Best Cameras For Beginners In 2023: Top Entry-Level Photography Cameras
Updated on July 21, 2023
Excited to buy your first camera? But don’t know which camera to pick? Here are the best DSLR and Mirrorless cameras for beginners. Read the guide and purchase the best cameras for beginners.
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Panasonic LUMIX G100
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Built-in Microphone with Tracking
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Micro Four Thirds In’able. Lens
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When you don’t know much about cameras and want to buy for yourself, it would be better to go for the best beginner’s camera.
Beginner cameras aren’t built special but they are pocket-friendly and come with pretty standard features.
Best cameras for beginners also aren’t hard to pick, however, there are some factors to keep in mind before purchasing (will discuss this later).
Straightforward, you are trying to pick the best between a DSLR and Mirrorless camera.
DSLR cameras are easy to learn but built heavily. Mirrorless cameras are lightweight but have many learning curves.
So, what is the best camera for beginners? Is it a DSLR? Or its rival Mirrorless cameras?
Read this guide to understand…
- Best cameras for beginners for learning photography
- How to pick a perfect camera as a beginner
- Best camera between DSLR & Mirrorless to buy
Table of Contents
The Best Cameras For Beginners (Top-Picked)
Nikon Z50
Nikon Z50
Starting at
$685.00
- Type: Mirrorless
- Megapixel: 20.9
- Sensor type: CMOS
- Sensor size: APS-C
- Lens mount: Nikon Z lenses
- Continuous shooting speed: 11fps
- Max video resolution: UHD 4K at 30 fps
The z50 stands amazing in spec-wise and performance. It is truly a companion for beginners who want to learn photography or want a decent-performing camera for an adventure.
Specifications outperformed as it comes with a large 20.9 MP DX-format (APS-C) CMOS sensor that grants way sharp images and superb image quality.
Beginners can look into the camera’s viewfinder to examine their shot before taking it.
Plus, can adjust the previewing of the effect and other details and can be seen in real-time on the 3.2-inch touchscreen.
Overall, the camera performs pretty well. It is best suitable for beginners for both stills and video.
Reasons To Buy
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Built-in photography tutor
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High-speed image processing
- 4K UHD movies
Reasons To Avoid
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Lacks custom settings
- Lenses are expensive
What is the Nikon z50 best for?
The Nikon Z50 is the best beginner camera as it provides useful features and stunning image and video quality in many activities. Its down-fold screen and ability to shoot in any condition of light makes it a top choice.
Score Results
Travel photography: 9.0
Landscape photography: 9.0
Sports & wildlife photography: 9.0
Vlogging: 7.0
Action video: 9.0
Sony Alpha 6000
Sony Alpha 6000
Starting at
$650.00
- Type: DSLR
- Megapixel: 24.3
- Sensor type: CMOS
- Sensor size: APS-C
- Lens mount: Sony E-mount (FE-mount also supported)
- Continuous shooting speed: 11fps
- Max video resolution: FullHD at 60p
You can try your hands on the Sony A6000 as a beginner. The camera is a Digital SLR that gives you realistic image output using its 24.3 MP Exmor APS HD CMOS Sensor.
It is equipped with a well-performed BIONZ X image processing engine that saves your image three times faster. It has 4D focus, 179 AF points, fast hybrid AF, Eye AF, and Lock-on AF.
For video, it offers pretty good results. You can expect to shoot a video at the highest resolutions of 1920 x 1080 at 60p, 60i, and 24p fps and save in MPEG-4, AVCHD and XAVC S formats.
Some of the favour things that we found are the alignment of its digital viewfinder and no 4K recording for video shooting or cinematics. This is the best camera for beginners.
Reasons To Buy
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Fast and accurate shooting
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Upto 11 FPS Continuous Shooting
- Tiltable LCD screen
Reasons To Avoid
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No touchscreen
- No 4K capability
What is the Sony alpha 6000 best for?
The Sony’s Alpha 6000 series camera is really good for landscape photography. It takes pretty shots with good details of colour and composition.
Score Results
Travel photography: 7.0
Landscape photography: 7.0
Sports & wildlife photography: 5.0
Vlogging: 5.0
Action video: 6.0
Sony ZV-E10
Sony ZV-E10
Starting at
$1,499.00
- Type: Mirrorless
- Megapixel: 24.2
- Sensor type: CMOS
- Sensor size: APS-C
- Lens mount: Sony E-mount
- Continuous shooting speed: 11 fps
- Max video resolution: FullHD at 60p
Sony ZV is another best beginner camera to buy.
It performs better than Sony A6000 and delivers a better video experience with its Vlog-centred camera. Plus being mirrorless, it feels lighter and more compact when held.
You can also apply different native lenses on ZV of standard E-mount format that gives you ample styling manners to shoot and record.
This could be the best camera for travelling as it has decent object reading response, good autofocus, and live streaming through USB connectivity.
Reasons To Buy
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Superb video autofocus
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No pixel binning
- Easy live streaming
Reasons To Avoid
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No viewfinder
- No stabilisation
What is the Sony zv e10 best for?
It has 1/4000s of shutter speed motion and electronic stabilisation instead of IBIS, it is good for travel and landscape photography but not a truly action video camera.
Score Results
Travel photography: 7.0
Landscape photography: 8.0
Sports & wildlife photography: 7.0
Vlogging: 8.0
Action video: 6.0
Panasonic LUMIX G100
Panasonic LUMIX G100
Starting at
$547.99
- Type: Mirrorless
- Megapixel: 20.3
- Sensor type: MOS
- Sensor size: Micro four third
- Lens mount: MFT mount
- Continuous shooting speed: 10 fps
- Max video resolution: UHD 4K at 30 fps
The Lumix g100 offers standard features for learning photography and video shooting. Though Panasonic-invented cameras are highly used in filming, you can expect from g100 to shoot cinematic videos
For video, you can shoot in UHD at 30/24 frame rates with up to 10 minutes of recording limit. You get 20-30 minutes of recording limit in full HD mode and 10 minutes if recording slow motion.
For pictures, it doesn’t offer great quality and competitive results as Sony and Nikon do. However, it has a pretty simple system interface. You can expect to get decent stills quality but fail to shoot in low-light conditions.
Reasons To Buy
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Built-in Microphone with Tracking
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Micro Four Thirds In’able. Lens
- 5-Axis Hybrid I.S
Reasons To Avoid
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Smaller sensor
- No in-built stabilisation
What is the Panasonic lumix g100 best for?
Well, G100 is not that professional level camera to expect high-performance but it is doing great for vloggers and content creators.
Score Results
Travel photography: 6.0
Landscape photography: 6.0
Sports & wildlife photography: 5.0
Vlogging: 7.0
Action video: 5.0
OLYMPUS E-M10 Mark IV
OLYMPUS E-M10 Mark IV
Starting at
$699.99
- Type: Mirrorless
- Megapixel: 20
- Sensor type: MOS
- Sensor size: Micro four third
- Lens mount: MFT mount
- Continuous shooting speed: 8 fps
- Max video resolution: 4K at 30 fps
Looking for the best camera for beginners? Olympus E M10 Mark IV is a decent-performing mirrorless camera that dispenses intermediate features found in entry-level cameras like Nikon z50 and Canon EOS 90D.
You can find it pretty much similar to the Lumix G100 as it has the same MOS sensor with an equivalent reading of sensor size. But it has a strong solid built quality and comes at an outstanding budget-friendly price.
With this camera, you can do some good-quality picture-taking and video shooting in the daytime. As it has a micro four-thirds sensor, it fails to capture details in low light. Also, you will find yourself struggling with subject reading and stabilisation in low light.
Reasons To Buy
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Flip-down monitor
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Always-on connection
- 16 Art Filters
Reasons To Avoid
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No mic port for video
- Not good in low-light
What is the Olympus e-m10 mark iv best for?
Equipped with a 20 MP MOS sensor which performs very well in various genres such as landscape shooting and wildlife photography. You would also get good results in vlogging and action shooting content.
Score Results
Travel photography: 9.0
Landscape photography: 9.0
Sports & wildlife photography: 9.0
Vlogging: 7.0
Action video: 9.0
Canon PowerShot SX620 HS
Canon PowerShot SX620 HS
Starting at
$487.99
- Type: Compact
- Megapixel: 20.2
- Sensor type: CMOS
- Sensor size: 1/2.3-in type
- Lens mount: Not disclosed
- Continuous shooting speed: 7 fps
- Max video resolution: Full HD at 30 fps
Neither a mirrorless nor Digital SLR camera, it’s a small, compact, and affordable travel-zoom camera that shoots up to 7.1 shots/sec with its immersive 20-megapixel resolution.
Best camera for beginners to capture travel and everyday moments without boiling their head and hand, thanks to point and shoot principle.
However, the camera is too small which might not best fit for every beginner.
Also, there are constraints of lens deployment which again restrict the ability to shoot photos applying different lenses.
Reasons To Buy
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Stabilised zoom lens
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1080p Full HD video
- Wi-Fi and NFC
Reasons To Avoid
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No touchscreen
- No viewfinder
What is the Canon sx620 best for?
Its compact camera comes with 625mm reach lens which allows you to capture decent sports and wildlife stills. As it is lightweight and slim, it’s good for travelling as well.
Score Results
Travel photography: 7.0
Landscape photography: 7.0
Sports & wildlife photography: 7.0
Vlogging: 6.0
Action video: 5.0
Canon EOS M50 Mark II
Canon EOS M50 Mark II
Starting at
$589.95
- Type: Mirrorless
- Megapixel: 24.1
- Sensor type: CMOS
- Sensor size: APS-C
- Lens mount: Canon M
- Continuous shooting speed: 10 fps
- Max video resolution: UHD 4K at 24p
Canon EOS M50 is ultimately the best beginner camera.
Canon improved a lot of things in the M50 to make it more competitive and positioned its value among similar other camera brands.
You can shoot pretty good-quality cinematic video and experience improved dual-pixel CMOS AF when taking stills or recording videos. The AF reading time is superb and responsive.
With the vari-angle touchscreen LCD, it delivers convenience when shooting and recording movies. Overall, M50 is worth and the best camera for beginners.
Reasons To Buy
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Vari-angle touchscreen
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Eye detection AF
- Face detection
Reasons To Avoid
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Compromised 4K video
What is the Canon m50 mark II best for?
M50 is a mirrorless camera that boggles DSLR brothers with its stunning image quality and excellent AF response. Being said that, the camera is perfect for landscape and vlogging.
Score Results
Travel photography: 7.0
Landscape photography: 9.0
Sports & wildlife photography: 7.0
Vlogging: 8.0
Action video: 6.0
Canon EOS R50
Canon EOS R50
Starting at
$679.00
- Type: Mirrorless
- Megapixel: 24.2
- Sensor type: CMOS
- Sensor size: APS-C
- Lens mount: Canon M
- Continuous shooting speed: 12 fps
- Max video resolution: 4K 30p (6K oversampled)
Searching for the best camera for beginners?
Canon R50 is friendly to newcomers and offers ergonomic controls at a glance.
You won’t get trembling to find buttons because everything is just placed rightly to increase the shooting experience.
As it is mirrorless, the body is not built large, thus small in size that just feels comfortable (but not for everyone) and has a decent electronic viewfinder that delivers a pleasant live image view.
However, the r50 is incredibly known to take spontaneous images both day and night times.
It has a simple interface, simple learning curves, and packs excellent photos which are perfectly fine for beginners.
Reasons To Buy
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Auto subject detection
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Continuous shooting with 12 fps
- Advanced A+ Assist
Reasons To Avoid
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Lacks the latest tracking options
What is the Canon m50 mark II best for?
With the m50 compact design camera, one could expect to shoot 4K and vertical movies, live youtube streaming, and good low-light image quality.
Score Results
Travel photography: 8.0
Landscape photography: 9.0
Sports & wildlife photography: 7.0
Vlogging: 7.0
Action video: 4.0
Nikon D3500
Nikon D3500
Starting at
$550.00
- Type: DSLR
- Megapixel: 24.2
- Sensor type: CMOS
- Sensor size: APS-C
- Lens mount: Nikon F
- Continuous shooting speed: 5 fps
- Max video resolution: 1080p
The D3500 in our review is not confidently built for beginners but due to its good specs, it may be good to bet on.
It’s a compact and likeable DSLR camera for beginners.
It shoots pretty fast with good quality colour tone and skin tone output but fails to shoot quality videos or low-light stills in expected quality.
However, the built quality is ergonomic and powerful. The handheld experience is good and you won’t find any pinpoint in the joystick and button functions.
It’s good if you are low on budget. This camera won’t deliver much but help you develop a good portfolio of photography in your beginning journey.
Reasons To Buy
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11-Point AF System
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SnapBridge Bluetooth Connectivity
- 5 fps Shooting
Reasons To Avoid
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LCD has no tilt or touchscreen
- Poor performance in low-light
What is the Nikon D3500 mark II best for?
The D3500 is an entry-level camera and not a high-level professional camera. At its price and specs, it shoots decent photos and video of a kid’s birthday or soccer game.
Score Results
Travel photography: 6.0
Landscape photography: 4.5
Sports & wildlife photography: 5.0
Vlogging: 3.0
Action video: 4.0
Panasonic LUMIX FZ1000
Panasonic LUMIX FZ1000
Starting at
$823.09
- Type: DSLR
- Megapixel: 24.2
- Sensor type: CMOS
- Sensor size: APS-C
- Lens mount: Nikon F
- Continuous shooting speed: 5 fps
- Max video resolution: 1080p
What is the best camera for beginners?
Panasonic’s Lumix FZ1000 is a DSLR-style camera with a 16x/25-400mm range, a 1-in sensor, and 4k video recording capabilities.
It was launched in June 2014 and is a new premium category in the Lumix super-zoom lineup.
It doesn’t replace the still popular FZ200, instead complementing it.
Being a bridge-style camera, it is genuinely shaped like a mirrorless camera but doesn’t support interchangeable lenses.
This means, no new lens can be attached, you have to use its default leica that comes with 16x optical zoom with an f2.8 -f4.0 lens.
Outside the specs and performance, the camera comes with portable connectivity features such as bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a 16GB card, an audio/video port, and a carry case to ignite your shooting experience.
Reasons To Buy
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Hybrid O.I.S.
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Wi-Fi for remote imaging control
- 4K imaging performance
Reasons To Avoid
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Cannot change lenses
What is the Panasonic fz1000 best for?
Not incubating high prices instead being budget-friendly, it’s a good camera with no disappointment criteria. It does a great job at capturing stills and recording videos in dark light.
Score Results
Travel photography: 7.0
Landscape photography: 8.0
Sports & wildlife photography: 7.0
Vlogging: 6.0
Action video: 6.0
Tips For Picking A Perfect Camera For Beginner
As a novice, it is difficult to find a perfect camera. As you don’t know about curves and downsides about cameras, it also could be hard to decide the budget.
Here’s some valid tips that will help you pick the best camera for beginners.
Decide your budget
This is a very basic step and should be done first. There are many cameras of several brands with varying prices from low to high and very high in the market.
As you pick your first camera, keep your budget balanced so other financial expenses won’t get disturbed. We recommend keeping it between $440 – $620 (as it is economical).
Handheld experience
The next step is about checking the cameras’ ergonomics. It would be good if it fits rightly in your hand. If that feels small, avoid it.
Many cameras aren’t good at ergonomics. Do gently check for button alignments.
If you find it hard to press the shutter button, avoid buying it. Or if you feel uncomfortable with the joystick and D-pads function, you can try another camera model.
Support multiple lenses
Buying a camera body is only half a job. Camera lenses play an important role in photography and video shooting.
A lens helps you take not only a sharp and better picture but does help in reading the subject effectively. You can go with Canon lenses for taking bright and excellent colour-tone photos.
Remember, different types of lenses help photographers to capture different styling of scenarios. Look for what type of lens mount your camera supports and what functions it offers.
Camera sensor
Majorly pro shooters rely on full-frame camera sensors as it allows them to capture stills by utilising the full sensor’s ability, resulting in brighter images than compared to BSI APS-C and Micro Four Third sensors.
There is no hard and fast rule that you should buy a full-frame camera. APS-C sensors also deliver pleasant photos and are smaller than full-frame cameras so their body is also smaller and feels compact.
If your hobby is wildlife photography, you should then consider full-frame sensors. If you are a travel prowess, an APS-C sensor would be a good pick for you. Or otherwise, if on a budget, a micro four thirds sensor size is also good.
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DSLR vs Mirrorless Camera: Which Is Good For Beginners?
There is no hard and fast rule that mirrorless cameras are best for everything. However, mirrorless-built cameras are better in many terms than DSLR cameras.
- DSLR cameras use a pentaprism system to reflect light to the viewfinder, making the camera bulky and big. This means the prison reads the light exactly what it sees through the lenses. This is the reason DSLR cameras take realistic-looking images with human-eye colour theory.
- Mirrorless cameras don’t use pentaprism technology to read light as it is digitally displayed on an LCD screen. It has an electronic viewfinder that reads the subject with details.
Compared to DSLR cameras, mirrorless cameras read the subject a bit slower (not that slow, it’s okay) which makes photographers wait for the shutter click.
Considering its compact size, electronic viewfinder, higher refresh rates, fast continuous shooting, great autofocus, and better low-light performance, it is good to buy a mirrorless camera over a DSLR camera.
Summary: Best Cameras For Novices
| IMAGE | PRODUCT NAME | FEATURES | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Nikon Z50 |
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Buy Now |
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Sony Alpha 6000 |
|
Buy Now |
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Sony ZV-E10 |
|
Buy Now |
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Panasonic LUMIX G100 |
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Buy Now |
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OLYMPUS E-M10 Mark IV |
|
Buy Now |
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Canon PowerShot SX620 HS |
|
Buy Now |
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Canon EOS M50 Mark II |
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Buy Now |
 |
Canon EOS R50 |
|
Buy Now |
 |
Nikon D3500 |
|
Buy Now |
 |
Panasonic LUMIX FZ1000 |
|
Buy Now |
We know its hard to pick the best camera and if you’re trying for the first time, it’s definitely inflexible.
But the guide illustrating the best beginners cameras are best and worth to give a try.
Read the pros and cons of each listing and compare with others, to select the best camera for yourself.
That’s all in this blog…! Thanks for investing your valuable time.
Recent Updates
- July 21, 2023: Reviewed the accuracy of the article with some modifications to text for reliability and speech.
- July 21, 2023: Mentioned each camera’s scores in various categories through internal surveys.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I pick a good camera for a beginner?
As a beginner, check the ergonomics of the camera and the features that it may offer. Both should be perfect so you get excellent results in the end.
Is Canon or Nikon better for beginners?
Profoundly, Nikon-created cameras are more affordable than Canon and many beginners go for Nikon cameras to learn photography.
What cameras do beginner photographers use?
The best cameras for beginners are Nikon Z50 (mirrorless), Sony Alpha 6000 (DSLR), Canon EOS R50 (mirrorless), and OLYMPUS E-M10 Mark IV (mirrorless).
Is mirrorless or DSLR better for beginners?
DSLR cameras are easy to learn but built heavily. Mirrorless cameras are lightweight but have many learning curves. In conclusion, it depends on you entirely.
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