When you’re just getting started in photography and you know nothing about the gear, choosing which camera to buy is a challenge. There are so many out there these days and they all offer a range of unique and confusing features that might better suit a different kind of user or type of photography. So, we’ve picked nine of the best mirrorless cameras that don’t cost a fortune but will allow you to grow and develop as your photography needs expand. We’ve set the spending limit at $1,000 for this list, although some of the cameras here are significantly less expensive than that. Do bear in mind, that with the global silicon shortage, some of these cameras may be easier to acquire than others at the moment, but we’ve tried to pick ones that still seem quite readily available where possible.

Table of ContentsMicro Four Thirds CamerasOlympus PEN E-PL10Panasonic G100 & 12-32mm LensOlympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV & 14-42mm lensAPS-C CamerasSony A6400 & 16-50mm lensCanon EOS M50 Mark II & 15-45mm lensFujifilm X-T30 II & 15-45mm lensSony ZV-E10 & 16-50mm lensNikon Z50 & 16-50mm lensFull-Frame CamerasCanon EOS RP body onlyTips for buying your first camera

The conditions we’ve set for these cameras is that they must be interchangeable lens cameras. They must offer the full range of automatic and manual exposure controls as well as both manual and automatic focus and they all need to have some form of video capability. We’ve also decided to go with only mirrorless cameras for this one. While DSLRs can often be bought for less than their mirrorless counterparts, they don’t seem to have much of a future these days and you’ll have to start over again whenever you choose to upgrade to a new mirrorless system in the future.

While each camera available today is generally better suited for different needs and uses (portraits vs sports vs vlogging, for example), we’ve split the cameras up by sensor size, as that tends to be the biggest differentiating factor amongst cameras as a thing. The list contains both body-only and kit lens options. And this is something you’ll want to pay attention to. While kit lenses aren’t typically amazing, most of them aren’t terrible, either. And if you really are a beginner and just want to be able to shoot photos better than your phone for the least amount of money possible, then one of the kit lens options would probably be best for you. Your usual kit zoom with most cameras will cover your regular day-to-day family activities, travel, vacations, etc. while giving you an introduction to things like landscapes and portraits. If, on the other hand, photography is something you really wish to pursue and learn seriously or if you have a very specific photography need, like product photography, architecture or wildlife, you might ultimately be better served by buying only the body and then a separate lens that’s more suited to the requirements of your chosen genre. But we’ll talk a bit more about that at the end. for now, let’s get on with the list to find your the best camera for beginners in 2022.

Micro Four Thirds cameras

Micro Four Thirds cameras generally tend to offer the best value for money for beginners. Their smaller sensor means that the cameras themselves and the lenses you attach to them are also usually much smaller, too. Because they’re smaller, they also often tend to cost quite a bit less than their APS-C and full-frame counterparts, too. The smaller Micro Four Thirds sensor also means you get more reach for a given focal length, making them well suited to genres such as sports or wildlife. Although there are some specialist cases for when Micro Four Thirds offers a distinct advantage over other sensor sizes (like macro or certain video applications), it is worth noting that Micro Four Thirds cameras typically have worse low light performance than APS-C and full-frame cameras, so if you’re regularly doing a lot of night time photography or astrophotography, this may not be the system for you.

The Olympus PEN E-PL10 carries on the Olympus PEN legacy from the 35mm film days. With a 4:3 aspect ratio, Micro Four Thirds emulates that “half-frame” 35mm look of the original Olympus PEN cameras, but brings it into the modern digital age with 4K UHD video, impressive low-light performance, Eye and Face detection autofocus as well as in-body image stabilisation to help you produce sharper shots when holding the camera in your hands. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a kit lens option for the Olympus PEN E-PL10, so you’re going to have to buy one separately. If you’re just starting out and want a good compact general purpose lens, the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ Lens is an excellent option at $299.

While Panasonic Lumix cameras have been a mainstay for vloggers since vlogging became a thing, the Panasonic Lumix G100 is Panasonic’s first official vlogging camera designed specifically for such use. That being said, it seems better suited to stills photography – which is why all of the cons listed below are video related. Like the Olympus PEN E-PL10 mentioned above, it comes with a lot of great beginner-friendly features and settings to let you produce some great imagery with very little experience required. But it differs from the Olympus above in that it contains a lot of advanced features that you can grow into as your needs and abilities develop. As you learn more, if you want to take your photography in a different direction than the camera thinks you should, it’s easy to bust out of those automatic modes to get as much control as you need for the best results. It’s worth pointing out here that if your primary reason for getting a camera is to learn video, rather than stills, the slightly older Panasonic G85 is probably your best bet for getting started – if you can find one. It offers many of the same beginner-friendly features as the G100 and lots of ways to grow with the system, although the G85 is generally better suited to video and vlogging with real sensor stabilisation and only a slight crop when shooting 4K video. I actually own three Panasonic G85 bodies that I use exclusively for video.

Taking on more of a DSLR-like appearance, the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV is a step up from the PEN E-PL series that offers better build quality and control options, along with an overall larger feature set. While it still contains many beginner-friendly features to help you get great images while you’re learning, it allows for a lot more growth than the PEN E-PL10 mentioned above. The built-in 20-megapixel sensor provides plenty of resolution for most uses, and 5-axis IBIS allows you to get sharper shots when shooting handheld. This isn’t quite the speed demon that the G100 is above. While you can get up to 15fps, you only get 5fps when you’re using autofocus with the mechanical shutter. But unless you’re shooting sports or wildlife, it’s rare that you’re really going to need those rapid continuous shooting speeds. One of the notable features of the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV is that it features Olympus’ signature Live Composite mode, allowing you to shoot long exposures and see how they develop as they are being recorded. This is another one where video is an afterthought rather than a priority. So, if video is your thing, you might want to look elsewhere. The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV can shoot 4K UHD video at up to 30 frames per second, but without a microphone input and only a tilting touchscreen rather than fully articulating, it’s not the best solution.

APS-C cameras

APS-C sensors are larger than Micro Four Thirds but not as large as full-frame sensors. They’re probably the most common in the digital camera world and have been a standard size since DSLRs were first introduced. You’re able to get shallower depth of field than with Micro Four Thirds with wider aperture lenses, and you’ll often see some benefits in ISO performance and noise over Micro Four Thirds, too, although they’re usually not quite as good as full-frame. For most uses, though, especially for beginners, the differences between all three formats are pretty negligible. One big benefit of APS-C cameras over other formats is that they typically have the most lens options as you can use lenses designed specifically for the APS-C format as well as lenses built for full-frame cameras, too. You just don’t get to see the full-width image when using a full-frame lens on an APS-C camera due to the slightly smaller sensor.

The Sony A6400 is one of the most popular APS-C mirrorless cameras in Sony’s lineup. It contains many advanced features from Sony’s higher-end bodies including the Sony A9, A7R III and A7 III models and introduced Sony’s Real-time Eye AF to the world, for better focusing on human subjects that might find themselves in front of your camera. This makes it ideal for not only portraits but also your general travel and holiday photos of the family, too. As well as being a very capable stills camera that’s ideal for beginners and more advanced users, the Sony A6400 does pretty well for video, too, capable of shooting up to 4K resolution at 30 frames per second or Full HD 1080p at up to an impressive 120fps. That being said, the Sony A6400 does not include IBIS. So you’re definitely going to need stabilised lenses if you’re shooting video handheld with this camera. While this one might be more of a challenge to get to grips with than some of the other cameras on this list, it’s a very capable system. If you want to learn more about photography, it provides a lot of options and features for you to explore and customise. And if you just want to be able to pull it out of your bag, snap a photo without having to think too hard about it and then put it away again, you can configure it to do that, too.

The Canon EOS M50 Mark II, like the Panasonic G100 up above, has a fully articulated LCD, allowing you to flip it out to the front or any one of many odd angles in order to see what your camera’s looking at when you can’t look directly through the viewfinder. The original Canon EOS M50 was immediately a big hit and the EOS M50 Mark II meets or (just) beats it in performance. Unfortunately, it does have a fairly tight crop when shooting 4K video, but you still end up with a wider shot than you’d get with Micro Four Thirds for the same focal length. While it is a camera that’s generally marketed more towards vloggers than photographers, it’s also an impressive stills camera, too, featuring a 24-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, with 5-axis in-body image stabilisation and continuous shooting at up to 10 frames per second. And despite Canon’s marketing, it’s arguably more useful for stills than it is for video as it has a pretty severe crop when shooting 4K video. Even though it’s not quite the camera many of us hoped it would be, especially given the many complaints about the 4K crop on the original EOS M50, but if your needs can live within those cropped focal length limitations then it’s a great little camera for vlogging (you’ll need like a 10mm lens to do it, though) or live streaming. It also offers clean HDMI out for monitoring or sending to a capture device, as well as offering native YouTube streaming and even the ability to shoot vertical video!

Initially, the original Fujifilm X-T30 was supposed to sit in this slot, but since I started researching for this guide, it’s been discontinued and replaced by the upcoming Fujifilm X-T30 II, which begins shipping next month and is priced exactly the same as its predecessor was. So, this one is about as current as it gets when it comes to its age and just as good value as the old one. The X-T30 II is a fairly minor update over the original X-T30 but it does add 1080p 240fps video, a couple of new film simulations and a new higher definition LCD. In every other respect it’s identical to its predecessor. With the announcement of the Fujifilm X-T30 II, the price of the original X-T30 has dropped a little. So, if Fuji is where you’re thinking to spend your money, then it might be worth looking out for a bargain X-T30 instead if those features aren’t important to you. The difference you save you can put towards a future new lens.

The Sony ZV-E10 is a bit like the Panasonic Lumix G100 above. It’s Sony’s attempt at a vlogging camera. But like the Panasonic G100, it performs particularly well as a stills camera, too. After all, it’s basically an A6000 series camera (like the A6400 above) in a more vlogger-friendly form factor. So if you got a passion for vlogging but also want something that can shoot decent pictures, this is a great one to learn on. It features a number of guided shooting modes and despite the lack of IBIS, Sony’s electronic image stabilisation system – Active SteadyShot – works extremely well at minimising blur from camera shake when shooting handheld. It has Face-Priority auto exposure as well as Face and Eye Autofocus systems that are pretty responsive making it equally suited to both family snaps as well as more controlled portraits. Limited exterior controls is down there as a con only if you wish to develop your photography. The ZV-E10 is at its heart a camera designed for video. So the user interface is geared towards that. If you want to just learn the basics and grab a few behind the scenes and photos or how to create well composed and sharp holiday photos then it’s ideal, but if you start working with more advanced subjects and scenes that might require a little more control, you might find yourself frustrated by the lack of exterior controls.

This camera is the reason why this list caps out at $1,000. The Nikon Z50 is the cheapest mirrorless camera that Nikon makes now and with the 16-50mm kit lens, it costs $996.95. There are no cheaper options yet, although I expect we’ll see some at some point to replace what used to be the D3x00 and D5x00 series DSLR price points. This particular camera sits at a similar level to the old Nikon D7500 DSLR. That means it’s great for more serious beginners to learn on but has a feature set that more advanced users will be pleased with, too. It’s a camera that you can grow with over time, starting with some great semi-automated as well as fully automatic shooting modes to get you started while offering a whole bunch of potential features you can tweak when you learn how and why you need to tweak them to get the camera to capture what your mind sees. While this camera is on the list because it’s the only Nikon mirrorless camera below $1,000, it’s also a decent camera for the money, too. And while it has some very nice video features, if video is your thing (or you just prefer the retro look) and you can afford to spend just a little bit extra, it might be worth checking out the Nikon Z fc. It features the same internals but has a redesigned exterior with a fully articulating display.

Full-Frame cameras

Full-frame cameras come with various benefits. They allow you to shoot with a shallower field of view and wider angle lenses. They also often have better dynamic range and low light performance than APS-C or Micro Four Thirds and often come with many more advanced features. This isn’t always the case, but it is typical. Although a full-frame camera might not seem like the best choice for a beginner, it is if you know that you want to get serious about photography. It allows you to grow and expand your collection of kit in the future as your needs and abilities also grow and expand instead of potentially having to get rid of everything and start over with a new system when your old one can no longer keep up.

The Canon EOS RP sits alone as the only full-frame mirrorless camera on this list. It’s still the only full-frame mirrorless camera available for under $1,000. Ok, so it’s only a hair below $1,000 and it’s only if you buy the body only, but it’s still below $1,000. It was one of the first RF mount cameras that Canon released and would suit you well if you’re looking to take up photography more seriously in the long term. That being said, it’s an ideal camera for beginners, too, offering a lot of great features for newer photographers, too. It has pretty solid autofocus performance with pupil detection and produces pleasing results with jpg when you’re just starting out and haven’t jumped onto the whole raw processing workflow yet. It also features a Type-C USB port through which you can charge up the camera’s battery from a power bank while you’re on the road. No in-body image stabilisation exists in the Canon EOS RP, but it can take advantage of the image stabilisation within Canon’s RF mount IS stabilised lenses natively, as well as Canon’s EF mount IS stabilised lenses through the use of an adapter. Again, a full-frame camera might seem like an odd introduction to photography, but the Canon EOS RP is kind of an introduction to Canon’s whole new RF mount ecosystem and will be the system they prioritise for at least the next couple of decades. So, if you want to take photography seriously and don’t want to have to sell your kit and start over in a couple of years, it might be a good way for you to go.

What to think about when buying a camera

When it comes to buying your first camera (or even your second or third), the amount of jargon and tech info out there can be overwhelming. But there are some things you’ll want to ask yourself to help with the decision.

Do I want to learn photography or just learn how to take good photos of my family? – A camera that’s great for easy family and vacation photos that’ll auto-everything for you isn’t necessarily a great camera if you want to expand the control you have over your camera as your needs and abilities grow. If you’re planning to learn photography, think about what will present you with the most options for the future that might be relevant to the types of photography you think you may be interested in. And if you’re just buying for those family photos, choose something that fits within your budget and perhaps has fewer options for you to have to think about when you just want to raise that camera and hit the shutter.Does it come with a lens or will I have to buy one separately? – Most cameras are available either as a body only package or in a kit package that also contains a lens (or sometimes two). The kit lenses that come with these cameras aren’t amazing but these days they’re not all that terrible either. Take a look at the prices of both lens kits as well as the body and lens separately, too. Sometimes those kit lenses can be a killer deal and worth going for. At other times, it might be worth going with a body only kit and buying a better lens separately – especially if you have an idea exactly what type of photography you want to try first.How many megapixels is it? – This one isn’t really all that important, to be quite frank. 20 years ago, when digital cameras still had single-digit megapixel resolutions, an increase of a couple of megapixels was a big deal. These days, comparing something like 20-megapixel to 24-megapixels, especially when beginners aren’t going to be fully utilising all of that anyway, is pointless. For all intents and purposes, they’re close enough that they’ll do the same job 99% of the time. Most entry-level cameras today are around 20-24MP, which is more than plenty for most uses.Does it have In-Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS)? – While IBIS isn’t essential, it is a fantastic tool for beginners who might not yet have learned good handholding techniques. Some cameras will not be stabilised on the sensor but will allow you to use stabilised lenses instead. Some allow you to combine sensor and lens stabilisation for more steadiness and a better overall result. Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS) can be better than nothing under some circumstances, but it can’t compete with IBIS.Does it have simple controls for absolute beginners? – Everybody starts out as a complete beginner. Sometimes we all need some assistance to get us through those early learning stages. Not all cameras cater to the noobs quite as well as others. So pay attention to the user interface and how access to the buttons feels. Everybody is different. In the DSLR days, most of the great Nikon vs Canon debate about buying your first camera was just about how they felt in your hands and what feels great to some doesn’t feel great to others.How are the ergonomics? – That brings me quite neatly onto this one. How does it feel in your hands? These days, with covid, getting out to actually hold cameras in person can be difficult, to say the least. But if you are able to get your hands on cameras from different brands, just to see which feel comfortable, then I would recommend doing so. It’ll very quickly help you narrow down your options.Does it offer full manual control and advanced configuration settings? – Most cameras these days and certainly mirrorless cameras offer manual exposure control as well as some form of manual focus control. Some cameras take this even further to offer more advanced control over things like a semi-automatic ISO, tons of different focus modes and assist features, focus stacking, live review of long exposures while you’re still creating them. If you want to learn photography, you’ll want to experiment with the advanced features eventually, even if just to see what they do.How important is video to me, really? – If it’s 100% about the photography and you don’t ever plan to shoot video with your camera, then ignore the video features. They’re irrelevant. But if video is something you think might interest you, how important is it to you? Is it important enough that you want the best video features possible, even if it might mean a slight compromise in its stills capabilities? Or is stills the priority and you get whatever you’re given when it comes to the video specs?Should I look at the used market? – Well, there are many great deals to be had on the used market but I’d probably avoid it as a beginner if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for. Sure, you might be just fine and get exactly the deal you were after or you might find that you’ve purchased a camera that has issues you didn’t know to check for at the time of purchasing. So, for a first camera, I’d say buy new with a good returns policy & warranty in case you get a dud.

There is no single camera that’s the absolute “best” for everybody. Each individual has their own needs, desires and personal tastes. Simply how the camera feels in one’s hand and how comfortable it is to use and find its buttons can play a big part in whether a particular person and a specific camera are suited to each other – sometimes even more so than the camera’s actual specs and features. But sometimes those specs and features can be important, too! Hopefully, this guide has helped to clear up a few things for you and make your camera buying decision a little easier. What was your first camera? Here’s mine.