Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras range greatly in price, from several hundred dollars to thousands of dollars for a new camera. Of course, you can get used or second-hand cameras considerably cheaper than that through auction sites like eBay and from local newspaper classifieds. Before you buy cheap SLR cameras, you may want to consider whether it’s the best deal for you, regardless of the discount price you might negotiate in a store sale, ad, or online listing. Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of buying a cheap digital camera.

One of the obvious benefits of buying a cheap digital camera is the amount of money you can save. The most expensive camera ever bought was a 1923 Leica 0-Series Nr.107, one of only 27 cameras produced in this series, which sold for a whopping $1.9 million at auction this year. The most expensive digital SLR camera on sale today is the Phase One P65+ Back with 645DF body. This camera retailed for $58,000 when it first appeared, though it only sells for around $40,000 now. The cost of a high-end professional DSLR camera, like the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III, is $12,000. An inexpensive Canon model like the Canon 1100D (body only) retails for around $400. Similarly, a budget model from Nikon like the D3100 (body only) retails for around $460. Go to an auction site and you can probably buy an older model camera for as little as $50.00. Another advantage is that buying an entry-level SLR camera, as opposed to a professional model, means you can produce photos of reasonable quality without knowing too much about digital photography. These cameras have fully automatic and semi-automatic functions, as well as manual controls for the more ambitious photographers. Professional models have a greater variety of controls and produce much better quality photos suitable for commercial use and large poster-size prints. In general, you’ll also find that cheap DSLRs are lighter and less bulky than the more expensive types. You can find cheap lenses for these cameras that often come with the camera body as a kit for the price.

The downsides of buying cheap SLR cameras are just as obvious. The cheapest cameras are usually flimsy and made of plastic, as opposed to metal like the more expensive types. You won’t get higher quality photos when you use a cheaper camera. Although, it’s fair to say that just because you have an expensive camera, you won’t necessarily take good quality photos. That depends on the skill of the photographer rather than the camera you use. Some disadvantages of the cheaper SLR cameras are related to their performance. More expensive cameras have the ability to shoot at ISO higher than 12,800 in low light without excessive noise in the photo image. Cheaper DSLRs suffer from an excessive noise factor at ISOs above 1600. The shooting speed in frames per second is lower on cheaper DSLRs than on professional models.

Buying cheap SLR cameras can be a bargain at the expense of camera quality, performance, and lifespan. If you want to take snapshots, you would probably benefit from spending only a small amount of money. If you want to go pro and capture great photos, you may want to consider purchasing a higher-end, more expensive digital SLR camera.