What Camera Should I Buy to Start Photography? (7 Camera Kits for Beginners!)

When you are just starting out in photography, it is a lot like doing the dishes at home. Maybe it sounds weird, but hear me out:

For a large chunk of my adult life, I lived in cheap apartments without a dishwasher. I pretty much perfected cleaning off my plates, silverware, cups, and so on with my hands, water, and some dish soap. Late last year, my wife and I decided to purchase a dishwasher, and WOW – everything changed. I’m not a lazy person, but it’s nice to not have to hover over the sink for 30 minutes every couple of days.

So…what changed?

Ultimately, the goal is to have clean dishes. Both methods work to get to that end goal, and the tools being used do the job as expected. It should be obvious – the sink, soap, and elbow grease method was an accessible route, and the materials pretty cheap. On the other hand, we spent over $1,000 on our dishwasher – a tool that is ultimately saving us a lot of time, some utility costs, and is getting the job done very well!

Buying a camera is a lot like this!!

There are cheap options that work – especially if you are just starting out.

On the other hand, there are more expensive options that work really well and have some features you just won’t find on the more budget friendly and affordable cameras.

What camera YOU should buy really depends on a couple things:

• How serious are you to pursue photography? Do you just want to make it a relaxing hobby you do from time to time, or do you think you’d like to find a career in photography one day?
• What’s your budget like? Just because you’re a “beginner” doesn’t mean you have to start on a $400 camera setup. While this can and will work for some people, you might have more money to spend, so why not get right to the cameras that won’t have limitations of the less expensive options?
• What are you going to be taking pictures of? Your choice of photography equipment will be influenced by the main subjects you will be photographing. I’ve made plenty of purchasing decisions knowing full well that portraits would be my focus.
• When will you be engaging in photography? If you are just planning to be out in the bright sunlight taking photos, you’ll probably have pretty good images regardless of the camera you buy. When it comes to photography in low light environments, it’s a whole different ballgame.

My Recommended Camera’s for Photographers Just Starting Out

Let me preface this section by just saying this:

It’s most likely that if you are just getting started with photography, you’re not going to want to drop thousands of dollars out the gate.

If you are more interested in the best quality equipment, which does cost more, I’d suggest checking out our Recommended Gear section for a list of the best cameras out there. These are absolutely suitable to use for even beginners and frankly easier to use (much like a dishwasher vs. washing dishes by hand). But, I do understand that most people beginning want to start off cheap to see if it’s right for them (and that is totally cool!).

The recommendations here are made with this in mind.

There are some great beginner camera kits you can get that are very affordable with good quality.

In the rest of this post, I’ll show you these great camera options and talk about what they have to offer.

7 Great Camera Kits for Beginners Just Starting Out

All of these camera kits include the camera body and a lens. Some kits will also include additional accessories at no additional cost (or minimal additional cost) like SD cards, a cheap flash, a camera bag, etc.

Each camera is valued at $550 or less – making for a perfect price point for beginners.

To see the current price, user reviews, and other details – be sure to click the links below to find out more!!

1. Fujifilm X-A5

The Fujifilm X-A5 is an appealing beginner’s mirrorless camera. Because of the newness of the technology, you will end up paying a little bit of a premium compared to a starter DSLR camera – but in exchange you get a very simple to use and lightweight camera.

This particular camera is basically the next step up from a point-and-shoot. There is no proper viewfinder – instead you will use the 3″ screen to see what you will be photographing.

The included kit lens (XC15-45mmF3.5-5.6 OIS PZ Lens) is suitable for a range of photography styles. The aperture range is fairly limiting – so if you decide you want to advance your camera work with this camera, you will need to get a better lens down the road (which may end up costing as much as the camera kit itself!). The Fujifilm X-A5 is compatible with all Fujinon X-Lenses.

If you are simply looking for a camera that will take better quality images than your phone, yet be just as easy to use, this will be suitable.

Key features:

• Mirrorless camera
• 24.2 megapixels
• ISO range: 100 – 51200
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Support
• 77-Point Auto Focus System
• LCD Viewfinder
• 3″ LCD Screen for reviewing images and navigating menus
• Battery Pack & Charger
• Neck Strap
• 4K Video Support

2. Canon EOS M100

The Canon EOS M100 is another simplified mirrorless camera for beginner photographers to consider. The specs for this camera are actually very comparable to that of the Fujifilm X-A5 we just looked at above. Even the included lens is very similar, with a slightly larger aperture range of f/3.5 – f/6.3.

The most significant differences will be the actual look of the camera – it’s just a simple black as we’ve come to expect from Canon cameras in general. In addition, the image color is also warmer and more vibrant than the Fujifilm option, which is fairly commonly seen throughout Canon’s products.

This is a great option if you want an even more simplified camera at a lower price point. There are better mirrorless and DSLR cameras that you can purchase to start with, but this suits plenty of people who want something extremely accessible.

• Mirrorless camera
• 24.2 megapixels
• ISO range: 100 – 25600
• Built in Wi-Fi,  NFC Technology, and Bluetooth Support
• 49-Point Auto Focus System
• LCD Viewfinder
• 3″ LCD Screen for reviewing images and navigating menus
• Battery Pack & Charger
• Canon Neck Strap
• 4K Video Support

3. Canon EOS Rebel T7

The Canon EOS Rebel T7 is one of the best affordable beginner cameras you can purchase. The Canon Rebel series is actually the type of cameras we started off way back when. The T7 is the most recent model, replacing the Canon EOS Rebel T6 – which itself is actually pretty great if you are wanting to save even more money!

This starter camera kit includes the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II lens. While it does have some limitations, it is more than enough to get you started when shooting in reasonable lighting conditions. What is great about this lens is that it will expose you quickly to a wide range of focal lengths. You can take sweeping wide shots, as well as closer portraits.

One of the best aspects of this camera is it’s quality for portraits. Canon cameras notoriously have slightly warmer images – which is actually very flattering for photos of people. While this is a personal taste thing, it is one of the things that has attracted us to this brand in the first place.

PS: If you want really great portraits with a Canon camera, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens (aka: the “nifty-fifty”) is an excellent and dirt cheap lens. We actually used this lens ourselves early on into shooting weddings because we had one lying around, and didn’t have big bucks to spend on a pro 50mm lens at the time to go with our Canon 5D Mark III body.

Key features:

• DSLR camera
• 24.1 megapixels
• ISO range: 100 – 25600
• Built in Wi-Fi,  NFC Technology, and Bluetooth Support
• 9-Point Auto Focus System and AI Servo AF
• Optical Viewfinder
• 3″ LCD Screen for reviewing images and navigating menus
• Battery Pack & Charger
• Canon Neck Strap
• 1080p Video Support

4. Nikon D3500

The Nikon D3500 is the equivalent of the Canon Rebel camera we just looked at above.

In photographer circles, there are often a lot of debates about whether Canon or Nikon is better. It’s one of the debates that will probably never die down, to be honest.

From our experience with Nikon cameras, we’ve never encountered anything that would make us not want to use them. It’s just been a matter of personal taste and the simple reality that we’ve invested into Canon cameras since a young age. At this point, now that we’re 10’s of thousands of dollars invested into Canon camera equipment, going in another direction wouldn’t be a practical option.

As a beginner, you would find great performance in this camera. One of the biggest differentiators is that the image color tends to be more on the cooler side of the spectrum – again a personal preference thing.

Key features:

• DSLR camera
• 24.2 megapixels
• ISO range: 100 – 25600
• Bluetooth Support
• 11-Point Auto Focus System
• Optical Viewfinder
• 3″ LCD Screen for reviewing images and navigating menus
• Battery Pack & Charger
• Nikon Neck Strap
• 1080p Video Support

5. Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II Mirrorless Camera

Olympus cameras are well known for their durability. The Olympus Om-D E-M10 Mark II is no different. They have long been marketed as lightweight cameras for traveling photographers. With this great mirrorless camera option, they really hold up to that promise.

While you do sacrifice some image quality (~16 vs. ~24 megapixels featured on most other cameras on this list), the performance in more challenging conditions is a solid exchange.

Reviewing sample images of this camera with other mirrorless cameras on the market, you would likely be hardpressed to see any significant differences to the naked eye.

The kit lens compares well to other lenses we’ve mentioned in this post that come with other cameras. In good news, if you outgrow the lens that comes with the camera, you can get some prime lenses such as the Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f1.8 lens, which would be beautiful for taking portraits with smooth bokeh for a relatively low cost. I am honestly blown away by the quality looking at sample pictures people have taken with that thing!!

Key features:

• Mirrorless camera
• 16.1 megapixels
• ISO range: 100-25600
• Built in Wi-Fi
• 81-Point Auto Focus System and Fast Touch AF
• Electronic Viewfinder
• 3″ LCD Screen for reviewing images and navigating menus
• Battery Pack & Charger
• Olympus Neck Strap
• Built-In Flash
• 1080p Video Support

6. Sony A6000

Our favorite beginner-friendly mirrorless camera is the Sony A6000. It is one of the most feature rich mirrorless cameras in this price range. It’s hard to deny it a place on this considering one of our friends just bought one of them to use as their first “legit” camera – taking a big step up from simply using an iPhone to capture pictures.

What we love about the Sony A6000 is it’s lightweight design that is really suitable for travel. The image quality still packs an amazing punch – and has images that could give thousand dollar camera bodies a run for their money.

Key features:

• Mirrorless camera
• 24.3 megapixels
• ISO range: 100 – 25600
• Built in Wi-Fi and NFC Technology
• 179-Point Auto Focus System
• Electronic Viewfinder
• 3″ LCD Screen for reviewing images and navigating menus
• Battery Pack & Charger
• Sony Neck Strap
• Built in Flash
• 1080p Video Support

7. Panasonic Lumix G7

Lastly, the Panasonic Lumix G7 is an impressive mirrorless camera that could be classified as an intermediate level option. With that said, it still manages to fall into the low price range, so it’s impossible not to include it. It’s a stunning camera for 4K video (if you’re into that!), and takes pretty beautiful images from what we have seen.

When taken in the right lighting, it will be difficult to distinguish images from this camera from those taken on more expensive cameras.

Key features:

• Mirrorless camera
• 16 megapixels
• ISO range: 100 – 25600
• Built in Wi-Fi and NFC Technology
• 179-Point Auto Focus System
• Electronic Viewfinder
• 3″ LCD Screen for reviewing images and navigating menus
• Battery Pack & Charger
• Neck Strap
• 4K Video Support

Which camera is right for me?

The goal of this article has been to show that there are actually a lot of great beginner cameras out there. In 2019, this is more true than it has ever been since technology has advanced so much. Point-and-shoots, DSLRs, mirrorless – all of these have things to offer.

With so many options, I understand that it can be hard to choose.

Because of this, I think it’s important to keep in mind that most of these cameras have a lot of similarities. I (personally) try not to get hung up on comparing really small things.

If you’ve ever heard some photography “gear heads” debating whether Canon or Nikon is better – the end result is, really, they both take pretty great photos. I personally use Canon, but it’s mostly because that’s what I started on when I was given a camera as a kid. These days, I continue to use it – but that’s heavily influenced by the fact that I’ve invested thousands of dollars into the equipment.

Outside of things like price and features, you will likely come across a camera that really sticks out to you as “the one.” Assuming there aren’t a lot of poor user reviews indicating a problem, that is probably the camera best suited for you.

I say this because…it doesn’t have to be complicated.

While I love photography gear, it can be the biggest thing that gets in the way of those just starting out.

Just pick a camera (any from this list will do!) and run with it.

Buying through a reputable source like Amazon (all the links in this post go to there) makes it even easier thanks to 2 day shipping with Prime and a 30 day window to return it if you don’t love it. So, it’s basically no risk to you!

If you’re still not sure what’s right for you and want to talk about it, you can talk to us, too. Shoot us an email using our contact form, and Jes or I will help you make the best decision possible.