If you haven't noticed by now one of the biggest cores of this Blog is related to how you can get amazing photos on used equipment including those that are overlooked (Like the Nikon Z50).
This is my major hobby: to buy camera equipment a lot cheaper then what marketing wants you to rush out and buy to become a "Better Photographer" and prove that you don't need it.
Since this is going to be a very long thought-dump post I am going to do the TLDR version of it up front. We are now in an age where Full Frame is no longer the sole driving factor of an "expensive camera" it once was.
In 2024 I can quite easily put together a used Full Frame DSLR camera kit with lenses for it for $500-750 which is a feat which would have been pretty much impossible a decade ago.
Infact I now have two Full Frame cameras in my collection myself, one of which I now consider one of my main cameras; which is something the past me ten years ago would ever think I'd do again considering I got burned the first time I bought into the "Full Frame infrastructure".
But before we get into the full story of my Full Frame journey I'd like to share a few examples from both of my Full Frame cameras in my collection: the Nikon D610 and Sony a99. Two cameras that can both be picked up used for a fraction of what they once sold for:
When I started in Photography some fifteen years the big De-Facto "Buy into to Get Good" thing to aim for was very prominently to have a Full Frame camera as your end-goal as a Photographer. Almost everyone in the hobby you would meet would push to convince you to save up for "Full Frame" or else you couldn't be good at Photography as APS-C was only for Beginners.
A younger more impressionable me fell into that trap in 2013 when I felt coerced into really stretching my camera budget and putting down $1500 for a Canon 6D and lens. But when I finally got this camera it felt slow, limited, stripped down and frustrating to use for what I paid for it. Suddenly that Full-Frame Appeal vanished and I asked myself "Why do I need this when it doesn't feel like an upgrade?".
I had bought it because everyone was saying I needed to have a Full Frame camera to get Better at Photography, but when I had finally got a Full Frame camera I felt like I had a worse tool then the premimum APS-C DSLR I had before.
This put a bad taste in my mouth about Full Frame cameras for years to come. (I would not put together that it was just that very specific camera that I did not enjoy shooting; so it was the camera itself not the format I really should show my dislike for).
Five years later in 2018 I decided I would give Full Frame another chance and buy (a camera I still own) a Sony a99 during a year when my finances were better IE I was making bank and not a home owner yet so taking another more expensive jump into photography was once again plausible.
I specifically went for the a99 as I wanted something "Different" then all the Canon and Nikon Full Frame bodies everyone was shoving in your face to say "Look at this camera that makes me a Good Photographer!!!!".
The Sony a99 seemed like that little outcast in the corner no one paid attention to so I felt a connection to it, and perhaps in a way I still do feel some connection for this Full Frame camera outcast no one knows or cares about which makes me hold onto it inspite of it being far from the best camera in my collection at this point.
This is a camera that I have been lamenting on selling or trading off several times but in the end decided to keep.
It has some strange quirks like the shutter in A mode prioritizing to 1/60 of a second (which cannot be adjusted) regardless of the focal length or focus mode used. Additionally the camera control buttons are squishy and it is by far not the fastest camera either.
But the nail in the coffin for it becoming sidelined as a main camera was that seven months after I bought it (one month after its warranty from Adorama expired x.x) the IBIS unit on the Sony a99 gave out.
While the camera is still functional it nags at you every 10-30 seconds with a message you need to manually clear before taking another shot that the "Steady Shot has Malfunctioned".
Occasionally this message will go away but it always came back. I even tried to get it repaired once but the camera repair store sent it back to me because it worked for the short period of time he tested it. It's just a cursed camera.
The a99 shares a similar place in my collection to the Pentax Q10. Both are weird, funky, picky and finicky cameras that frustrate me to no end to use but yet when I actually sit down and look back at the photos they take and how unique they are; I have second thoughts about letting either go so they sit on my shelf waiting for me to be in a very specific and patient mood to take one out again.
But at the time the Sony a99 and its broken IBIS was Strike two against myself and Full Frame cameras after I also found out that the "Great High ISO Noise" that I was told "Full Frame Cameras Had" wasn't actually that great and the a99 was on par or slightly worse for Noise then my Canon 80D which was a Crop Sensor. It didn't live up to the Hype, but it still took good photos and was fun to use in spite of its imperfections from time to time so it didn't get traded and I just moved on.
This personal outlook on Full Frame changed late last year when I fell for the Nikon D610. When I got ahold of it this camera was what really changed my perspective on the whole "crop vs full frame" argument.
I used it for a few weeks before buying it and had a lot more positive experience with it then either the Canon 6D or Sony a99 out of the gate. After two Strikes I finally managed to score a hit and drive the winning run across home plate.
Overall the D610 reminds me of a Full Frame sister to my D7200; which is a Good Thing as that camera was what got me to cling onto my DSLRs and not want to let go of em.
While I no longer have the general "distaste" for Full Frame as a general all-inclusive stereotype I once had I still hold a certain amount of this against people who "Buy Into" photography.
It has shifted from "Full Frame" being the big baddy to a certain price point in my mind of "How much I think an Affordable camera kit should cost" regardless of the sensor form factor and shake my head at anyone paying over that price.
This mantra probably won't ever change. I will always be someone who looks for a Bargain when it comes to Photography; becoming a sort of strange used camera hypocrite of owning thousands of dollars of gear over dozens of cameras and an entire shelf full of lenses instead of thousands of dollars into one camera and a few choice lenses. The investment is likely the same, but I feel I get a lot more Value out of it.
When we really break my mentality down it no longer becomes the old standard "Crop vs Full Frame" battle as it was in the past. Now it shifts to "Used vs New" and "A Bargain vs Putting all your money into one basket and Going Broke on a camera you don't need when you can get something almost as good for a lot cheaper".
The first factor that changed my mentality and what this article is about is Full Frame is no longer an Exclusive to the high-end high priced market (especially used) as it once was. With Mirrorless taking front and center stage that is leaving a hole for Full Frame DSLRs on abandoned or Sunsetting mounts at very affordable prices now.
While you still can't go out and buy a used FF body and lens under $70 as you can do with a used APS-C DSLR; you can get one with a lens for $300-700 which still puts it into that budget photography range I chase after and fits in what I have historically paid for my "serious" equipment.
The second thing that changed is APS-C cameras are no longer the "Definitive Cheap Interchangeable Lens Camera" either. Enter Fujifim and X-Trans sensors: a high end professional camera body that make cameras like the Nikon D7200 and Canon 90D look like value kits.
Fuji managed to make an APS-C camera for the cost of two arms and two legs: the X-2HS. No longer is the $2500+ camera restricted to full-frame.
Same can be said for Micro 43rds with the Panasonic G9 II and OM Digital OM-1 as the higher end lenses for these are no cheaper then their Full Frame counterparts either.
It is now quite possible to be a Gear Snob and not even own a full frame camera; which is a wild concept that would have been completely foriegn a decade ago.
And then you have the Elephant in the Room: Medium Format Digital which throws a wildcard into the mix. Now if you want to be a "True Pro" you really should have something like a Fuji GFX 100 instead (an $8000 Medium Format Digital Camera).
The last factor in the viability of Full Frame for the average hobbyist now is the return of entry level Full Frame cameras which when you compare them to the cost of say a Fuji X2H becomes an argument of its own. Something like a Canon RP or Nikon Z5 which retail for around $1,000 a piece. This still falls out of my current price range but it is no more expensive then what my Nikon D7200 would have went for when it was new.
But enough about comparing New vs New as this blog is about finding cheap bargins which delves into the used market.
Both of my Full Frame DSLR (or DSLR Like) cameras that I own have a "market rate" of $450-650 but if you know the right person or look at the right craigslist ad at the right time they can be found for up to half of that going rate as the market is filled with them and they don't have the popular nostalgia that Digicams demand (atleast not yet).
As a result a lot of these older Full Frame DSLRs (anything short of say a Nikon D850 which can still go "toe to toe" with mirrorless) are stockpiling in used camera stores and on private sales on Craigslist or E-Bay as more and more people want to upgrade to Mirrorless.
The main lens I bought from a friend (The Nikon 24-120 F4 VR) for this camera for $300 and I got the body itself for $200. So for $500 I managed to get a pretty versatile Full Frame kit that still to this day holds its own alongside the Nikon D7200, Panasonic G9 and Nikon Z50. I could take any of these four cameras out for a serious outing and be very happy with the results.
While I've only had the D610 for a few months and the weather hasn't given me a lot of chances to seriously use it I am now considering this one of my "Primary" kits which consists of: 2 DSLRs (One Full Frame, one APS-C) and 2 Mirrorless bodies (One APS-C and one Micro 43rds).
Between these four cameras I can be ready for any possible photography situation; leaving the rest of my collection for fun when I plan on challenging myself or just getting out and using something different.
Before I conclude this really long thought dump and post as to why Full Frame is now a viable Budget photography option and tool in my box that I am no longer afraid of using; I will circle back and end with a Nod and Honorable Mention to the camera I ripped on earlier: the not-perfect camera with a unique personality Sony a99.
Like my Pentax Q I have very much a love-hate relationship with the a99. I almost sold it a few times, but the buyer in both cases backed down and I couldn't bring myself to sell it to a used camera store for what they would give me for it because of its major issue.
In the end however the Sony a99 fits a very specific niche and to me that is not at all a bad thing. It is a cult camera highly prized by some very dedicated fans and as such has kept its value higher then most Full Frame cameras of its age (as opposed to say a Canon 5D Mark II which can be bought for a steal right now).
The biggest thing that makes me to hang onto the a99 is the lenses. This is a camera where you can buy vintage Minolta Auto Focus glass from the 1990s and still use it at peak performance including having autofocus.
Minolta made a few lenses during the 90s such as the 70-210 F4 "Beercan" which were built to last and can still provide vibrant sharp images on a 24mp Full Frame sensor. It's really impressive and a pleasant surprise to get quality like this on cheap lenses that are over 30 years old. Minolta lenses are often the diamond in the rough when it comes to vintage glass.
The a99 is great for the fact that you can slap on a vintage lens that you paid $40 for at a used camera store or thrift store and still get shots that look like they were taken with a lens that cost 15 times or more what you paid; and that what gets me to keep a special place in my collection for the a99.
So while because its somewhat rare and sought after the a99 won't be as cheap or easy to find as say a Canon 5D Mark II/III, Canon 6D or Nikon D610 the fact that you can get away with spending around $100 for a kit of lenses for it evens the playing field of being another option for a budget full frame kit.
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