A good deal? Canon M100 mirrorless

[thevicparable]

https://www.jbhifi.co.nz/canon/canon-eos-m100-mirrorless-camera/337432/

 

This camera is currently on special for $500 NZD (incl. 15% gst) at a local electronics store, and from what I can see is the cheapest available option in my country. When converted on xe just now that's just under $350 USD, 300 EUR and $450 CAD (man your dollar sucks still - but good for my travel plans). I imagine once fees are added the exchange would be even worse. Looking on sites like Amazon, this seems even better than pricing over there - not even factoring in shipping and import taxes I'd have to pay.

 

For this price, do you think it's worth buying? My max budget for a camera including lenses is $750 NZD. Out of $2000 for laptop and camera.

 

For starters, I'm not interested in photography as a hobby or profession, I just need a light weight travel companion. In a couple of months I'm leaving for Europe to live for a year or more and need an upgrade on the camera of my iPhone SE.

Reading through this forum and others, the consensus for entry-level users seems to be just upgrade the phone. I'd rather not do this because I'm still really happy with everything else about it, including its physical and storage size. A $500 phone wouldn't cut it, and I'd like to save as much money for the trip and a new laptop which I'll need more. 

 

From what I've read and seen in reviews, the image quality of the camera is pretty good considering its market. I think I could also live without 4k, even though it would be nice.

Downsides are no view finder, limited lens options, and no usb charging. The usb port is also mini usb (wtf?), but that's not a big problem because my laptop and desktop both have SD card readers.

 

Another common suggestion I've seen here and other places is to go second hand DSLR, and I get this. Great lens ecosystem and used market etc. Unfortunately this hasn't really translated to New Zealand so much, we just don't have the same supply to drive prices down. Though I suppose waiting until Europe is an option. However, I've also tried handling a few instore and honestly, I'm not a fan of the bulk. I literally have hands smaller than most kids over 8. I also want something I can whip out quite quickly and not have to hang around my neck.

 

I also don't want to over commit. With a camera like the m100 I sense there's a weeee bit of room to grow in photography, with extra lenses and learning how to edit and work non-auto settings, but on the other hand it's easy to keep using use like a point and shoot should I not care to progress any further. Kind of like how I have to be honest with myself about PC parts. I don't game enough to even think about going higher than a mid-range gpu.

 

So is there anything I've missed, or should consider instead? I think I've done an okay job at researching and analysing my needs, but any further advice would be really appreciated.

[dizmo]

IIRC those cameras really aren't that great. You should be able to find something better, like a Panasonic GX7.

[thevicparable]

4 minutes ago, dizmo said:

IIRC those cameras really aren't that great. You should be able to find something better, like a Panasonic GX7.

Thanks for the suggestion! It sure looks like a nice camera, but I'm having trouble finding one locally. I'll keep searching to get an idea of pricing. 

[dizmo]

8 minutes ago, thevicparable said:

Thanks for the suggestion! It sure looks like a nice camera, but I'm having trouble finding one locally. I'll keep searching to get an idea of pricing. 

If you use DPReview, they generally have ratings for most cameras, and pretty in depth reviews.

I was shopping for a camera for my mom for Christmas, and the GX7 is what I found to be the best price/performance. It also helped that I found one for $400, and all the accessories were still sealed, box mint

 

The Olympus M5/M10 is pretty nice as well.

[thevicparable]

16 minutes ago, dizmo said:

If you use DPReview, they generally have ratings for most cameras, and pretty in depth reviews.

I was shopping for a camera for my mom for Christmas, and the GX7 is what I found to be the best price/performance. It also helped that I found one for $400, and all the accessories were still sealed, box mint

 

The Olympus M5/M10 is pretty nice as well.

Thanks.

 

Unfortunately over here price/perfomance gets inflated a lot by what is actually available. My web searches aren't showing much for the GX7 over here sadly. I'll look into the Olympus too. 

 

Edit: I've found both the GX7 and M10 as well as a Canon M6 (read good things about it) on a local site with free shipping. They're priced between $658 and $688 which is definitely within max budget. Now to read more in-depth. Thanks for the suggestions @dizmo

[cc143]

You'd be better off buying a beginner dslr in the used market, they tend to be in abundance pretty much everywhere. A used Canon 700d with a kit 18-55mm lens will be much more worth it. If that is still too big and bulky for you, there's some pretty good and cheap point and shoots, but that depends on what's available on the used market. 

 

Honestly, even a sony a6000, which I'm well known in these forums for hating on a lot might be a better option, although battery life will be a bit of an issue for you, so do pick up a couple of knock off batteries off amazon. 

 

The phone stuff is generally true, not so much because of quality but rather because of user skill. A beginner will not be able to use a dedicated camera to its full extent and will probably not be editing any of the pictures, but if you know what you are doing, the superior optics and capabilities of the larger sensor will be evident, especially in poor lighting. 

[thevicparable]

Thanks for the response @cc143

I’m pretty sure it was your posts I had read online about finding a second hand dslr, that was a great suggestion. Looking at the 700d (and others) on TradeMe (like eBay and craigslist but local), supply is ok but not great, in the same price range was what I’ve been able to find the cameras @dizmo suggested brand new. For that price I’d rather go for something smaller.

 

Low light performance is actually quite important, and I’m definitely willing to learn a bit beyond the basics to untilise the camera properly. I’m just not kidding myself that it’ll become my next big hobby.

[cc143]

12 hours ago, thevicparable said:

Thanks for the response @cc143

I’m pretty sure it was your posts I had read online about finding a second hand dslr, that was a great suggestion. Looking at the 700d (and others) on TradeMe (like eBay and craigslist but local), supply is ok but not great, in the same price range was what I’ve been able to find the cameras @dizmo suggested brand new. For that price I’d rather go for something smaller.

 

Low light performance is actually quite important, and I’m definitely willing to learn a bit beyond the basics to untilise the camera properly. I’m just not kidding myself that it’ll become my next big hobby.

The m6 is an ok option I guess, but at that point I'd really just stretch it to the m50 or look for a deal on an m5. That being said, I would still urge you to buy your first camera used. The market tends to be littered with barely used cameras people bought that just sat on a shelf only shooting ~1000 exposures, 75% of which are just test shots. That way you get to save on depreciation if you do end up not using it and selling it instead down the line. 

 

I did a quick search and found the m50 in NZ at https://www.photowarehouse.co.nz/shop/shop-by-product/digital-cameras/mirrorless-system-cameras-2/canon-eos-m50-mirrorless-15-45mm-kit/

 

I'm sure you could get a better deal somewhere to get it much closer to your budget, even a refurb off ebay or something...