up) are amazing with the 20-70mm range.
I got an a7iii Japanese version. If you can read Japanese and understand manual settings it doesn’t take long to find your way around and get the camera. It was sub 200k yen too.
Photography is an expensive hobby to get into, especially today.
Sony has hands-down the best ecosystem because they have openly embraced 3rd party lens makers. On Sony you can get both Tamron and Sigma lenses, along with lower cost options like Samyang. The problem with Sony in Japan is that they lock their cameras to Japanese only. There are some tourist versions with multi-language menus but they are more expensive.
Canon is actively flighting against having any 3rd party autofocus glass on their new RF mirrorless mount. Best to stay away unless you have very, very deep pockets.
Nikon is trying to strike a middle ground by controlling access and is *apparently* planning to allow 3rd party lenses that don’t directly compete with Nikon’s own lenses. Until it is clear how the 3rd party lens situation plays out on Nikon, I would stay away as there are still few lens options and the good ones are all expensive.
200,000yen is a bit low on the budget side of things.
If you can stretch your budget I would look towards getting a used A7iii with English menus from keh.com ($1355) and a Tamron 17-28/2.8 (used ~70,000yen) + Tamron 28-75/2.8 (used around 80,000yen) lens set locally here in Japan. That’s about 350,000yen total. Way over budget, I know. It’s cheaper to buy right than to buy twice.
If budget cannot be stretched that far, then you could also go APS-C with a Sony a6600 for ~$1100 used (~170,000yen landed) from keh.com combined with a Tamron 17-70/2.8 APS-C lens for ~70,000yen used or ~80,000yen new. Total ~240,000yen.
Or the a6600 + a Sigma 18-50/2.8 for about ~50,000yen used or ~60,000yen new. The Tamron is the better lens but the Sigma is smaller, lighter, and less expensive. Total ~220,000yen.
No matter what you purchase, it is likely you will want to buy more lenses in the future, and maybe upgrade the body at some point as well. It does add up over time!
Keep 2/3rd of your budget for lenses, only 1/3rd for the body.
Do not buy a kit lens, start with a 35mm or 50mm equivalent prime. At least 1.8, or 1.4. it is perfectly ok to start with only one lens, zoom with your feet.
Buy a older body model, and used, so you get a good deal. Buy used lens in good shape.
Since cheap primes are cheap, you should have a lot of fun with an older body and one f1.8 prime for close to 10 man. This will be more than enough for you to start learning what you enjoy in photography. Add a new lens later on.
Looking to sell an a7iii if you’re interested!
Recently bought the Olympus E-P7. No language lock issues, takes beautiful photos. Besides the kit zoom lens, I picked up second hand m.zuiko 45mm f1.8 and 17mm f1.8 lens.
Nikon Zfc is pretty fine if you don’t need IBIS