I get a lot of questions on what camera to buy when people want to step up from their point and shoot or entry level camera. Here are my thoughts on what brand and model to buy broken down by cost. A year ago I would have directed people directly to a DSLR, but now that is not the case with the advancements in mirrorless cameras. So you will see a mix of DSLR and mirrorless picks. My top picks will not be filled with a bunch of technical details, but will in include some plus my thoughts on the better option and why a camera is the best in its price range.
Around $500
Nikon D3300 DSLR with 18-55 lens
Best uses:
-Entry level
-Sports and family
The NikonD3300 is a great camera package for capturing your images in this price range. Highlights 5 frames per second (5fps), decent for capturing fast action on the ball fields, Large quality sensor 24.2MP for good details. Good focusing for action and low light. Video capability Base kit includes an 18-55 lens that is okay if your subjects are close, like portraits, group shots and action shots when you are close.
What it is missing:
-WiFi (adaptor available)
-Longer zoom for bringing things close (available in the the dual lens kit or separately)
-Tilt LCD screen (good for viewing your shot at different positions without using the eye piece example:placing the camera down low on the ground)
Around $750
Sony a6000 with 16-50 lens Mirrorless
Best uses:
-Entry level
-Travel
-Sports
-Hobby
-Family
The Sony a6000 kit is one of the top mirrorless cameras and tops some DSLRs in the same price range. The only thing lacking is low light performance with focusing and sensor sensitivity (basically getting good shots in lower light). But Sony mirrorless cameras come with focus peeking (allows you to manually focus and the LCD and view finder show what is in focus), this is awesome feature something the DSLRs do not have. Includes WiFi, video capability and tilt LCD screen. As an added benefit the a6000 view finder and LCD show you what your picture will look like because you are seeing directly from the mirrorless sensor.
The Sony a6000 is a really good quality package and image quality is outstanding (many compare this cameras image quality to others costing over $2500. This camera a is mirrorless. In general mirrorless has less moving parts, in turn equals smaller and lighter body. As with all mirrorless cameras the battery life is shorter than that of a DSLR (generally the battery is smaller than a DSLR camera, for most this isn’t a problem because it will generally give you over 300 shots on one battery)
What is missing:
-Longer zoom
-Low light performance
Around $1500
Canon DSLR 70D with 18-135
Best uses:
-Sports
-Entry level professional work
-Hobby
-Family
The Canon 70D comes in on top in this price range with a 20.2MP sensor, video capability, fast focusing, tilting LCD screen, built in WiFi and rate of 7 fps. The 18-135mm lens is a great all around lens that you can take a group photo with and then zoom in and get close to sports action or wildlife.
What is missing:
-Nothing big missing
-Longer zoom would be nice to get things closer
Around $2000
Sony A7II with 28-70 Mirrorless
Best uses:
-Travel
-Landscape
-Professionals
-Advanced hobbyist
The Sony A7II is a great choice in this range with 24.3MP sensor, 5fps, image stabilizing sensor (keeps your images sharp minimizing hand shake), WiFi, tilting LCD screen, and video capability. Sony makes some of best sensors on the market and used by other camera makers.
What is missing:
-faster frame rate fps
-fast focusing in low light
-low light sensitivity
Hopefully you found this helpful, Comments are appreciated.
Thanks for stopping by !!
Eric
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