Good mirrorless camera for around $1000?

[uruchiwo]

$1000 Isn't necessarily a lot for a camera, but I want an upgrade. I'm currently 14 years old, and have been using my moms (former professional photographers) 5d Mark III. However I would like to upgrade to something with a better/faster auto focus and that can shoot more pictures per second for better action photography. Do yall have any ideas on what I should get?

[justadude]

Are you looking for just a camera body at that price?  Or a camera and a lens?

[stevet1]

uruchiwo,

I would say"

Where is the money coming from?,and,

What does your mom say?

Is this going to be your camera, or is it going to be your mother's?

If it's going to be your mother's camera, she ought to have a say in what you buy.

Steve Thomas

[Tronhard]

Hi and welcome to the forum:
I am assuming you live in the US (given this is an international site) and thus have access to the Canon Refurbished store.  With that thought in mind.
Since you are starting out on your own, I would recommend a Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera (MILC) to replace your mother's excellent 5DIII DSLR with another full-frame unit, the EOS R8.  

The R series MILCs have advanced features such as face and eye tracking, fast autofocus, high frame rates and an excellent 24MP FF sensor.   I assume if your mother was a professional photographer that she had good lenses, and you can use your existing lenses with the R8 - you will need an EF -RF adapter and you can get and the body  too, from Canon's Refurbished store (good as new, often barely or unused, and come with a warranty).
Refurbished EOS R8 Body (canon.com) and Shop Canon Refurbished Mount Adapter EF-EOS R | Canon U.S.A., Inc.

They will require you to save up a bit more, but they are good cameras for your purpose.
Some reviews for your consideration: 
Canon EOS R8 "6 Months Later" REVIEW: Best Budget Full Frame Mirrorless Camera?! (youtube.com)
Canon EOS R8 REVIEW vs R6 II: best value full frame camera? (youtube.com) 
Canon EOS R8 Full Frame Budget Camera Review | Canon Left the Fun In (youtube.com)
If you don't have the funds right now, it's something to aim for and right now, I would say it's the best value in a FF camera right now.  Good EF lenses will work well with RF bodies, I use them myself

[Aurora4233]

An R8 is a remarkable camera for ~$1000.  You'll still need a lens... alas...

If you can squeeze $1,279 B&H has an R10 + the RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM Lens.  It's and APS-C sensor but I've shot primarily APS-C for 20+ years (since the Rebel 300D days) and I've never been disappointed. 

It's a super long story but it was the RF-S 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM Lens that established my faith in the new 'R' equipment and drove me to send 14 stellar EF lenses back to B&H and get on with my RF adventure and I've never regretted it.

There's never been a better time to get into photography! Good Luck!!

~ Chris

[Tronhard]

Er. Have you considered that one does not need an RF lens if you have and EF -RF adapter?
Considering the OP has been using a 5DIII, and the camera was originally owned by a professional, there will be FF EF optics available, and they're very probably good ones.
I have no doubt the R8 is the best deal for the budget, and the good RF optics can follow over time when they can afford it.  Canon EF lenses are perfectly capable of working on RF bodies.  I use them myself.

[Aurora4233]

EF-RF adapters definitely work and I have one for the one EF lens I still completely appreciate that has no RF equivalent (EF 35-350L from the late 90s!).  I'm using this lens at a Marine Corps graduation in a week and I used it for a project a couple weeks ago because I couldn't predict whether I'd need the 35 or the 350 end and there's still really no RF alternative. 

Only reason I consistently hammer on making the EF to RF move as soon as practical is every one of my RF lenses focuses immensely faster, weighs nothing by comparison to it's EF cousin, and is appreciably smaller.

Certainly anyone should take advantage of any lenses that could fall into their lap but I'm trying to consistently reinforce that the sooner anyone can make the move the RF the sooner they'll enjoy going from neck straps to wrist straps to carry their gear on long days and the sooner they'll enjoy lightning fast focus and significantly increase their number of 'keepers' for the day.  Keepers is my metric for lens value and in that respect my RFs more than double my keepers. 

I love great EF glass but I'll stick with R bodies deserve RF glass to maximize the keepers you walk away with.  You'll get plenty of fantastic pics with EF and adapters but I think everyone can double their keepers with RF on Rs and be more comfortable carrying it all at the same time 😁

[Tronhard]

That is understandable, and I have some sympathy with that insofar as I would encourage them to consider some RF glass when they can afford to and that last bit is the issue.  With respect, your shooting situation is different.  You have likely a  regular and decent income so you are not as constrained as our OP, and you are shooting for a client : the Marine Crops (whether they pay for that service or not), this young person is starting on their journey with likely no significant earnings and needs to get a foothold within their limited budget. Their only other resource from that $1,000 is access to EF glass belonging to their mother.

If you push them to get RF lenses within their budget then they have to compromise on the body.  However the R8  is clearly the best performing and cheapest  FF R-series body that they can afford -  it shares the same superior sensor with the much more expensive R6II: to go cheaper means looking at an an APS-C body which would be a strategic mistake IMHO.

If they have good EF glass then that will tide them until they can afford their own RF optics - I'm all for that.  I would bet you that the quality of the EF glass of a professional is better than an RF kit lens.

[uruchiwo]

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@uruchiwo wrote:

$1000 Isn't necessarily a lot for a camera, but I want an upgrade. I'm currently 14 years old, and have been using my moms (former professional photographers) 5d Mark III. However I would like to upgrade to something with a better/faster auto focus and that can shoot more pictures per second for better action photography. Do yall have any ideas on what I should get <Third party link removed per Community Guidelines>

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I got this,...

[MPBACK]

Hi,

I think that it depends on which path that you take, full frame or crop sensor.  The Canon RP full frame camera is approx $1,000, but that's only for the body I think.  Prices go up from there for a Canon full frame camera.  Perhaps you can get a deal from another camera company.  I think the Canon R10, an intermediade camera with a zoom lens is currently $1300.  That is an APS-C crop sensor camera. Crop sensor cameras have some advantages over full frame, specifically, they are usually smaller and lighter. Best of Luck.