Affordable Pre-Owned Advanced Compacts.

[Kustom48]

Hi,
Did'nt really know where to place this post, so here goes, hopefully this is the place, if not I'm sure it will be moved

As I'm on a limited budget ( nothing up to £250 max ) what would be good 'used/ pre-owned' serious compact cameras to put on my list to consider and look out for ?

There are a lot of new models around now, but how about 'older' models that have gained a following & reputation for image quality, handling plus reliability ?

I have no brand preferences !

Looking forward to some helpful hints.

Thanks in advance.

 

[dixeyk]

I should think the Panasonic LX3 would be a good place to start. It has a very nice, fast (albeit short zoom) lens and unless I am mistaken the sensor hasn't really changed much between the LX3 and LX7. THE LX3 is two generations back and I see them going for less than $200 USD.

 

[pictogramax]

You could buy a new or barely used Samsung EX1 for that money, I believe.

 

[Chris2500dk]

Sigma DP2s would be on my shortlist, but be sure to read up on it, it's not exactly your standard compact camera.

Olympus E-PL1 if you're looking at something a little larger with interchangable lenses.

Canon G12, Canon S90/S95, Panasonic LX3/LX5 are more "traditional" enthusiast compacts that should be within your budget.

 

[bartjeej]

indeed, if you can find one still for sale you should be able to pick up a new EX1 for your upper limit or slightly less.

if that's not an option, the LX3 is indeed a wonderful camera, particularly if you like wide-angle. It sort of kick-started the whole serious fixed-lens compact market into life again.

Canon G-series cameras have been giving great images for over 10 years, although the features have varied a bit through the generations (tilting screen and raw shooting are 2 features that have disappeared and made a comeback through its history). They are a bit larger than the LX3 though. If smallness is your thing, a Canon S90 is pretty nice, although it won't have as many handling options as the G-series.

As far as I know, the LX3 and G-series have a good reputation regarding reliability. I'm not aware of major issues regarding the S90, but I believe the S95 and S100 have had some issues for some users, although they'd probably show up pretty quickly and not after a few years.

 

[hannahntilly]

Park Cameras in the UK were doing new LX5s for £250 and the EX1 for £220 recently. There are good deals on the S95 too. camerapricebuster is a good price comparison site for the UK. My best recent bargain was a Lumix GF3 wirh 14mm pancake for £200 new. Happy hunting!!

 

[drd1135]

I just bought a used LX3 on eBay for $199.

 

[Kustom48]

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far and I'll be sure to check out what is available both used and new.