The Best Cameras for Beginners of 2024

Everyone with a smartphone is a photographer. But as good as mobile cameras are, they cannot match the quality of a dedicated digital camera, particularly in low-light situations. Not only do digital cameras feature larger sensors; they also let you swap lenses, which can add character to your shots. A smartphone is nice for taking pictures of family and friends, but consider a dedicated digital camera for the best possible quality.

The cameras on our list are an excellent place to start if you’re on your journey as a beginner photographer. While your smartphone can produce amazing results, there’s a limit to its capabilities. Our picks can help elevate your images and help grow your creative potential. As you shop, remember that the best cameras for beginners are easy to use and offer enormous benefits over your mobile device.

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Mirrorless vs. DSLR vs. Point and Shoot

When it comes to picking the right camera for a beginner, there's one choice you'll need to make immediately: point-and-shoot, DSLR, or mirrorless? These are the three main types of digital camera, and they differ greatly in design. While there are simple and complex versions of all three, here's how they generally work:

• DSLRs (or Digital Single-Lens Reflex cameras) are the traditional "real cameras" that you've seen for decades. They're bulky, mostly made by Canon and Nikon, and they have a large viewfinder on top that lets you see through the actual lens, giving you an exact view of what you're shooting. Though there are entry-level models that make things simple, they all offer full manual controls and lenses you can take off and swap when you want a different type of shot.

• Mirrorless cameras are similar, but typically smaller cameras because they don't have this optical viewfinder. Instead, their viewfinders are usually digital, giving you basically a small video of what the camera is looking at. There are a lot of advantages to this, mostly if you care about shooting video, but the biggest difference is they're smaller and lighter cameras with fewer mechanical parts.

• Point-and-shoots are any camera in which the lens can't be removed, though some have big zoom lenses and some have lenses that don't change at all. Though you may think that smaller point-and-shoots are less fancy than the larger ones with giant zoom lenses, there is a spectrum. There are compact point-and-shoots that have full manual control and large "superzoom" cameras that are meant to be used by true novices.

What Kind of Camera Should I Get?

Deciding between these three is about your priorities. If you plan to get a camera to travel with, get something small and compact that you won't mind bringing with you everywhere. If you want something you can experiment with, your best bet is likely a DSLR or mirrorless camera that will let you try out a variety of lenses. If you plan to shoot things far away, or capture video, make sure you get a camera that can handle that.

Part of the equation here is cost. Most interchangeable lens cameras come with a basic lens that doesn't offer a lot of creative possibilities. Point-and-shoots may be more restrictive, but oftentimes the built-in lens on a high-end point-and-shoot will be nicer than the basic lens that comes with a DSLR.

That is one of the reasons we really like Nikon DSLRs; the lens mount on Nikon DSLRs hasn't changed in decades so you can still attach old, cheap manual lenses and get some great photos.

Weight

Ideally, you want a compact camera that's as light as possible, without sacrificing anything. That way it won't weigh you down during hikes, guided tours, or other physically strenuous activities you might do on your trip.

Durability

Many modern point-and-shoot cameras are made of metal, making them impressively strong. But don't be careless—these gadgets contain precision-engineered motors and glass lens elements that can be dislodged or damaged. Take care of your travel camera by keeping it on a strap and try to keep the bumps and scrapes to a minimum.

Does Sensor Size Matter?

Yes. The general rule of thumb is that larger sensors can capture more light, making a camera more capable in a wide array of shooting scenarios. Bigger sensors can also render images differently, making for blurry backgrounds of subjects. This look is known as "bokeh," and even though smartphones can fake it with software, the real deal can often look much more convincing.

Do I Need a Camera Bag?

It's a good idea. Camera bags often give you enough room to protect not only your camera but also your must-have accessories. It's a surefire way to keep track of your camera, charger, spare batteries, and memory cards.

Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority Modes

These modes let you set either the aperture (how much light is let into the camera's lens) or the shutter speed (how fast the shutter opens and closes) while the camera controls the rest of the aspects of taking a photo. These two modes will either let you control the depth of field with the aperture or how much blur is in a photo of a moving subject with the shutter while taking other considerations out of the equation.

Exposure Compensation

Exposure compensation is a control that lets you easily tell the camera that you want an image to be brighter or darker. The camera’s settings will alter automatically to accomplish the effect you want. Some cameras even have a dial that lets you set how much you want to change the look of the final picture.

Prime vs. Zoom Lenses

Lens terminology is extremely confusing to first-timers, but the most basic thing you'll need to know is prime versus zoom. Zoom lenses are any lenses that let you "zoom" from one perspective to another. Though we most often think of this as getting a close-up shot of something far away, there are wide-angle zooms as well that do the opposite. If a lens has two different focal length numbers (e.g. 18-55mm or 16-35mm or 18-200mm) then it is a zoom lens.

Prime lenses don't let you zoom in or out, but just give you one fixed perspective (e.g. 50mm or 35mm or 24mm). Since the glass lens elements don't need to move at all, these lenses are usually lighter and cheaper than similar-quality zoom lenses.

One confusing note here is that you can't easily compare the millimeter focal length numbers from between two cameras unless they have the same size image sensor. Explaining why is a bit beyond the scope here, but most lenses are listed with a "full-frame equivalent" focal length. A "full-frame" equivalent from 35mm to 50mm is pretty close to "normal" or roughly what your eyes would see standing at the same distance. If the focal length number is bigger, the lens will produce pictures that are close-up, if they're smaller, it'll give you a wide-angle view.

In a nutshell: if you want to take pictures of things far away, look for a lens with a bigger focal length, if you want to shoot wide-angle photos, get a smaller focal length.

What Else Do I Need?

For most cameras, the only thing you'll need to add to your purchase is an SD card to record your pictures to. You can check out our roundup of the best SD cards here, though pretty much any newer card will do great. Many mirrorless and DSLR cameras are sold as bundle deals from major retailers, so you can usually get a camera, a bag, some filters, and maybe an extra battery thrown in with your purchase.

The biggest thing to consider if you buy a mirrorless or DSLR is another lens. In most cases, your camera will come with a 3x zoom lens that isn't worth much. For these cameras, we always recommend getting a basic prime lens. You especially want one with something like f/1.8 or f/1.4 in the name, since these give you the really smooth out of focus backgrounds that make shooting with a proper full-sized camera so appealing.

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