If you’re worried about the cost of new mirrorless gear, don’t be. With all the major mirrorless systems having been running for a good few years now, there are plenty of second-hand options across the board, and if you want a cheap way to hop into a current flagship system, you have plenty of options available to you. Whether you’re looking for a beginner, intermediate or pro-level mirrorless camera, the used market is the timehonoured place to snag yourself a bargain.
It’s worth being cautious and doing your research when buying a second-hand mirrorless model, just as it is with any other type of camera. Mirrorless cameras will record the number of shutter actuations their mechanical shutters have made, and while this isn’t quite as important as it is with DSLRs, since there isn’t a great big mirror mechanism flapping up and down, it’s still worth paying attention to get a rough idea of how well-used the camera is. Note, though, that most mirrorless cameras’ actuation counts won’t include the electronic shutter, so this may not always be a representative picture.
Really though, you can’t go wrong if you stick to reputable sellers, read the camera description thoroughly to understand what you’re getting, and exercise some basic common sense. Once again, you’ll need to factor in the cost of a lens if you don’t already have one, so we’ve made sure to include some cameras that leave enough room in the budget for this.
Sony Alpha 7 II
• Expect to pay: £400-600
• 24.3MP full-frame sensor
• Sony FE lens mount
• 5fps continuous shooting
• ISO 50-25,600
Sony does love its world-firsts. While the original Sony Alpha 7 changed the game by being one of the first mirrorless cameras to pack a full-frame sensor, its successor, the Mark II, upped the ante by being the first full-frame camera to come with a feature that these days is commonplace – in-body 5-axis optical stabilisation. This alone makes the A7 II a much more attractive buy than the original A7, even with a premium of £100 or so added to the second-hand price. While the most pristine models tend to exceed our £500 budget, there are plenty of good-condition A7 II bodies to be had for less than £499. Currently there are multiple available at MPB and Park Cameras.
For stills photography in particular, you really can’t argue with the Sony A7 II at these prices. The quality of its full-frame sensor is sublime, the burst speed of 10fps puts action photography in play, and its autofocus system is still reasonably competitive, even if it does predate the introduction of swanky features like Subject Recognition. Sony E-mount is also one of the best mirrorless systems in which to snag bargain lenses, both because it’s been around for a very long time, and because Sony has historically been very welc
