The Best Cameras For Beginner Photographers

When it comes to cameras for beginner photographers, the first thing to think about is brand.

Each brand has different strengths and weaknesses. Unless you are looking for a very specific use, I find that the camera brand comes down to personal preference.

A great way to figure this out is by visiting a local camera store and trying them out. If you have friends with cameras, you can always go on a fun shoot adventure and play with different kinds of cameras. A camera should be an extension of your hand and your imagination. You want something that feels natural, comfortable, and fun!

Other than personal preference in ergonomics, menu displays, and a few shooting options, what you are going to find is the best and most important difference to pay attention to amongst different camera brands are these 4 things:

• Color rendering
• Sensor capability
• Lens variety
• Accessories

For example, in the world of color, Sony and Nikon use a similar sensor, so their images render color quite similar.

Fuji, for example, has a very well developed color theme as they have experience in the analog world, and spend a lot of their energy in developing color rendering to match that of their film stocks.

Canon has its own look in terms of color and contrast, it’s not good or bad, just personal preference.

In terms of lenses, one can argue that Sony has a bigger offering of affordable lenses, while canon has a better offering of high-end pro lenses.

However, as a Nikon shooter, I appreciate the fact that Nikon has ensured a mounting system that pretty much guarantees you can use ANY NIKON LENS EVER MADE. For me, that’s a huge win (I even own a lens from the 80s that cost me $100 at an equipment sale, and it is the sharpest most affordable macro lens I ever found). I never found I couldn’t get a lens that I needed for Nikon.

With my old Fuji mirrorless, I felt very limited on lens options and I was never able to use it for pro shoots (although that has changed a bit in recent years).

So to sum it up, when looking for cameras for beginner photographers, it is better to choose a system based on how it feels and what you love, paying attention to photographers you like, the way the colors look, ease of use, and comfort. You won’t need to worry about sensor, lens options, and others for a little while…

This is a tough one, as there are many factors that come into play. From reading my explanation on Crop vs full-frame sensors, you now know that the sensor size is going to be the biggest differentiator in price point. The 4k video capabilities and other useful functions like microphone jacks, headphone jacks, flash control, and continuous shutter speed, are also things that come into play.

In terms of pricing, I would suggest coming up with a budget that suits you and find a camera that you are comfortable with. If you are a beginner, virtually any camera you buy is going to be an upgrade to what you have (phone, point, and shoot, etc) and the learning curve is quite steep. You are going to get better FAST as soon as you get your hands in a camera you can control the settings to.

The good news: there is no one right answer, The bad news: there are too many options!

So, to summarize, and before I finally reveal the long list of my recommendations, you should know by now that no choice you make is the wrong choice, as long as it feels good for you! No choice you make is ever definitive either, I know quite a few photographers that decided to switch systems down the line, and although its a bit of a money loss, if you think about equipment as a car, as long as you got use out of it, the money you “lose” when selling, is just money spent on using your equipment.

Don’t stress so much about the camera body, as most newer models of all major camera brands are really up to date with the technologies, and if you are just starting out, chances are you won’t really notice much of a difference. Focus your choice on personal preference. This can be how a camera feels, looks, how the images output from that particular brand, or even if you have a friend who shoots a particular brand and would let you borrow some lenses or even want to go out and shoot with you.

Remember, there is no one right answer.

Now, like I said there are SO MANY OPTIONS even within each brand, so below I narrowed down to what I think are the best cameras for beginner photographers for each brand. I decided to keep the price point of the body below $1500 (with the exception of the z6, because I am totally biased to that camera as I own it and love it), as I consider most beginners would want to keep the investment moderate.

Of course, you can find cheaper options, and even more expensive ones if you are a gear head and have money to spend, but for the common folk, an investment between $500 and $1500 on a body should be plenty… and as I always suggest, better spend a little less on the body and more on better lenses… so decide your budget, and see what’s available!

Ok, without further ado, here are my best cameras for beginner photographers picks as of 2020.

I don’t particularly love shooting Sony because I don’t like how they feel, and the way their menu is laid out. I find it quite hard to figure out.

However, they are superior in their video capabilities and are a great value for what they offer. If you have never shot an SLR before, and feel pretty tech savvy, getting into a Sony might be a great place to start. For Sony I only recommend the mirrorless because the lens selection is better. I would encourage a full-frame if going with mirrorless but I’m giving you options regardless.

Sony’s strong suit is the alpha series. The new models of the a7, a7r, and a7s are all quite pricey, so if you want a full-frame Sony, I would recommend going one model before the mark 3.

I dont recomend investing in the original models (not that you can even find them around) as they are a bit outdated by now, but the Sony a7 was considered the most affordable and best investment on a full frame camera, when it came out. But with technology, it is almost always best to stick to the newest available. Things like focus tracking, auto focus systems, and other techs make huge advances every year, so keep this in mind when you are tempted to buy a much cheaper model of a camera that is from a few years ago. This applies to every manufacturer, but I find it specially true for Sony. The mark II seem to hold up pretty well for what they offer, and I just found the latest upgrades (the mark III) prices compete with some of the pro level nikon, and canon.

Unbeatable price for a full-frame sensor ($899) and much better focusing system than the original a7. Comes with a pretty impressive optical stabilization (for sharper images), and even has a continuous 5fps shutter. THIS CAMERA IS YOUR BEST BUDGET-FRIENDLY OPTION WITHOUT COMPROMISING QUALITY. Battery life is also a bit short, but other than that, this camera is probably the best price you are going to get for a full-frame sensor. If you are wanting to get into video, keep in mind the camera is limited to HD and not 4k, but strictly photography speaking, I would say it’s the best value. Otherwise, you are looking at $1400 and up for the a7rII, a7III, and the others.

Fuji’s greatest strength in my opinion is how they play along with their traditional, almost vintage, camera look and feel. I know the look of a camera is not the most important aspect, but if you romanticize photography like I do, having a camera that makes you feel creative and empowered is the best.

Fuji cameras often look like old film cameras, and they come loaded straight into the camera with color profiles that imitate old film stock. So if you love the look of old film, even some of those VSCO cam filters, you will fall in love with fuji and what they offer. I would consider Fuji quite limited in the lens capacity, but they are slowly catching up. They are also not the strongest for video features, but if you are wanting to focus strictly on photography, this shouldn’t be an issue. Fuji, like Sony, I would recommend only their mirrorless cameras (I think they only offer compact cameras other than these).

Unfortunately, if you chose to go with fuji, you will most likely want to stick to their crop sensor cameras, as their full Frame bodies all go beyond the $5000 for the body alone (they aren’t actually full-frame, they are medium format cameras, which is a step beyond full-frame! Yes they are PRICEY!). And I find even their crop sensor bodies are quite expensive for what you get. Fuji is an acquired taste, and a pretty big investment. If they were to come up with a Nikon z6 competitor, I would be the first one to consider the switch… I just LOVE how their cameras feel!

Out of the three Fuji cameras that I find are the best options for beginners, the XT200 is the most affordable at $699 and the newest model in its category. It comes at a slightly lower pixel count than the other two, but I don’t think anyone will notice this difference. You know how I feel about pixel count (it’s not about the quantity, but the size of the sensor!). You will find the XT200 is more compact, has less LCD resolution, and doesn’t have in-camera stabilization. I find it quite similar in specs to the XT30, and it is a great compact beginner camera at a great price.