A good camera doesn’t have to be ridiculously expensive. If you’re new to photography, here are five best affordable cameras for beginners to buy.
When it comes to buying cameras, price tags can get intimidating – and that’s before you’ve even considered the lenses. If you’re a beginner to photography, then you don’t need to spend a ton of money on your first camera. It’s actually counter-intuitive to do so.
Your first camera should be good, but it shouldn’t be a professional-grade kit. You won’t learn the essential basics if you begin with a top-tier camera. Make sure to check online to get a decent camera discount to save you money on your first kit.
Five best affordable cameras for beginners
We’ve put together this list to give you an idea of where to look for your first camera. They’re in no particular order – all of them are formidable kits for a first timer. We’ve linked where you can buy them, but we recommend that you check other outlets to see if you can pick up a good camera discount as well.
DSLRs – Cameras for Beginners
DSLR cameras tend to be bulkier and come with an optical viewfinder – as opposed to an electronic one. Canon and Nikon are the two most famous DSLR manufacturers.
Nikon D3500 – $396
The lightweight Nikon D3500 is widely considered to be one of the best beginner DSLR cameras on the market right now. The camera is cheap, comes with a kit lens, and it has all the settings you’d need if you’re just starting out.
With a 24.4MP APS-C CMOS sensor, this is no joke of a camera. It also has 1080p video shooting capability, which isn’t the best, but certainly isn’t the worst either. The D3500 is also small and light enough to carry with you everywhere you go, which means you’ll be more likely to get that essential practice in.
Canon EOS Rebel SL3 – $499
A bit of an upgrade over the D3500, the Canon EOS Rebel SL3 has 4K video resolution, as well as a 24.1MP sensor. It’s also the cheapest DSLR you’ll find with a moveable LCD screen, which makes it ideal for shooting video.
Pentax K-70 – $646
Taking a step away from ‘the big two’, the Pentax K-70 has a much tougher build and is ideal for shooting outdoors. It can withstand rain, snow, and high temperatures, and you can attach old Pentax lenses to it, meaning you can ask your grandparents or thrift stores for old film lenses to use on the cheap.
With a 24.2MP sensor and Full HD video, it’s not the best for filming, but it delivers a solid punch when taking photos. The anti-shake technology built into the camera will also please beginners and enthusiasts alike.
Mirrorless
Mirrorless cameras are a relatively new phenomenon. They’re smaller and lighter than DSLRs and they have electronic viewfinders (EVF) – or no viewfinder at all, in some cases.
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III – $449
Olympus recently decided to close their camera manufacturing wing, making this one of the last cameras you’ll ever see come out of the legendary Japanese company. The OM-D E-M10 Mark III is possibly one of the most stylish cameras we’ve seen in recent years, echoing the look of the classic analog cameras of yesteryear.
This camera is affordable and comes with a 16.1MP Micro Four Thirds sensor, as well as 4K video resolution. The camera feels premium and comes with built-in stabilization and a 1.04 million dot EVF.
Fujifilm X-T100 – $380
Fujifilm are no stranger to the camera market. The Fujifilm X-T100 is just another example of how Canon and Nikon are losing their dominance since the market switched in favor of mirrorless cameras. It has a 24.2MP APS-C sensor, as well as 4K video resolution, all for less than $400!
This lightweight camera has an EVF and certainly looks the part. If you’re looking for compact, good-looking, and functional, then you’ll find it all in this stunning camera.
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