Canon EOS 600D with 18-55mm IS II lens £273

AT A GLANCE

Sensor 18MP APS-C CMOS Sensitivity ISO 100-6400 (ISO 12,800 extended) Continuous shooting 3.7fps Video 1080p Full HD at 30fps Rear display 3in, 1.04-million-dot vari-angle LCD Viewfinder Pentamirror, 95% coverage at 0.85x Released at the beginning of 2011, secondhand examples of the 600D now provide excellent value for money – especially for anyone on a tight budget looking to wring the most out of their budget. Benefiting from a vari-angle rear LCD display the 600D makes light work of taking selfies or shooting from awkward angles, while the 9-point AF system is both fast and accurate. Video capabilities extend to a respectable 1080p Full HD at 30fps, while the built-in pop- up flash doubles up as a wireless commander unit should you want to get creative with off- camera flash. Image quality from the 18MP APS- C CMOS sensor is very good indeed.