Top 9 Photography Cameras for Beginners in 2024

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Top 9 Photography Cameras for Beginners in 2024

Embarking on a journey into the captivating world of photography is an exciting endeavor, but for beginners, choosing the right camera can be overwhelming. With such a wide range of options available, it’s crucial to understand the pros and cons of different camera types to make an informed decision. In this article, we will explore popular mirrorless camera options curated for beginners.

For every camera, we’ll have some specs listed and a few words about them to help you make a well-informed decision. As prices may vary with time, they will not be listed here directly. You should decide which camera is for you and matches your spending budget.

Also, keep in mind that some cameras listed here might not be for sale with a lens. So you might need to spend extra money to buy one lens for your camera as well.

Here are our contenders:

Best Overall for Beginners: Canon R100

Canon EOS R100 (buy from amazon):

  • Mirrorless

  • APS-C sensor

  • 24.1 MP resolution

  • 3.0” fixed, 1.04m dots (no touch) screen

  • 6.5fps continuous shooting speed

  • 4K UHD at 25p (1.55x crop) max. Video resolution

  • Pop-up flash

PROS:

  • Advanced autofocus and shooting modes

  • Compact body and compact kit lens

CONS:

  • No in-body image stabilization

  • Screen does not flip or tilt and no touch-screen input

  • Crop on 4K video

This Canon R100 is the cheapest of the Canon bunch here and gives you 4K footage at a cinematic 24/25fps. Its APS-C sensor and intelligent autofocus system allow it to stand out from the competition. You can film in low light without worrying about digital noise and loss of color information. And the best part is that this is considered a hybrid camera, meaning it can take stunning photos as well.

The lack of a fully articulated screen and in-body image stabilization might be an issue for some people so keep that in mind.

Best Camera For Beginners: Canon R10

Canon EOS R10 (buy from Amazon):

  • Mirrorless

  • APS-C sensor

  • 24.1 MP resolution

  • 3.0” 1.04m dots, fully articulated screen

  • 25ps continuous shooting speed

  • 4K UHD at 60p (1.55x crop) max. Video resolution

  • Pop-up flash

PROS:

  • Advanced autofocus and shooting modes

  • Compact body and compact kit lens

  • Fully articulated screen

CONS:

  • No in-body image stabilization

  • Crop on 4K video

The Canon EOS R10 is a really good camera for the money, despite being one of the priciest ones listed. Its features are well-balanced and can suit both novice and expert users wishing to upgrade from an older camera or DSLR. It is versatile enough for light video work as well as photography. It feels lightweight, offers excellent ergonomics, and has an extremely user-friendly UI, much like most of Canon’s entry-level products. It features one of the best autofocus (AF) systems available, a high-resolution sensor, and fast burst shooting, it’s also a competent camera for a variety of photography techniques.

Best Budget: Canon R50

Canon EOS R50 (buy from Amazon):

  • Mirrorless

  • APS-C sensor

  • 24.2 MP resolution

  • 3.0” vari-angle, 1.62m dots, fully articulated touch monitor

  • 15fps continuous shooting speed

  • 4K UHD at 30p max. Video resolution

  • Pop-up flash

PROS:

  • Advanced autofocus and shooting modes

  • Compact body and compact kit lens

CONS:

  • No in-body image stabilization

This Canon R50 is the middle ground between the R100 and R10. It is often a great choice for vloggers and content creators because of the fully articulated screen. This camera can take amazing pictures as well and it’s the second cheapest from Canon’s new RF mount crop sensor lineup. It still has Canon’s industry-leading autofocus system and it packs it in a small and easy-to-carry camera body

Best Mid-range Hybrid for Beginners: Fujifilm X-S10

Fujifilm X-S10 (buy from Amazon):

  • Mirrorless

  • APS-C sensor

  • 26.1 MP resolution

  • 3.0” vari-angle, 1.04m dots fully articulated touch monitor

  • 30fps continuous shooting speed

  • 4K UHD at 30p max. Video resolution

  • Pop-up flash

PROS:

  • Image stabilization

  • Many lenses to choose from

CONS:

  • Not the best autofocus

  • Mediocre battery

 

While the Canon R10 has more reliable autofocus and better overall video features, this Fujifilm X-S10 can be a better alternative. The main advantage of this camera is the wider lens selection available for the Fujifilm crop X-mount system. Another great thing about this camera is the built-in image stabilization. This allows you to get more stable video footage but also helps with fast-paced photography. If it’s in your budget you can have a look at the Fujifilm X-S20.

Best for Everyday Shooting: Fujifilm X-T30 Mark II

Fujifilm X-T30 II (buy from Amazon):

  • Mirrorless

  • APS-C sensor

  • 26.1 MP resolution

  • 3.0” tilting touch screen, 1.04m dots

  • 30fps continuous shooting speed

  • 4K UHD at 30p max. Video resolution

  • Pop-up flash

PROS:

  • Many lenses to choose from

CONS:

  • Not the best autofocus

  • Mediocre battery

  • No image stabilization

The Fujifilm X-T30 Mark II is a lightly upgraded version of the original X-T30 and is aimed at beginners who want a mid-range model. It has great portability and more physical buttons than the entry-level Fujifilm X-T200. It’s great for travel photography because of its small, lightweight body and feels well-built.

Best Form factor: Nikon Z fc / Z30 / Z50

Nikon Z fc / Z30 / Z50 (buy from Amazon):

  • Mirrorless

  • APS-C MOS sensor

  • 20.9 MP resolution

  • 3.0” vari-angle, 1m dots fully articulated touch monitor (Z fc and Z30, just flips on Z50)

  • 11fps continuous shooting speed

  • 4K UHD at 30p max. Video resolution

  • Pop-up flash (only on Z50)

PROS:

  • Cool design (Z fc)

  • Compact body and compact kit lens

CONS:

  • No in-body image stabilization (they have only in the kit lens, labeled VR for vibration reduction)

  • No viewfinder (Z30)

  • Not many native lens options

If you want to save a bit more money, the Nikon DX camera lineup: Z fc, Z30, and Z50 are another great choice for beginners. We stacked them here together because they are the same camera, just in a different form factor. The Z50 was the first camera in the lineup and was released in 2019. It has a flippy screen but only flips down and is not fully articulated. It also still uses the annoying Micro-USB port for charging and data transfer. On the other hand, it has a built-in flash which might come in handy sometimes.

The Nikon Z fc was the second release in 2021 from the DX lineup and features a retro design but lacks the built-in flash. It also lacks some of the user-presets modes such as U1, U2 and U3 which are present on the Z30 and Z50.

The latest release was the Nikon Z30 which has no built-in flash, no electronic viewfinder (EVF), and is aimed more towards content creators. This makes it a very compact camera and it’s a pleasure to carry it around due to its great ergonomics. It takes stunning pictures, too. But, the lack of an EVF may make it difficult to shoot pictures on sunny days.

The AF on all these cameras is not as effective as the Canon R10, but it gets the job done. The native lens support is relatively limited for the new Nikon DX Z-Mount system so you will need to shop around for new lenses if you get bored of the kit lens.

Best Compact Camera: Ricoh GR IIIx

Ricoh GR IIIx (buy from Amazon):

  • Mirrorless

  • APS-C MOS sensor

  • 24.2 MP resolution

  • 3.0” fixed touchscreen LCD

  • 4fps continuous shooting speed

  • 1080p max. Video resolution

PROS:

  • Compact body

  • Built-in ND filter

  • 40mm f/2.8 lens

CONS:

  • Fixed non-zoom lens

  • Eye-level viewfinder costs extra

  • Short battery life

  • No flash

 

If you want something small and do not want to buy a myriad of lenses for your camera. This little Ricoh GR IIIx camera might be the choice for you. Because it has a large APS-C sensor, it can produce high-quality images. But all this has some downsides too, it does not have a flash, and if you want to get a viewfinder, you have to pay extra for it.

Best for Video Content Creation: Sony ZV-E10

Sony ZV-E10 (buy from Amazon):

  • Mirrorless

  • APS-C MOS sensor

  • 24.2 MP resolution

  • 3.0” 1m dots vari-angle touchscreen LCD

  • 11fps continuous shooting speed

  • 4K 30p max. Video resolution

PROS:

  • Compact body

  • Great autofocus and performance

  • Vari-angle touchscreen

  • Mountable mic muffler

CONS:

  • No viewfinder

  • No image stabilization

It’s small, it packs a lot of features and it’s aimed at content creators. Did we mention it takes great photos too? Yes, it does, but only if you can manage with the missing viewfinder. This camera has also a great lens choice to choose from. If you like Sony and want something more photography-focused, have a look at Sony a6400.

Best Serious Beginners: Sony A7 III

Sony A7 III (buy from Amazon):

  • Mirrorless

  • Fullframe sensor

  • 24.2 MP resolution

  • 3.0” 1m dots tilting touchscreen LCD

  • 10fps continuous shooting speed

  • 4K 30p max. Video resolution

PROS:

  • Uncropped 4K video

  • Great autofocus and performance

  • Vari-angle touchscreen

  • Tons of lenses to choose from

CONS:

  • Bigger than other cameras on this list

  • Burst shooting buffer is worse than on A7 IV

So you want to take pictures and want to go all in? Well, the Sony A7 III is a great beginner’s camera. It is quite old but for it’s time it has a lot of features. This camera puts you on the more advanced side of photography. It’s capable of incredible imaging and has fast shooting speeds of up to 10fps and 4K video. Even if it’s a little dated, it offers great auto-tracking. This camera can help you through your learning, and you can also take on professional jobs with it. If you have more budget you can have a look at the Sony A7 IV.

 

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