AUTISMAXXING : DSLRs

Third post in my "AUTISMAXXING" series : I share tips and tricks on how to thift for specific things online.

On today's episode: DSLRs

So you want to buy ... a DSLR ? in 2025 ? ... okay then.

Do you really, actually need one ?

This post is written with the assumption that you want to shoot video rather than just take pictures.

If that's your actual goal, before you even conscider buying a DSLR, check whether or not your phone would fit the bill at all, even if it means buying a few accessories. I'm dead serious.

Again: stop reading this blog post, get out and use your phone to record whatever it is you want to record, under as-close-to-real-conditions as possible, and take a good look at the result. Do not come back to my blog until you've made an actual list of every single thing that's preventing you from using your phone, specifically, to make your project happen.

In video production, the camera isn't everything. There are a number of really common problems that just won't be solved by getting a more expensive camera. Better spend 200€ on a gimbal stabilizer, a better mic, a light, a power bank and a bigger SD card, rather than spend these same 200 euros on a new device. A DSLR sure does give you more control, but it's also much less convinient than a smartphone in many ways.

WITH THAT SAID, there are still valid reasons to prefer a DSLR. I don't know them all, but in my case, I chose to look at DSLRs because I wanted :

• optical zoom
• actual manual focus
• good low-light performance (smartphones are very much physically limited here by their small sensors)
• a dedicated device, so I can leave the whole camera setup in place and re-use it day after day.

After having gone through all of this thinking, if you still do want to get a DSLR, here are some tips :

Canon EOS

I don't know what's wrong with photo/video gear people, but they have a huge problem with prices. Some of them will tell you with a straight face that a Sony Alpha is a good begginer choice ... when these shits litteraly cost a fucking GRAND. Sure, it films well (for 1000€ they better fucking do) and sure, in a way they aren't "professionnal" cameras, but 1000€ is absolutely not what I call a begginer price. This is AUTISMAXXING, not a fucking apple store, we'll get what we want for 150€ and still have some change left for snacks.

So, for tight budgets, we'll thrift for stuff from Canon's EOS line :

• They're actual cameras, not toys, As SBN3 said "[They give] you the 5 essential controls of photography: White Balance, ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture and Interchangable Lenses. If a camera won't let you control any of these 5 things, it's a toy."
• The second-hand supply is plentiful, with loads of good deals
• I know a trick to get DIRT cheap lenses
• Most models are compatible with Magic Lantern, a custom firmware that unlocks finer controls and new features

Finding your way around the product range

Digital EOS cameras all look the absolute fucking same :

Also, when it comes to photography, they've all been performing pretty much the same for years. So there's not much setting them appart on these fronts.

In a nutshell, the only differences worth mentionning from model to model are :

• the chip
• the sensor size
• whether or not it has an articulated and/or touch screen

And even then, with a budget like ours, we won't look and all sensor sizes and just focus on devices with an APS-C sensor (the smallest one in the range). Don't fret tho, that's not a huge comprise on quality, and that's still a much bigger sensor than any smartphone, so you'll still get the benefits : good low-light performance and shallower depth of field.

In the end, you only have to make a few choices :

• Do you want to film at all ? At which resolution ?
• Do you want a touch and/or articulated screen ?

Here I've compiled the relevant info for what are (to me) the relevant models.

"Normal" range :

"Cheapskate" range (same chip since 2009) :

And, in no particular order, if you have a little more budget, don't overlook these either if you ever find them at a VERY good price (less than 200€) :

(specs double-checked on dpreview.com and magiclantern.fm)

To get a good overview of the whole range, I like to look at the big model timeline (comes from the english wikipedia article) :

Thirifting tips

Two ways to go about it :

1. Browse for old listings

   Supply is so abundant that sometimes, good deals are "lost" deep in the old search results. Sort by price and slowly go up, taking a look at everything starting above 100€. Make sure the listing isn't from a dead account (more than a 100 likes + seller last seen online more than 30 days ago = 💀)

2. Race for new arrivals

   The market is tense : new listings come up every day, and amongst them, a few actual good deals pop up each week, but they're usually gone within an hour or so. Prepare a list of "model → price at which you'd buy without looking" according to your own criteria. Create an alert for "canon EOS" on whichever classified ads website you like, and act fast.

Prices given in my tables are "good prices" : rare but still possible. Generally speaking, it's the price at which I would have bought each model without giving it more thought.

Pay extra close attention to what's included in the listing, it can really change things. A 600D with a lens for 150€ is good, but a 600D with a lens, two other film camera bodies, an extra lens, 5 extra battery packs, all the cables, a travel case and a 256GB SD card, all for 150€, that's a steal. I couldn't really believe it but that's exactly what I stumbled upon when searching for my own.

Finding a cheap lens

Often, listings will pop up for camera bodies ... without lenses ... which is a pain in the ass conscidering how much lenses costs when sold on their own. Even second hand they'll often be over 200€. Thankfully I found a trick to get dirt cheap ones :

You may not know, but not all Canon EOSes are digital. The product line started all the way back in 1987 with film cameras. The whole line is built around the EF lens mount, which was new at the time. In short, that's three very interesting pieces of information for us :

• nobody cares about film cameras anymore
• no need for an adapter to use an analogue EOS lens on a digital EOS body
• even the old lenses from EOS film cameras have autofocus (it's right in the name of the lens mount : EF = electro-focus)

So, if you ever find a good deal on a digital EOS camera body without a lens, just look for a complete EOS film camera, no matter the model as long as it's EOS, and use its lens on the digital one.

That's how you can get a 40, 30, or even 20€ lens.

Happy thrifting !