Best Cameras For Beginner Photographers And Videographers
Get ready to take your first steps into the world of photography and filmmaking with these incredible beginner friendly cameras!
If you’re in a rush then just take a look at the pros and cons directly below! If you want a more detailed breakdown of what each camera can do then just scroll on a little further!
best cameras for beginners in 2021:
Canon 250D
Pros -
Lightweight, Affordable, Easy to learn with
Cons -
More bulky and heavy than new mirrorless systems
Nikon d3500
Pros -
Very compact DSLR, great battery life, easy to learn with
Cons -
Small viewfinder can take a while to get adjusted to
sony a6000
Pros -
Lightning fast autofocus, very compact, crisp images, highly customisable
Cons -
No touchscreen control, mediocre kit lens, steep learning curve
Canon EOS m50
Pros -
Great electronic viewfinder, easy menu system, fast autofocus, fantastic images
Cons -
4K video heavily cropped, slow autofocus while filming in 4K, battery life could be better
Fujifilm x-t200
Pros -
Amazing look and feel to camera, large touchscreen for easy use, great looking images
Cons -
Generally more expensive than other systems, no image stabilisation, autofocus could be better
Finding the perfect camera to take your first steps with on your adventure into the vast realm of photography and videography can be really overwhelming at first. There are so many different brands, price ranges and terms you have to get to grips with at once that telling the difference between them all can seem pretty much impossible!
The real trick to choosing a camera that works best for you really depends on several factors that you won’t figure out until you are much more experienced as a photographer and filmmaker.
You don’t want to be fooled by all of the camera manufacturer’s technical jargon when making your decision on your first camera. Things like sensor sizes, the number of megapixels and the ability to record in 4k video aren’t necessarily things that will automatically make your camera ‘better’ than other models.
And on that same train of thought, just because something is ‘cheaper’ doesn’t always mean that you’re getting a good deal for the money you’re spending. If you end up outgrowing the capabilities of the camera and need to buy a new one then you will be spending extra money on the camera you probably should have bought in the first place.
So to help you navigate the minefield that is buying your first camera here are the top criteria I think you should be looking for as a beginner photographer in order of importance:
Price
Simplicity of controls
Dedicated manual mode
Range of lenses
The ability of the camera to grow alongside you
If you’re able to find a camera that ticks all of these criteria then you will know you’ve found the perfect camera for you!
Obviously the number one thing to take note of is the price of the camera versus the budget you have set aside for yourself. I would never ever suggest picking up a camera over £1000 for a total novice. You will be so overwhelmed by all of the options that you will probably never take the time to learn how it works. Like every new skill, start small and work your way up!
I personally started making films with a cheap £60 pocket camera which I used for two years before I bought my first ever DSLR, a Canon 550D. I then used that camera for close to five years before I upgraded again. You will discover for yourself when is the right time to upgrade your camera, but for now the best thing to do is just to enjoy the journey of learning all about your new camera.
All of the cameras I’ve listed below are around the same price range as my first DSLR when I got it and are cameras I would highly consider using now if I were to begin my photography and filmmaking journey again!
Best Cameras For Beginners
1 - Canon 250D
This is one of Canon’s cheapest DSLR offerings, but don’t let its price fool you! This camera has a lot of neat features packed into it that will make using and learning with it an absolute breeze. From a photography standpoint the autofocus of Canon cameras is virtually second to none and with the camera’s built-in on screen assistant you will learn very quickly what the camera can do.
The camera will be great at guiding you through everything until you’re ready to try your hand at using the camera in a fully manual setting. Think of it like taking the training wheels off your bicycle as a kid!
This camera was built for simplicity and that’s exactly what you’ll get!
From a technical standpoint the 250D has Canon’s best APS-C sensor, meaning your images will be nice and sharp, have good colours and it will perform slightly better in low light than older models. It also boasts being able to film in 4K if you want to try your hand at videography. You just need to make sure your PC can edit that footage first!
Best Beginner Canon DSLR
Canon 250D
2 - Nikon d3500
Looking through Nikon’s entry-level camera line this camera really leapt off the page at me. It has a lot of very similar features as I mentioned in the previous camera, like the in-camera guided assistant to help you learn what everything in your new camera does, super-fast autofocusing and a fantastic APS-C sensor to boot!
Nikon has made the layout of buttons on the camera very straightforward to understand, and it appears as if their fully automatic photo modes are very good at deciding what you are trying to photograph and will adjust their settings to capture it perfectly.
Cameras like this are perfect for beginners and students as it gives you a great grounding in the techniques you need to use to be able to take great photos yourself.
With that said, I do feel like it would be easy to outgrow this camera quite quickly if you are serious about taking photography and filmmaking from just a hobby to something more serious. Looking at the cost of Nikon’s lens lineup though I feel like this camera ticks all the boxes for anyone who is hoping to have something that is higher quality than just from their phone without going too in-depth into learning photography.
Best beginner Nikon dslr
Nikon D3500
3 - Sony a6000
These days Sony cameras are my go-to for both professional work and for personal projects so it makes it very easy for me to recommend this small powerhouse.
The a6000 is the first mirrorless camera in this list, meaning the lens looks directly onto the sensor that captures the image without the need for the mechanical mirror system in a DSLR. As a result, this camera is unbelievably light and tiny!
It outperforms both the Canon 250D and Nikon D3500 by a longshot in terms of technical specifications and there’s a great deal of customization you can do to have the camera shooting and feeling how you want it to. On the flip side of this though, there will be a much steeper learning curve in using this camera. The menus can feel cluttered and confusing and there aren’t built-in assistants to help you. On the bright side, there are plenty of Youtube tutorials to fill that gap in your knowledge!
One of the benefits of shooting with any mirrorless camera like this one is the fact that they all use a live electronic viewfinder rather than a traditional one. This means you can play around with your exposure settings and see exactly how your photo will turn out before you even take it.
I would highly recommend this camera to anyone who is serious about learning photography and filmmaking, as despite the learning curve this camera will stay with you for a long time before you feel like you need to upgrade.
best sony mirrorless for beginners
Sony a6000
4 - Canon EOS m50
If you were looking for a mirrorless Canon camera that mixed the capabilities of the previously mentioned 250D and Sony a6000 then this camera might be right up your alley!
The Canon EOS M50 combines the simplicity of functionality that Canon is known for in its entry-level cameras while still giving plenty of flexibility for you and your camera to grow alongside each other.
Being a mirrorless camera the M50 also benefits from having an electronic viewfinder that allows you to see how your photo looks before you take it, while still retaining the colour and autofocus that Canon is known for.
While you no longer have a built-in guide you can still find out the information you need online. That is if you haven’t begun to instinctively learn how to use the camera.
This camera is honestly a serious contender for my pick if I were to begin learning photography from scratch again. The video capabilities of the M50, however, leave a little to be desired, not because they’re bad, but because of a very strange limitation to filming in 4K where there is a very heavy crop on the image that isn’t there while filming in 1080p.
Either way, this camera is absolutely fantastic to learn with while still giving you plenty of time to grow into its capabilities.
best canon mirrorless for beginners
Canon EOS M50
5 - Fujifilm x-t200
How a camera looks really shouldn’t be important in choosing your first camera, but I’m going to be perfectly honest and say that the Fujifilm X-T200 is the coolest looking camera on this list.
It looks like the retro film cameras from a bygone age but with enough of a modern flair that it's the kind of camera that will actually make you feel like a photographer.
Just like the previous two, this camera is also mirrorless and will give you all of the benefits that come with it.
The X-T200 differs from the previous two cameras in how it approaches its layout, however. Choosing instead to have fewer buttons on the back of the camera to allow for a larger, flip-out touch screen. The buttons you would have had on the back are now either operated by the touch screen or by using the dials on the top of the camera.
While it could take some getting used to, these dials add a more photographer-like feeling when using the camera.
Additionally, the camera has autofocus that is on par with the Canon M50 and Sony a6000, so the gap really is closing in on which of these three would best suit your needs.
From a video perspective, this camera competes with the a6000 with its 4K filming and leaves the M50 behind in the dust. So it really does depend on what you plan on using the most with your camera.
As the most expensive camera on this list I would definitely recommend the Fujifilm X-T200 only to those who are already 100% certain they will be putting in the time and effort to learn how the camera works. I would say it has great potential to help those just starting out and learning the basics with its automatic modes and has incredible flexibility for when you are ready to start learning to use it manually.