ok thanks, just looking around I saw a Sony A6000 with a lens for £250 and Sony RX100 v3 for similar price.
If you are mentioning £250 now, for street photography have a look at a used Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon 40mm STM F/2.8 lens.
Light, a large choice of kit if you decide to explore other themes, sharp images, unobtrusive.
Ok, bigger than a compact, but worth a look.
I bought my as-new 40mm from MPB recently and I can’t fault the buying experience. I rarely buy equipment, I prefer to just get on with using it, so a hassle-free and honest deal was very much appreciated.Those look much better than what I could find on ebay for the same price. If it was me I would probably spend £100 more and get one with lower milage.
That would be awesome, but it could be a challenge getting it for that price. You’d have to take your chances on an ebay auction, which can be a lottery. The lens alone typically goes for £100.
And therein lies the choice: the smaller bodies feel far too small in my hands, I really don’t like them. I’ve tried the early Canon R models, and yep, they’re too small as well. I’d probably end up fitting a battery grip to one!Having recently tried to return to FF DSLR (Canon 6D) I have found the format too bulky for street photography.
I find an APS-C or mirrorless with a small pancake is more adequate. Both the Fujifilm X-T1 and the Olympus E-M5 II have large viewfinders in small-sized bodies, as does the Sony A7 II but the latter has a larger sensor/lenses.
And therein lies the choice: the smaller bodies feel far too small in my hands, I really don’t like them. I’ve tried the early Canon R models, and yep, they’re too small as well. I’d probably end up fitting a battery grip to one!
It’s just a case of trying them out and seeing what you prefer, and as the OP has noted, these things can sometimes fetch more on eBay than well regarded shops sell them for, so money to be made if you don’t like the set up for some reason.
Back in the film days I'd walk around with a Contax RX in my hand plus 2.8/35 all the time, so I when I first tried the X-T1 and then the E-M5 II I decided to get the add-on grips. But later I ended up getting used to holding the camera by the lens and underside and got rid of the grip.
Nowadays I use only a wide-normal fixed focal pancake, although I still have a couple of lenses from my Contax system available.
I can perfectly understand that if you have large hands (which I don't) and/or use heavy zooms then it's important to have a good chunky grip to rely on.
I definitely agree that it's worth trying out as many bodies as possible.
When I finally moved to digital I went from a Pentax k-5 IIs to a 7D, an X-T1, then a E-M5 II, next came a 6D and finally a Ricoh GR III, only to settle with the X-T2. They all have their pros and cons.
Having also owned a Konica Hexar AF and a Ricoh GR1v in the past I am now sure that I definitely prefer through-the-lens, knobs and dials, and surprisingly EVF over OVF.
Having recently tried to return to FF DSLR (Canon 6D) I have found the format too bulky for street photography.
Too bulky in the sense that you feel conspicuous? I've personally shot lots of street photography with such cameras, but mainly with Hasselblads/Rolleis, and they work really well in that context. I think the main trick is to behave in such a way that you disappear as far as the rest of the scene is concerned, then the size of the camera becomes less relevant
street photography is a challenging genre that not many people can pull off IMO. The shots taken where discretion is attempted rarely work well, since there is no connection with the subject. I like the work of Gary Winogrand where his approach was to walk up to interesting characters on the street with a 28mm right in their face. He never asked permission, and avoided potential conflict with a smile.