5 of the Best Beginner Cameras for Photography
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Trying to find the perfect beginner camera? How do you choose the perfect one when there are so many options out there? A good starting place a beginner photographers camera needs to have is an easy to learn user interface, interchangeable lenses and it needs to be affordable! These are all things you need to advance as a photographer.
The truth is there is no such thing as a perfect camera, only a perfect beginner camera for you! Below are some of the best entry level cameras on the market for any beginner photographer.
1. Nikon D5600
(Image credit: Nikon)
SPECIFICATIONS
Type: DSLR Sensor: APS-C Megapixels: 24.2MP
Lens mount: Nikon F (DX) Screen: 3.2”
Max burst speed: 5fps
Max video resolution: 1080p (Full HD)
User level: Beginner Camera
The Nikon D5600 is a great beginner camera, and its well within a reasonable budget retailing at under $1500 AUD with inclusions of an AF-P 18-55mm and a battery included. This camera is light and compact, has a swivelling LCD screen, a touch screen with a user friendly interface, autofocus is fast and accurate and it has built in Wifi and bluetooth. The only downsides to this camera is in low light settings, it doesn’t do as well in super dark environments - the photos showing up with a fair amount of grain on them, it is a little sluggish using the LCD view when taking photos, and the continual shooting mode isn’t as fast as other cameras. Overall, the Nikon D5600's image quality and performance are extremely good for the low price.
This is the camera I have personally used since 2018, and I got the same deal with the kit lenses and battery. I found this camera the perfect foundation to begin learning photography on with its easy to use interface and I have found the quality of the photos from this beginner camera to be amazing.
(Image credit: Canon)
SPECIFICATIONS
Type: DSLR Sensor: APS-C Megapixels: 24.1MP
Screen: 3.0-inch, 1,040k, pivot, touch
Viewfinder: Pentamirror Lens mount: Canon EF
Continuous shooting speed: 5fps Max video resolution: 4K
User level: Beginner Camera
As you can see, straight off the bat the Canon EOS 200D Mark II megapixel is a little higher than the Nikon D5600, producing slightly higher quality images. What I love about this beginner camera is the easy to use touch screen LCD. It can flip to any orientation you would like it to (facing forward, angled, or tucked in to the camera body. The LCD interface is intuitive and user friendly with the optional Guided User Interface and Creative Assist modes, making your transition learning your first camera seamless. The auto-eye-tracking technology is a great feature of this camera - and not one many entry level DSLR’s have! The auto focus is much faster than that of the Nikon D5600. It comes with Wifi capabilities so you can connect to the Canon app to take photos remotely and share photos from camera to camera. This camera body is also light weight and compact, making it easy to take with you wherever you go. The only downside I can see from this camera is a slightly sluggish continuous shooting mode when you are using the live view mode. When using the continuous shooting mode through the viewfinder, it performs much faster and the metering exposes a more well-balanced image. Overall, the Canon EOS 200D Mark II is a spectacular first camera for under $1000 AUD with a kit lens with this link! This beginner camera will allow you to grow and expand as you do!
(Image Credit: Fuji)
3. Fujifilm X-T200
SPECIFICATIONS
Type: CSC Sensor: APS-C Megapixels: 24.2MP
Screen: 3.5-inch, 2,780k articulated, touch
Viewfinder: Electronic, 2,360k. Lens mount: Fujifilm X
Continuous shooting speed: 8fps. Max video resolution: 4K
User Level: Beginner/intermediate Camera
This beginner camera is small and compact and shoots beautiful colours replicating 35mm film style. Because of Fuji’s amazing colour science, the unedited photos come out really beautiful and crisp colours which is a highly admirable feature of this camera. Fuji likes to make their cameras replicate a retro film camera with all the functions of a modern digital camera. It has an electronic touch screen making for easy use. As for mirrorless cameras, this is one of the best and cheapest on the market for a beginner - sitting at under $1200 with a 15-45mm starter lens. It performs really well with auto eye-tracking and auto focus in photo mode (but has been noted to lack a little bit in video mode). It performs using 8fps which comes in handy taking pictures of faster moving objects, but is known to have a small lag of around a 0.1-second between the camera gaining focus and taking the photo. Even though there is a small delay, this camera is more than capable of capturing those candid moments. It is said in those high performance environments such as weddings or event photography that it might miss those big moments with the delay, so it isn’t recommended by many people for this reason. Notably, this camera does JPEG and RAW file format; which will become a crucial aspect in your development as a photographer after you get past learning the camera. In terms of its physical design, it is definitely more simple. Most of your buttons and dials are located at the top of the camera and very simple on the back - using a joystick to control your menus in camera too. Overall it is a great beginner camera to learn on and can shoot significantly higher quality images than your average entry-level camera (due to it being a mirrorless camera - the quality is simply better than a DSLR of the same standard).
4. Canon 90D
(Image Credit: Canon)
SPECIFICATIONS
Sensor: APS-C CMOS Megapixels: 32.5MP
Lens mount: EF/EF-S Screen: 3-inch vars-angle touchscreen, 1,040,000 dots
Continuous shooting speed: 10fps
Max video resolution: 4K/30p
User level: Beginner/enthusiast Camera
While the Canon 90D isn’t the cheapest on the market sitting at just under $1800 AUD for the body only , it sure does leave you plenty of room to grow as a photographer which is what I love about it. Most notably the larger sensor size being 32.5MP where the other beginner cameras stated above are only at 24MP. That means vastly improved image quality! The Canon 8 Digic image processor sensor has improved the overall performance and speed of this camera compared to earlier models. Due to the larger Megapixels, this camera is able to shoot far better in low light environments while still up-keeping a high level of auto-focus on dark subjects which is incredible! It has great auto-focus across the board - including eye-detection auto focus. The battery life is long-lasting; able to shoot 1300 photos before running out. This beginner camera also has Wifi and bluetooth capabilities which is great to send photos quickly and use with the Canon app to use as a remote shutter. There is a lot of notable features about this camera and is probably just above the average entry-level beginner camera, but it does offer a lot of room for growth for any new photographer perhaps wanting to move into something more professional.
5. Nikon D3500
SPECIFICATIONS:
Sensor: APS-C CMOS Megapixels: 24.2MP
Lens mount: Nikon DX Screen: 3-inch, 921,000 dots
Continuous shooting speed: 5fps
Max video resolution: 1080p
User level: Beginner Camera
If you’re looking for a great quality camera for cheap then the Nikon D3500 is is for you for under $2200 AUD with 2 kit lens included, a 18-55mm and a 70-300mm telephoto lens! The lightweight and compact design makes it easy to take anywhere with you on the fly. Shooting 5 FPS and having an excellent battery life, you’ll be sure to use this camera all day with 1550 images between charges, which is more than other DSLR’s of this range. Bluetooth capabilities also come with this camera for easy access to transfer photos to your phone or other devices. It is a beginner camera that a new photographer can pick up and start making decent pictures without a steep learning curve, made easier with the ‘Guide Mode’, stepping you through the cameras settings making it easy to understand.
I found that the only downsides to this beginner camera is the functioning in low light situations, it does have a hard time auto focusing. There isn’t a touch screen with this camera but you can definitely still get by quite comfortably without one, and Face-detection auto focus only works in Live View mode. Face-detection in an entry level camera like this though isn’t as common and a brilliant feature to have, and I would definitely be using that to your advantage.
(Image Credit: Nikon)
Overall this camera is a superb first time beginner camera with great image quality if you keep that ISO down low. Its battery life is one of its more favourable features, and can last days at a time which is fantastic if you’re out shooting for the day. The Nikon D3500 makes learning photography simple and is more affordable than most entry-level cameras - a great camera to start with.
Summary
These are just a few of what I believe are the best beginner cameras you can start off with currently on the market. Most importantly for the best quality images is choosing your lenses wisely! a 50mm is always good for your kit but there are plenty of others you can choose that will cater to your own photography needs. Using a good quality SD card that reads and writes quickly will help your image quality and your camera be able to shoot faster. I personally love the San Disk EXTREME PRO 128GB SD card for under $40 AUD or if you want more space; the San Disk EXTREME PRO 256GB SD card for under $70 AUD. I have never had any issues with these SD cards and find them to be high quality.
Let me know what beginner camera you get in the comments below and what you’d like to see more of!
