I’m a complete beginner when it comes to photography, and after spending weeks scrolling through review sites, I’ve realized I need to stop overthinking and just buy something. I’m looking for the best affordable cameras for beginner photographers, but my budget is capped at $500, including a basic lens. I want to shoot mostly street scenes and some casual portraits, and I keep reading that entry-level DSLRs or mirrorless options are the way to go.
I already tried using my phone’s pro mode, but the lack of manual control over aperture or zoom was frustrating. Then I picked up a used Canon EOS Rebel T6 kit for about $300 on Craigslist, and while the image quality felt like an upgrade, the autofocus was painfully slow in anything other than bright sunlight—or maybe I just didn’t know how to tweak the settings correctly. I also briefly considered a Sony A6000, which is often mentioned in this price range, but the used prices near me seem to hover around $400-$450 for the body alone, which left me nothing for a lens. I’m not sure if I should stretch the budget or look at something like a newer Nikon or a Fujifilm X-A series instead.
For someone else who started with a strict budget like mine, did you find that a slightly older mirrorless model, or maybe a micro four thirds system, gave you better learning value than a DSLR, or did you just save up more for a different camera altogether?
I already tried using my phone’s pro mode, but the lack of manual control over aperture or zoom was frustrating. Then I picked up a used Canon EOS Rebel T6 kit for about $300 on Craigslist, and while the image quality felt like an upgrade, the autofocus was painfully slow in anything other than bright sunlight—or maybe I just didn’t know how to tweak the settings correctly. I also briefly considered a Sony A6000, which is often mentioned in this price range, but the used prices near me seem to hover around $400-$450 for the body alone, which left me nothing for a lens. I’m not sure if I should stretch the budget or look at something like a newer Nikon or a Fujifilm X-A series instead.
For someone else who started with a strict budget like mine, did you find that a slightly older mirrorless model, or maybe a micro four thirds system, gave you better learning value than a DSLR, or did you just save up more for a different camera altogether?
