Help Please! Totally new to this world and need help - Camera recommendations

[trisha3121]

Help me please.  I have a 14-year old nephew who has learning deficiencies (possibly on the autism spectrum)  so whenever he shows interest in something I really want to help him out.  He's obsessed with puppets and asked me to buy him a camera to film his puppets.  He found something on the internet that recommended Canon M5 or Canon M50.  I know absolutely nothing about cameras so have tried to acquire more information.  (I know it may sound stupid, but I am going to buy him a new one for Christmas.)  

So I look on Amazon and find these two:   

1. Canon EOS M50 15-45mm Mirrorless Digital Camera (Black) with Canon EOS Camera Gadget Bag, 64GB SD Card, Flexible 12" Spider Tripod, and Battery & Charger Pack Bundle 

2. Canon EOS M50 Mark II Content Creator Kit, Mirrorless 4K Vlogging Camera Kit Includes EF-M 15-45mm Lens, Tripod Grip, Stereo Microphone Black

Not understanding a thing about either, could someone please recommend?  If there's another version of the M50 that you think is better, please let me know that also.  I definitely will shop around for the best price, no matter what I get him.  He does put up stuff on YouTube so it's possible he might put videos on YouTube.  Not sure if that makes any difference.

Thank you so much in advance for any help and I apologize if I sound really stupid and/or uninformed.  I didn't know how else to phrase what I'm trying to ask.

[Replaced links with images to facilitate conversation]

[shadowsports]

Greetings ,

I would not recommend investing into an M series body.  The M series has been discontinued by Canon.  Consider an R series body.

Only buy directly from Canon or an authorized reseller.  Amazon resellers may not offer authentic gear.  It might be counterfeit or gray market.  

You can buy new or refurbished gear directly from Canon.  Other authorized retailers are B&H photo or Adorama.  If you want to buy used gear, KEH is excellent.

I would consider refurbished or used as your nephews interest may be short-lived.  Just something to think about.  Please reply back with your budget and we can make some recommendations for you.

[trisha3121]

I'm taking my nephew into account when I give my response.  I will present the camera to him as new, even if' it's refurbished.  Because he won't know the difference. (It's his Christmas gift.)  I thought about used but decided against it.  I want him to feel he's getting something new.  I have a better chance with refurbished.

I don't have a particular price point but will quote what I told another poster who asked about price.  

I don't have a particular budget.  However if I can get him a camera that does what he wants it to (record puppets) and get it for under $500 I'm there!  I want to spend as little as I have to, getting him a quality beginner's camera with a good video function.

Unfortunately, he saw this video on YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z92Oq8WVHLo  He's a very literal kid, so if I get him something that doesn't at least resemble those cameras, he'll be convinced it's not as good. 

[shadowsports]

Greetings trisha3121,

You absolutely cannot tell the difference between Canon refurbished and brand new. The only difference is the color of the box.

The camera or lens will be absolutely perfect,  immaculate,  it will and look and function like brand new. There will not be a mark, blemish or fingerprint, etc on it.  Refurbished gear comes with the same 1yr warranty as brand new.  I have purchased several Canon lenses refurb.  All look and perform flawlessly. You won't regret it. I assure you.

[Waddizzle]

The workflow required to use interchangeable lens cameras can be quite complex.  It requires some degree of computer savvy.

The workflow to capture photos is quite a bit more than point and shoot.  The workflow for capturing video can be an order of magnitude more complex.  Have you given consideration to other options that would be less complex?

If your nephew is primarily interested in shooting video, then perhaps a camcorder might be easier to use.  Even a camcorder workflow requires some degree of computer savvy to move the [files] to a computer.  I’m jus thinking out loud here.