The ideas for this article started with a question about camera gear (see my Mama Killdeer article). A friend of mine was surprised to learn I used a lens that cost less than $200 to capture an image of a killdeer. So I went to the refurbished gear section of Canon’s web site to check some of their current prices. The camera and lens combination above is $200. The lens is a good, general purpose, semi-wide angle to short telephoto lens. (To keep things simple I am rounding everything up to the next dollar.)
To have a good all around kit, you need a telephoto lens. This 75-300mm telephoto “refurb” is $100. Add this telephoto lens to the camera and lens above and you are talking a total of $300.
This combination is a little more expensive at $280. The lens is essentially the same and the camera has a few more bells and whistles.
This lens is more expensive than the telephoto lens up above at cost of $150. Lens tests indicate this lens is a tick up in sharpness from the 75-300mm lens. I own and use this particular lens and this is the lens I used to capture the killdeer image in the prior article. Add this to the $280 body and lens combo and you are talking $430. Not bad for a capable kit.
Other combinations are possible. You can get the less expensive camera kit and the more expensive telephoto lens, or vice versa.
There are some things you should be aware of before taking the refurb plunge, and I cover them here. You definitely want to buy refurbs directly from Canon so you get the one year warranty.
A number of my friends wanted to step up from their smart phone or point and shoot camera, but they were worried about the price. At my recommendation they are now happy owners of Canon refurbished equipment.
Update. July 11, 2023.
I just found this kit (July 11) as an Amazon Prime Day special. All of these items are available as the refurbs I discuss above. The Canon T7 plus 18-55mm lens is $280 and the 75-300mm lens is $100 for a total of $380. That is $170 less than the Prime Day special.
Links
Mama Killdeer – the photo that prompted this article.
Get a Quality DSLR and Two Lenses for Less Than $500 – what you need to know about buying refurbs
At the Canon USA web site:
Refurbished Canon cameras and camera kits
This is my buyer’s guide to all things photographic:
Buyer’s Guide Series: Recommendations For The Best Photography Equipment, Software, Books, Magazines, DVDs, Online Photo Labs and More