How to save money on your next digital camera - by buying used

The increasing cost of new cameras

As the pound has struggled against the yen and manufacturing costs have increased, the cost of buying a new digital camera has gone up as well. A year ago, you could purchase a reasonably well-featured camera brand new for under £50; today that figure has increased to around £60 - and that's without the extra cost of consumables such as memory cards. Only ten pounds difference, maybe - but in these recession-hit times, ten pounds can mean a lot. Fortunately, you can do something about it: buy used. Suddenly, you'll find that you're saving a lot more than a mere tenner.

How used is used?

We're talking four to six years. That sounds prehistoric in digital camera terms, and in some ways it is, but cameras of that age can still be surprisingly capable. If what you're looking for is a fun, simple camera to take out on the town, to store in the car or even to bring to places (like the beach) where you'd never want to risk an expensive camera, then this guide is for you. Of course you won't get so many gimmicks as on most new cameras, and the resolution (usually expressed in megapixels) won't be good enough to blow up your snapshots to wall size - but really, how often do you actually want to do something like that? A good three-megapixel camera is perfectly adequate for small prints or web use.

How cheap is cheap?

If you're very lucky, it might even be free! Freecycle or (in the UK) Freegle groups are formed of people who want to give away their old stuff to a good home: you should always give before you start taking, so you shouldn't just join a group like this and apply for a camera, but stick around and you might be surprised at what you could find! Otherwise, the best place is that old standby, eBay - more on how to search there in a moment - and there you can expect to pay around £20-30 for a camera in good condition with a 3x optical zoom lens: £20 if you're willing to spend quite a bit of time sifting through listings, £30 if you just want a camera fast.

eBay: what to look for

This advice is primarily for the UK site, but it shouldn't differ too much for sister sites in other countries. Firstly, look for a solid brand name: Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Casio and Panasonic are all pretty reliable. Secondly, try to buy a camera that uses SD cards; this is not so important if the auction includes one (or more), but you should bear in mind that the SD format is both the most common and the most inexpensive available. Thirdly, and for similar reasons, look for cameras which use easily-available AA batteries. Fourthly, check out the reviews of the model on multiple consumer sites; don't just skim a couple of reviews on Amazon. And of course, finally, be wary of sellers with poor feedback records, or who are unclear about things such as postage charges.

The Canon A-series: a good starting point

A good place to start if you want a combination of solid quality and a reasonable set of features is Canon's A-series PowerShot range. You should avoid the A3xx series as that is very basic, but the A4xx cameras (especially those between the A410 and the A470) are a step up, with optical zooms and a variety of effects to apply to your pictures. The A5xx series packs in even more features, with manual controls available to help you learn more about photography; these can be very rewarding cameras for someone wanting a step up from the basics. You do pay a small premium for Canon on eBay, so make sure the auction includes a memory card. A card reader is also highly desirable, but if only USB leads are provided then make sure software is too.

A final word

It would be wrong of me not to briefly outline the main potential drawback with this approach: you get no warranty, and if something goes wrong then that's just tough. If you're not willing to take that risk, then a new digital camera remains the best choice for you. However, if you're feeling just a little bit adventurous - and just a little bit short of cash - then buying a cheap, used camera can make a lot of sense, and provide you with nearly all the capabilities of a new model at around half the cost.