Best beginner DSLR/Mirrorless cameras

[Daniel Z.]

Here are some good cameras for beginners.

 

Sony A7: I have it and it's a great camera for even professional use. It was pretty expensive at 2000 usd, but now it is only 1000 with the 24-70 lens. The technologies in it make it easy to transition from a point and shoot or bridge camera.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-Full-Frame-Mirrorless-Digital-28-70mm/dp/B00FRDV06I/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1518497430&sr=1-1&keywords=sony+a7

 

Nikon D3300: My school has this for yearbook team stuff, so I have some experience with this camera. It doesn't have the IO or useful tech that the A7 does, but the sensor is good enough with a very low price.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D3300-AF-P-18-55mm-Digital/dp/B01JN28QQA/ref=sr_1_3?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1518497601&sr=1-3&keywords=nikon+camera

 

Lumix G7: This camera has 4k video at a pretty low price, so if you want a nice vlogging camera, this is it.

 

https://www.amazon.com/PANASONIC-Mirrorless-14-42mm-Megapixels-DMC-G7KS/dp/B00X409PQS/ref=sr_1_24?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1518497810&sr=1-24&keywords=micro%2B4%2F3%2Bcamera&th=1

 

If anyone is angry about me not including canon, provide some arguments. The D3300 provides good performance at a low price while the A7 stomps all over the 80d, T6i, T5i, T6i, T5 or any other canon offering in that price range. You have to go up to the 6D/5D range to even compete with the new Sony 35mm cameras.

[m0k]

ive primatily only used canon products for the last 10 years - im no fanboy, ive borrowed and rented other products as well which were much better, but i just stuck with canon because i was familiar with hardware and UI etc. 

 

the Rebel Txx series is still amazing for photography 

 

my faithful old t2i is still kicking and refuses to die - still takes excellent raw images

but yes - its not good in low light and no good for video.

 

most of my photos on ig are with my old t2i or my Moto X Play

https://www.instagram.com/omairk/

[LienusLateTips]

Canon colours are some of the best for a low price.

 

Canon has a large lens support, with excellent full metal beasts to low end $100 f1.8 units, with everything in between.

 

WHY ISNT THE SL2 OR T7I ON HERE

[Daniel Z.]

Just now, JDE said:

Canon colours are some of the best for a low price.

 

Canon has a large lens support, with excellent full metal beasts to low end $100 f1.8 units, with everything in between.

 

WHY ISNT THE SL2 OR T7I ON HERE

Can you really say that the T7i is better than the A7? And also, the SL2 is around a7 size

[LienusLateTips]

18 minutes ago, Daniel Z. said:

Can you really say that the T7i is better than the A7? And also, the SL2 is around a7 size

I'm not saying that. That T7i is between the A7 and D3300 in terms of price. It should be included. There's a large market.

[Daniel Z.]

23 minutes ago, JDE said:

I'm not saying that. That T7i is between the A7 and D3300 in terms of price. It should be included. There's a large market.

I would argue that the Sony NEX mirrorlesses are better than the T7i. I think people can expand their budget 150 anyways

[LienusLateTips]

13 minutes ago, Daniel Z. said:

I would argue that the Sony NEX mirrorlesses are better than the T7i. I think people can expand their budget 150 anyways

More like $300-350

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/canon-eos-rebel-sl2-dslr-camera-with-ef-s-18-55mm-is-stm-lens-black/5959403.p?skuId=5959403

 

SL2 is T7i with less focus points

[xQubeZx]

The 80D is better than an A7 in many ways. I’ve got a Sony myself so I don’t hate on them but the lens offering on Canon makes a difference. The AF is also miles ahead on the 80D compared to the original A7. 

 

Like, the original A7’s AF is so bad. I’ve used it and its very slow to work with. Sure the images look beautiful, but if you can’t get them in focus that sucks. The battery time is pretty bad too. I’m not saying it is a bad camera, just that it also has its short comings. 

[Daniel Z.]

1 minute ago, JDE said:

More like $300-350

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/canon-eos-rebel-sl2-dslr-camera-with-ef-s-18-55mm-is-stm-lens-black/5959403.p?skuId=5959403

 

SL2 is T7i with less focus points

I would still go a6000

[Daniel Z.]

1 minute ago, xQubeZx said:

The 80D is better than an A7 in many ways. I’ve got a Sony myself so I don’t hate on them but the lens offering on Canon makes a difference. The AF is also miles ahead on the 80D compared to the original A7. 

 

Like, the original A7’s AF is so bad. I’ve used it and its very slow to work with. Sure the images look beautiful, but if you can’t get them in focus that sucks. The battery time is pretty bad too. I’m not saying it is a bad camera, just that it also has its short comings. 

I agree that it has its short comings, but it is pretty beginner friendly coming from a point and shoot

[xQubeZx]

9 minutes ago, Daniel Z. said:

I agree that it has its short comings, but it is pretty beginner friendly coming from a point and shoot

Yes, but so are some of the Canon offerings aswell. Sure DSLR’s work a bit different but I think you should include the 80D in the $1000 pricerange. Its a very solid camera that would suit many people. Same with the Sony a6300, which I’d argue is a better buy than the a7 because the only advantage the a7 has over it is a large sensor to create shallow dof. Low ligth is about the same on them thanks to the a6300’s good sensor. And advantages with the a6300 are many compared to the a7. But AF is a huge one. 

 

I’d say the 80D and a6300 are about quite equal. Main difference is the 4K and 1080p slow mo recording on the a6300. 

[LienusLateTips]

19 minutes ago, Daniel Z. said:

I would still go a6000

Then include that. 

[Daniel Z.]

17 minutes ago, JDE said:

Then include that. 

 

21 minutes ago, xQubeZx said:

Yes, but so are some of the Canon offerings aswell. Sure DSLR’s work a bit different but I think you should include the 80D in the $1000 pricerange. Its a very solid camera that would suit many people. Same with the Sony a6300, which I’d argue is a better buy than the a7 because the only advantage the a7 has over it is a large sensor to create shallow dof. Low ligth is about the same on them thanks to the a6300’s good sensor. And advantages with the a6300 are many compared to the a7. But AF is a huge one. 

 

I’d say the 80D and a6300 are about quite equal. Main difference is the 4K and 1080p slow mo recording on the a6300. 

Thanks for the suggestions, will update when I have the time

[LienusLateTips]

17 minutes ago, Daniel Z. said:

 

Thanks for the suggestions, will update when I have the time

And for battery life DSLRs are still vastly better

[LienusLateTips]

39 minutes ago, xQubeZx said:

Yes, but so are some of the Canon offerings aswell. Sure DSLR’s work a bit different but I think you should include the 80D in the $1000 pricerange. Its a very solid camera that would suit many people. Same with the Sony a6300, which I’d argue is a better buy than the a7 because the only advantage the a7 has over it is a large sensor to create shallow dof. Low ligth is about the same on them thanks to the a6300’s good sensor. And advantages with the a6300 are many compared to the a7. But AF is a huge one. 

 

I’d say the 80D and a6300 are about quite equal. Main difference is the 4K and 1080p slow mo recording on the a6300. 

Isn't the 77D the same as the 80D?

[Nicnac]

my first camera was an olympus E-530 and I still love it

[xQubeZx]

3 hours ago, JDE said:

Isn't the 77D the same as the 80D?

No, sensor and so is quite similar but it lacks a lot of pro features. Like it does not have a ”pro” body with weather sealing and it lacks a pentaprism viewfinder for example. Small things like that is what differentiates them. 

[cc143]

Ok so, Canon shooter for the past 15 years (since the days of film). I have been a Sony a6000 owner (briefly and regrettably) and extensively tested the a7 and a7ii before buying my 5d mk3, which I currently own along with a bunch of glass and a fuji system. 

 

I have heard the best things about Sony's newer cameras and am sure they will become more competitive in the future, but as every first gen thing, the a7 suffers from a bunch of issues and frankly so does the a7ii. You sir have no clue what you are on about! What you've done is gone "all 3 of the cameras I have ever used are the best for beginners", completely disregarding most of a beginner's needs. Apart from the fact they are Full frame, they have nothing going for them, in fact, if they had an APS-C sensor instead, they wouldn't even be competitive, not that they were competitive with FF cameras back when released. The r and s series were quite successful, but left much to be desired. So the only stomping that a sane person can observe here is the other way around. 

 

Don't get me wrong, with enough money to throw away, I might have had a sony a7 with a medium format adapter to experiment with, but that's it, and am sure many people are able to make it work tremendously. For a beginner...no way! Think about this, a d610 is currently similarly priced in the used market as a used Sony a7. and it is a lot more camera than the sony. So is a 6d mk1, 5dmk2 or even a d800.  They are more reliable, cheaper, have longer battery life, better AF, in some cases better image quality, better built, much more ergonomic, and lets not forget, glass is cheaper, more easily available and there's waaaay more of it! And the same stands for the cheaper cameras in the Canon and Nikon range. 

 

The truth of the matter is, especially today, the most approachable camera for a beginner is a Canon 800d, which is more camera than many so called pros I've met can even handle or need. The Nikon alternatives are great, I would just prefer going with something of the d7xxx series and above for the in body AF motor, and that is something even hardcore Nikon people will acknowledge. 

 

If you are a seasoned photographer on a budget, then you have a lot more options looking at used cameras from 5 years ago (as mentioned above) which are still more than competitive today. 

[Yannik]

I'd like to say, on behalfe of the D3300, that it is a great beginner camera. Shoot some of my favourite photographs with it! But buy a new/used old lense within the first year. The kit lens isn't the best.