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Under $750: 7 Older Feature Packed Cameras Worth Your Gaze

Brett Day
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05/24/2020
5 Mins read
Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Olympus EPL9 review product images 8

You don’t have to spend a fortune to get feature packed cameras these days, and this roundup proves it.

In the not too distant past, spending less than $1,000 on a camera meant that you got a barebones package with hardly any of the modern features that could be found in cameras that were much more expensive; this, however, is not the case today. The market is littered with Mirrorless cameras that were considered to be the cream of the crop just a couple of years ago, and due to the rate at which new models hit the market, these slightly older feature packed cameras can be picked up on the cheap. If you like finding bargains, and you’re on the hunt for a camera that has all the bells and whistles you want, you need to take a closer look at these seven slightly older, yet still, feature packed cameras that cost less than $750 each after the break.

Captured with the Canon EOS M6

All of the Mirrorless cameras we have listed below are absolutely crammed with tech that will help make your life as a photographer that much easier. There are feature packed cameras listed below that feature incredible sensors, IBIS, lightning-fast autofocus systems, great EVFs, fantastic touchscreens, and so much more. It’s hard to believe that all of the feature packed cameras we have rounded up cost less than $750 each and that some of them are way less than even that affordable price point. If you need a new camera and you don’t want to break the bank getting one, take a closer look at the cameras below. You won’t be disappointed with any of them.

Canon EOS M6

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Nice colors, though Canon’s skin tones may be a bit too warm for you if you’re adhering to shooting in the golden hour with Daylight white balance
  • Big screen
  • The best battery life we’ve ever seen on a mirrorless camera
  • WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity
  • Touch screen
  • Small size
  • Those dials feel absolutely stellar
  • 5-axis IS is a nice addition

Cons

  • Not the most versatile RAW files
  • Canon desperately needs to consider bundling pancake prime lenses with this camera.
  • Could have benefited from a built-in viewfinder

Buy now: $699

Sony RX100 Mark III

feature-packed cameras

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Small and pocketable
  • Excellent and hella cool pop-up EVF
  • Jesus! The colors. The sharp details

Cons

  • Poor highlight control
  • Wi-Fi connectivity isn’t intuitive
  • Don’t shoot past ISO 6400

Buy now: $598

Captured with the Sony a6000

Pro Tip: It doesn’t matter how much you spend on a camera, any amount of money you layout is an investment, and it is always wise to protect our investments. These affordable feature packed cameras need to be taken care of just as much as more expensive models if you want them to last. A simple cleaning routine can make your camera last years longer. Make sure you clean the contacts and the sensor and make sure you eliminate dust as often as possible. Clean your camera regularly, and you will find that they just keep going. You don’t need to spend a fortune on a cleaning kit either. This one will do just fine.

Fujifilm X-T20

feature-packed cameras

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Great image quality, though not as much detail as the flagships at ISO 12,800
  • Nice feeling in the hand
  • Very fast autofocus even with older lenses
  • Controls feel nice
  • Menu system is still pretty simple to work with
  • An overall fun and compact camera

Cons

  • This camera really feels like it needs weather sealing or perhaps more support for video via ports on the camera.
  • Battery life drains seriously fast

Buy now: $699

Olympus OMD EM10 Mk II

feature-packed cameras

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Beautiful wink and a nod to the retro ergonomics
  • Feels great in the hand
  • Good image quality, but the Micro Four Thirds sensors currently used by Olympus are starting to show their age
  • Fast AF
  • AF selection pad using the LCD screen is freakin’ brilliant!
  • S-OVF’s effects were simulated easily with some tweaks to previous cameras, but it’s nice that they made it more simplistic and put into one setting.
  • Not a single misfocus during our testing even in very low light conditions
  • Olympus by far leads the way when it comes to ergonomics in the mirrorless camera world. This camera is evidence of that fact.

Cons

  • Image quality is still great, but it’s starting to show its age vs APS-C sensors
  • We wish the dials would have been created with a higher quality metal

Buy now: $598 with two lenses

Captured with the Olympus Pen E-PL9

Pro Tip: Keeping on the same lines of protecting your investment, one accessory that we always highly recommend is a camera bag. Not only do camera bags make it easier to transport your gear from A to B, but they also protect your cameras and lenses from bumps, drops, and scrapes. We have reviewed many camera bags over the years, so head on over to our reviews index to check out all of the bags that will do an excellent job for you.

Sony A6000

feature-packed cameras

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Excellent autofocus that is very intelligent but still isn’t as fast as Micro Four Thirds cameras. In some ways it is the greatest autofocusing system that we’ve seen
  • Great image quality
  • Very useable high ISO output at 6400
  • Great feeling in the hand
  • Excellent EVF

Cons

  • Really wish that there was a thumb stick for quick AF point selection
  • Tracking a subject as it moved back and forth requires you to stop down to at least f4 to get it in focus

Buy now: $398, $494 with a kit lens

Canon EOS M50

feature-packed cameras

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Nice feeling in the hand
  • Absolutely fantastic battery life
  • Canon’s colors are really nice, and we’ve come to think of this sensor sort of like shooting with Slide film
  • Autofocus is pretty good, but we wouldn’t use it for street photography
  • We finally got 4K video
  • There’s a silent shutter mode, finally
  • Big LCD screen
  • Canon’s menus continue to be the easiest to go through
  • Canon’s monochrome images are really nice

Cons

  • This camera deserves to be bundled with a nice wrist strap
  • Image quality basically breaks up as soon as you edit
  • Who the hell thought of putting the silent shutter mode in its own dedicated camera mode and robbing the photographer of all traditional exposure control?
  • Silent shutter mode should be a drive mode option
  • High ISO is barely usable above ISO 3200

Buy now: $499 with a kit lens

Olympus Pen E-PL9

feature-packed cameras

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • The instant film simulation isn’t exacting, but it’s still cool to play with
  • Small
  • Nice feel in the hand
  • Fast autofocus in most situations, though with varying accuracy
  • Colors can really pop when editing in Capture One

Cons

  • It deserves a viewfinder

Buy now: $399, $499 with a lens and starter kit