Cheap Digicams Worth Buying Used: 7 Picks and Real 2026 Prices

The best cheap digicams: six used picks and one new

Camera Dojo has not tested these cameras. The seven picks come from where reviewer write-ups and shop recommendations overlap: Imaging Resource's original reviews, Camera Labs, Lens and Shutter, Gagadget, The Phoblographer, and the buying guides of Retro Digitals and Vintage Camera Hut. Owner write-ups are few (35mmc, mediageek and Casual Photophile), so the list leans on reviewers and shops. Used prices are what two US specialist shops listed on November 2, 2026: Retro Digitals, which tests every camera before shipping, and Cute Camera Co. of Austin, Texas, which sells restored cameras. Most cheap listings were sold out, so read them as recent asking prices, not stock you can buy today.

1. 01

   Canon PowerShot ELPH (SD900, SD550, SD870, SD1000)

   The classic pocket flash look

   From $125 (SD900), $140 (SD550) and $150 (SD870) at Retro Digitals, sold out; SD1000 $199 and SD1100 IS $225 in stock; SD1100 IS from $269.99 at Cute Camera Co.; checked Oct. 28, 2026

   Retro Digitals names the SD1000 (7.1 MP CCD, 3x zoom) its starting pick for the original 2000s pocket-camera experience, and Imaging Resource rated it 4/5 and a Dave's Pick, noting an optical viewfinder, rare at that size. It takes SD and SDHC cards. The cheap way in is a cheaper sibling: the SD900, SD550 and SD870 were listed at $125 to $150, while the SD1000 itself was $199.

   Watch out: There is no manual aperture or shutter control, the SD1000's battery is CIPA rated for about 210 shots, and almost every ELPH from May 2010 onward uses a CMOS sensor, not CCD.

   Sources: retro-digitals.com, imaging-resource.com, en.wikipedia.org, retro-digitals.com, retro-digitals.com, cute.camera

2. 02

   Canon PowerShot A-series (A590 IS, A700)

   AA batteries and SD cards

   $120 (A700) at Retro Digitals, sold out; checked Oct. 28, 2026

   Imaging Resource rated the A590 IS (2008) 4.5/5 and a Dave's Pick: an 8 MP CCD, a 4x zoom, an optical viewfinder, and two AA batteries good for about 200 shots on alkalines or 450 on NiMH rechargeables (CIPA). It takes SD and SDHC cards, so power and storage are easy to find anywhere. This pick rests on one detailed review rather than a crowd of owners, so treat it as reviewer-backed.

   Watch out: Imaging Resource measured a 10.5-second flash recycle time, which it called a little long for group shots, and the review dates from 2008.

   Sources: imaging-resource.com, retro-digitals.com

3. 03

   Sony Cyber-shot W and T series (W170, W220, T7, W800)

   Small, simple and wide-angle

   $120 (T7), from $135 (W220), from $140 (W170) and $165 (W350) at Retro Digitals, all sold out; no verified US used price for the W800; checked Oct. 28, 2026

   Imaging Resource called the 2008 W170 "a compact bargain" and rated it 4/5 and a Dave's Pick, noting a 10.1 MP sensor, a Zeiss-branded 5x zoom that starts wider than most at 28mm, and a battery CIPA rated for about 370 shots. The T-series earned 4.5/5 for the T100, and its sliding lens cover turns the camera on as you open it. The later Sony W800 (20.1 MP CCD, 5x zoom, about $80 at launch in 2014) is the one Gagadget calls arguably the best digital camera for the tightest budgets, though Lens and Shutter says not to overpay for it.

   Watch out: Older Cyber-shots record to Memory Stick Duo or PRO Duo cards, and Imaging Resource found the W170 gives more color than detail above ISO 200.

   Sources: imaging-resource.com, imaging-resource.com, imaging-resource.com, gagadget.com, lensandshutter.com, en.wikipedia.org, retro-digitals.com

4. 04

   Nikon Coolpix L-series (L12, L19, L22, L110)

   Cheap AA power

   L19 $125 at Retro Digitals, sold out; L110 from $139.99 at Cute Camera Co.; checked Oct. 28, 2026

   Camera Labs describes the L22 as a budget compact with a 12 MP CCD, a 3.6x zoom and a 3-inch screen that runs on two AA batteries: about 240 shots on alkalines, 420 on NiMH and 660 on lithium cells. In December 2025, The Phoblographer, picking names that recur on Reddit's r/vintagecamera, put the 2007 L12 (7.1 MP CCD, 35-105mm) at under $100.

   Watch out: The L22 does not accept SDXC cards, and alkaline AAs drain fast in cameras like these, so budget for NiMH rechargeables.

   Sources: cameralabs.com, en.wikipedia.org, thephoblographer.com, retro-digitals.com, retro-digitals.com, cute.camera

5. 05

   Fujifilm FinePix Z10fd (and cheaper FinePix models)

   A sliding-cover pocket camera that takes SD cards

   Z10fd from $140 (sold out) to $175 (in stock); F470 $115 and F50FD from $135, both sold out; all at Retro Digitals, checked Oct. 28, 2026

   Retro Digitals lists the Z10fd (7.2 MP CCD, 3x zoom) among its four starting CCD picks, citing the sliding lens cover, face detection and support for SD, SDHC or xD cards. The FinePix name carries weight because Imaging Resource found ISO 800 "downright great" on the 2006 F30, but no reviewer in our research covered the cheaper F470 or F50FD, so do not assume they match the F30.

   Watch out: Older FinePix models such as the F30 record to xD-Picture Card, a format discontinued in 2009, and the $13 MASD-1 microSD adapter does not work in Fujifilm cameras.

   Sources: retro-digitals.com, imaging-resource.com, en.wikipedia.org, retro-digitals.com, retro-digitals.com, retro-digitals.com

6. 06

   Early digicams (Olympus C-740, Kodak EasyShare C613, Olympus C2020Z)

   Under $50 and the most lo-fi look

   No dated shop price: The Phoblographer's headline says under $50 (April 2025) without a price per model, and the 35mmc find was about $20 (January 2024)

   The Phoblographer's April 2025 list of digicams "you can score under $50" includes the 2003 Olympus C-740 (3 MP CCD, 38-380mm 10x zoom, AA power) and the Kodak EasyShare C613 (6 MP CCD, 3x zoom). On 35mmc, Eric Woods found a 1999 Olympus Camedia C2020Z, a 2 MP camera, for about $20 at an antique shop and wrote that at that price he would simply buy another if it died.

   Watch out: These cameras are slow and can be hungry for batteries, and an untested one may fail with no repair path.

   Sources: thephoblographer.com, 35mmc.com, mediageek.net

7. 07

   Kodak PixPro FZ45 (new)

   Buying new instead of hunting

   $109.99 at Abt and $129.99 at Kodak's US store, new; checked Oct. 28, 2026

   Lens and Shutter calls the FZ45 the safest strict-budget pick when it sells near $100: basic, but a real point-and-shoot from a recognizable camera line, with a 4x optical zoom, 1080p video and AA power. Digital Camera World called it one of the most popular cameras in the world in June 2026. It takes SD, SDHC and SDXC cards.

   Watch out: It has a 16 MP CMOS sensor, not a 2000s CCD, and the two included alkaline AAs last about 120 shots.

   Sources: lensandshutter.com, digitalcameraworld.com, abt.com, kodakpixpro.com