A DSLR is the perfect tool for those looking to take their photography to the next level. To get you started, we’ve chosen the best DSLR cameras for beginners.
What’s a DSLR?
First, some brief background. DSLRs have their roots in SLRs (single lens reflex, sans digital) the dominant camera of the 35mm film era. DSLRs work the same way as their film-era counterparts, with a mirror that reflects light from the lens into an optical viewfinder, allowing you to see straight through the lens to frame your photo. When you press the shutter button, the mirror flips out of the way, the shutter opens, and the sensor (where the film used to be) is exposed to light. The shutter closes and the mirror returns (reflexes) into its starting position.
The alternative to the DSLR today is the mirrorless camera, which, as the name suggests, makes due without a mirror. The sensor is always exposed to the light from the lens, and you simply frame your photos on the LCD screen or with an electronic viewfinder. All else held equal, there is no inherent image quality difference between DSLR and mirrorless, but mirrorless cameras can be more compact while DSLRs tend to have much better battery life — and, for some people, there’s just no substitute for a real optical viewfinder. And while both DSLRs and mirrorless have a wide range of features, DSLRs tend to offer more features at the entry level price.
If you’ve decided a DSLR is right for you, here is our favorite and a few alternatives that you should consider.
Canon EOS Rebel T7i
The best DSLR for beginners
Why should you buy this: Great autofocus, fast performance, easy to use
Who’s it for: Beginners, students, parents, and just about anyone who wants a capable, easy-to-use camera.
Why we picked the Canon EOS Rebel T7i:
The T7i is on the high-end for entry-level cameras, but it is still one of the best DSLRs for beginners and offers great value. It features a redesigned guided menu that helps get novice users up to speed with various camera settings, with an easy to navigate touch-based interface and plenty of on-screen images that illustrate what different settings do.
But once you familiarize yourself with the Rebel T7i, it reveals a very powerful camera under the hood. The 45-point autofocus system is both fast and accurate, even when photographing fast-moving subjects. It can also shoot at up to six frames per second, so if you have kids who play sports or dogs who like to run around on the beach, you’ll have no problem keeping up with them. The 24-megapixel APS-C sensor took great pictures in a variety of lighting conditions, and is more resolution than most people need.
Video is another strong point of the T7i thanks to Canon’s Dual Pixel Autofocus (DPAF) technology. Many DSLRs suffer from slow autofocus performance in video mode, but DPAF allows the Rebel T7i to focus both quickly and smoothly, helping to make your videos look more professional. The camera does not have 4K, so it won’t show off the capabilities of your new 4K television, but the 1080/60p footage is fine for most home movies.
As with every camera on this list, if there’s one point of caution we would offer it is this: the Rebel T7i is a much better camera than the kit lens allows it to be.
Nikon D3500
The best budget DSLR for beginners
Why should you buy this: A cheap DSLR with images that look like you spent a ton
Who’s it for: Beginners and anyone that wants to step up from a smartphone without spending a ton of cash
Why we picked the Nikon D3500:
Both Canon and Nikon have similarly entry-level DSLRs on the market, but Nikon managed to eke out just a bit more speed and resolution with their entry-level model. The Nikon D3500 is a compact DSLR that offers a simple control scheme for photographers picking up a DSLR the first time, along with a guide mode built into the camera that explains different functions in an easy-to-understand way.
While the controls are simple, the image quality is excellent considering how little the camera costs. With a 24-megapixel APS-C sensor, the D3500 can capture images that are much better than smartphones that cost twice as much. While the 5 fps burst speed isn’t anything to brag about, it is faster than the competing Canon Rebel T7’s 3 fps. The autofocus system, likewise, has more points than competitors at the same price point.
As an entry-level model, the D3500 has a simpler menu and control scheme compared to pricier Nikons. That, combined with the low price, makes it an excellent option for first-time DSLR buyers, with potential to grow into a more advanced camera down the road without starting that lens collection from scratch.
Canon EOS SL3
The best compact DSLR for beginners
Why should you buy this: A compact, beginner-friendly camera that doesn’t skimp on performance
Who’s it for: Beginners, enthusiasts and anyone who wants a compact DSLR with decent performance
Why we picked the Canon EOS Rebel SL3:
Beginner doesn’t have to mean basic. The Canon EOS Rebel SL3 is a step up from Canon’s base model, the Rebel T7 (no i), in several ways, while it’s also even more compact. Billed as Canon’s lightest DSLR, it’s designed to be as portable as possible — but we should note that the Nikon D3500 is even a few ounces lighter. The SL3 isn’t a bottom-of-the-line model, however, and in some ways even outperforms the higher-end Rebel T7i.
The SL3 sports the same 24-megapixel APS-C sensor as the T7i, but an even newer Digic 8 image processor. While it’s still down on still shooting performance from the T7i, this gives it a big advantage over the T7 (which is still using the many-years-old Digic 4 processor). The SL3 can shoot at 5 fps speed instead of the T7’s paltry 3 fps, and boasts a much wider ISO range of 100 to 25,600. More impressive, battery life is rated at 1,600 shots per charge when using the optical viewfinder — far above competing mirrorless models.
The one advantage the Digic 8 gives the SL3 over the T7i is 4K video. However, unlike 1080p,
While performance and quality is a step above the T7, the SL3 still sports a control scheme that’s not too overwhelming for novices. The buttons and even mode dial are simplified compared to the older SL2, while a touchscreen is a plus for easier navigation. Creative Assist mode offers in-camera photography tips for beginners that learn by doing.
The Rebel SL3 is basically the DSLR version of the mirrorless Canon EOS M50. We’d suggest considering this smaller mirrorless camera if a compact body is important, but if you want both reasonably compact and the great battery life, the SL3 isn’t a bad buy.
Ricoh Pentax K-70
The best DSLR for the outdoor adventurer
Why should you buy this: The only entry-level DSLR with a weather resistant body
Who’s it for: Hikers, campers, and landscape photographers
Why we picked the Ricoh Pentax K-70:
Pentax (now owned by Ricoh) isn’t generally the first name to come up in camera discussions, but the company makes fantastic cameras with great value, and its history is as storied as that of Canon or Nikon. One thing Pentax does better than anyone else at this price point is weather sealing.
The camera’s durability certainly isn’t the only strong point, either. It is built around a 24-megapixel sensor that, like the Nikon D3400, lacks an anti-aliasing filter, giving it improved sharpness. It boasts an impressive (for the category) 6fps continuous shooting speed, equal to that of the Canon Rebel T7i.
Unlike Canon or Nikon, Pentax also employs a clever sensor-shift internal stabilization system. Beyond helping to steady handheld shots, this also allows for Pixel Shift Resolution mode, which captures four frames, shifting the sensor by a single pixel’s width each time, to record full color information at every pixel location. Due to the longer total exposure time, it’s best to use a tripod when in this mode. While this may sound complex, the result is even more sharpness; it’s a fantastic feature for landscape photographers who are already working from a tripod.
Where the K-70 falls behind is in autofocus performance, as it features just nine focus points. Also, all of that extra robustness does come with a penalty to weight: At just over 1.5 pounds for the body alone, the K-70 is nearly half a pound heavier than other popular beginner DSLR cameras.
How we test
In today’s photography landscape, every camera is capable of taking great images. While image quality differences exist between models, those differences are often quite small. When selecting the best DSLRs for beginners, we instead look at features like ease of use, features, room for growth, and of course, price.
The cameras on this list were chosen not only because they proved to be good products, but because they each offered something unique to make them stand out from the others. Any one of them would provide a big upgrade from a smartphone (or a point-and-shoot camera, for that matter). In the end, you really can’t go wrong, but one model may provide specific advantages that are worthwhile for you.
Understanding camera terminology
New to digital cameras? Here are some helpful explanations of some of the terminology and tech that you’re likely to run into along your search. There’s a lot of jargon out there, and understanding it is key to knowing what you’re getting.
DSLR – This stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex. This type of camera uses a mirror to reflect light from the lens up into an optical viewfinder. The mirror then moves out of the way when the shutter button is pressed, allowing the light to pass through the shutter and land on the sensor.
Mirrorless – A mirrorless camera, as the name suggests, does not use a mirror. Instead, light from the lens goes directly to the sensor and photos are framed on the LCD screen or through an electronic viewfinder (EVF). Mirrorless cameras tend to be smaller than DSLRs because of this.
Sensor – The digital equivalent to film, the sensor is covered in light-sensitive pixels. Each sensor “sees” only red, green, or blue light, the data being combined later into a full-color image.
Megapixel (MP) – One million pixels. Used to denote the resolution of a sensor. A 24MP sensor has 24 million pixels.
Mechanical shutter – A physical curtain that opens and closes in front of the sensor to expose it to light.
Electronic shutter – Many cameras also employ optional electronic shutters, which either bypass or are used in conjunction with mechanical shutters. Electronic shutters are silent and often much faster than mechanical shutters, but can introduce distortion into the image.
Shutter speed – The length of time the shutter remains open to expose the sensor to light. Shutter speeds typically range from 1/8,000 of a second to as slow as 30 seconds. The longer the shutter is open, the more light is allowed in, but this also can lead to blurry images. A faster shutter freezes action, but does not let in as much light.
Lens – The eye of the camera. A lens is made up of several different glass elements that focus the light onto the sensor. Wide-angle lenses have a larger field of view (good for landscapes and group photos) and telephoto lenses have a narrower field of view (good for single-subject shots like wildlife and portraits).
Aperture – The diaphragm in a lens that can open or close to increase or decrease the amount of light the lens allows in. A wider aperture also creates a shallow depth of field, which allows for a subject to be in focus while the background is blurred, a technique often used for portraits. A small aperture keeps more distance in focus and is often used for landscapes.
F-number – You’ll see this on the lenses of both interchangeable-lens cameras and fixed-lens models. The f-number refers to the size of a lens’s aperture, but a smaller number means a larger aperture. Lenses are identified by their maximum aperture value, so if you see 50mm f/1.4 that means that lens can open up to a maximum of f/1.4, not that f/1.4 is it’s only aperture setting. When shopping lenses, looking at the f-number is an easy way to compare which can let in more light and produce a shallower depth of field.
IS – Image stabilization. Different manufacturers brand this in different ways, such as OIS (optical image stabilization), OSS (Optical Steady Shot) or VR (vibration reduction). Different manufacturers put stabilization in the sensor, the lens, or both.
FPS – Frames per second. The number of photos a camera can shoot sequentially in one second, or the number of video frames recorded in every second.
4K UHD –
Full HD 1080p – Full High Definition video has a frame size of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The “p” refers to progressive scanning, as opposed to interlaced scanning which is less common today.
