Buying a digital camera is a very different experience than it was a year or two ago. Smartphone cameras keep getting better, so there are a lot fewer buyers out there for budget pocket shooters. And because of that, there aren't that many good, inexpensive options. Meanwhile, entry-level SLRs have serious competition for your dollar from mirrorless rivals, and if you've got a bigger budget you can opt for premium pocket models with large image sensors, midrange interchangeable lens models, or bridge-style superzooms that bring distant subjects into close, clear view.
We've highlighted our favorite model from each of the categories we cover in the chart above, but read on if you want to know more about your options in today's market.
Pocket Friendly: The Entry-Level Point-and-Shoot
It's no secret that smartphones have seriously hurt the demand for entry-level point-and-shoot cameras. You can buy any number of sub-$100 no-name cameras at online retailers, but none are worth your money if already own a decent smartphone. But if you move up to the $100 to $200 bracket, you have some solid options from Canon and Nikon, including the Canon PowerShot Elph 170 IS.
These slimline shooters pack zoom lenses, which set them apart from smartphones, but for the most part use dated CCD sensor technology, which limits image quality when shooting at high ISO settings and cuts the maximum video quality to 720p. But if you're looking for a small camera to carry on vacation or nature walks, you still have a few inexpensive alternatives to a smartphone.
See How We Test Digital Cameras
Moving up to the $200 to $400 price nets more modern CMOS image sensors and very long zoom lenses—30x is the standard at this point. For the most part video is still 1080p—Panasonic has put 4K into one of its slim long zoom models, the ZS60 ($449.99)—but you'll also see cameras with small electronic viewfinders, Raw shooting capability, and very quick autofocus. Pure image quality is going to be a little bit better than most smartphones, with the real advantage being the zoom lens.
It's also in this price area where rugged, waterproof models live. Our current favorite, the Olympus Tough TG-4, can go as deep as 50 feet, offers a macro ring light accessory, and can shoot in Raw format. There are competing models available from Fujifilm, Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, and Ricoh. And, of course, if you're more into video, a small action cam like those popularized by GoPro is also an option.
For more, check out The Best Point-and-Shoot Cameras.
Small Camera, Big Sensor: Premium Compacts
You may scratch your head when you see pocket cameras with fixed lenses selling for anywhere from $400 to $1,000. After all, you can get an interchangeable lens model for the same price. But these slim, premium shooters target a very specific market—photographers who already own a mirrorless camera or SLR and a bunch of lenses, but want something small as an alternative option.
For a long time the premium models sported 1/1.7-inch class sensors, which offered modest advantages over the more common 1/2.3-inch type found in entry-level cameras and premium smartphones. Sony changed that in 2013 with the RX100, which brought the 1-inch sensor class into the spotlight.
A 1-inch sensor has roughly four times the surface area of the chips used in premium smartphones and entry-level point-and-shoots. That leads to significantly clearer images, especially at high ISO. The industry has settled on 20MP of resolution for this sensor type, which delivers an excellent balance of image quality and noise control.
With the larger sensor comes a shorter zoom. For the most part you'll see models like the Sony RX100 III with its short 2.9x (24-70mm) reach, or the slightly longer 4x lens (25-100mm) used by the Canon G7 X Mark II. These lenses capture a good amount of light throughout their range—both the Sony and Canon have variable f/1.8-2.8 designs—and the optics required to do that necessitate a large front element and short zoom range.
Panasonic has one long zoom 1-inch model that's pocket friendly, the ZS100, which sports a 25-250mm f/2.8-5.9 lens. It's not going to be as good in low light as models with shorter lenses with wide apertures, but is a solid option for travel. Bear in mind the 1-inch sensor size typically nets solid image quality through ISO 3200, and even to ISO 6400 if you opt to shoot in Raw format. That's much better than you get with a small sensor compact.
There are also models out there with even larger image sensors and shorter zooms or no zoom at all. The Panasonic LX100 uses a Micro Four Thirds sensor and the Canon G1 X Mark II offers a modest zoom lense. Models like the Ricoh GR II and Fujifilm X100T uses APS-C sensors, the same size found in consumer SLRs, but marry them to high-quality fixed focal length lenses. The X100T goes as far as to include a hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder, which sets it completely apart from the competition. If you're willing to really break the bank, you can move up to a compact with a full-frame image sensor. There are only two models on the market at the moment—the Sony RX1R II and the Leica Q.
Models with 1-inch sensors tend to have much more modest reach. The Panasonic FZ1000 has a 16x (25-400mm f/2.8-4) lens with a wide aperture design and excellent image quality. The longest lenses are found in the Canon G3 X, which is relatively affordable but has an autofocus system that leaves a lot to be desired and lacks a built-in viewfinder (a must-have with a long lens), and the superb, but extravagant Sony RX10 III. Both cover a 24-600mm (25x) range, with the Sony having a significantly brighter f/2.4-4 lens.
If you're the type of photographer who likes the feel of an SLR, but doesn't plan on buying any additional lenses, a 1-inch bridge model could be a very good fit and serve as your one and only camera. There's a premium in price, especially if you want that 600mm reach, in going with the all-in-one option.
Conversely, a 65x model like the SX60 HS is a solid choice if you're looking for a light kit that's versatile enough for landscape and nature shots, hikes in the woods, and trips to the zoo. It won't keep up with a 1-inch model in dim indoor lighting without a flash, but will deliver excellent results in daylight.
We've rounded up The Best Bridge Cameras for your perusal.
Entry-Level Interchangeable Lens: SLR and Mirrorless
For a long time we've looked at mirrorless cameras and SLRs as two distinct classes. And while that distinction still has merit at the higher end of the spectrum, for entry-level photographers the lines are blurred.
We've been disappointed that features common in mirrorless models, including tilting touch-screen displays and wireless connectivity, have been very slow to make their way to SLRs. Likewise, while Canon has made significant improvements in video autofocus in models priced $1,000 and higher, consumers are better off with a low-cost mirrorless model if they want fast, seamless autofocus when recording moving pictures.
If you're not familiar with the term, the mirror that mirrorless cameras lack is the one that directs light to an optical viewfinder from the lens. SLRs, of course, still offer that. Getting rid of the mirror box allows for a slimmer design with fewer moving parts, as well as more accurate autofocus. And, with the latest spate of models, autofocus is fast. So fast that you won't miss shooting with an SLR.
If you're willing to live without a viewfinder of any sort and use the LCD to frame shots, you can find solid mirrorless models for under $500, including a kit lens. Like SLRs, different manufacturers support different lens formats. If you buy a Sony mirrorless camera, you'll stick with Sony E and FE lenses, and if you opt for Fujifilm you're locked into the X lens system.
The exception is the Micro Four Thirds system, which is a lens format shared by Olympus and Panasonic, and utilized by more specialized cinema cameras made by companies like Blackmagic. The MFT sensor format is a 4:3 aspect ratio, as opposed to the 3:2 ratio used by most SLRs, and slightly smaller.
Canon, Nikon, and Pentax offer entry-level SLRs with traditional optical viewfinders. Sony has continued to support the A-mount SLR system, which dates back to Minolta autofocus SLRs, but has moved to using electronic viewfinders in its Alpha SLT series. The fixed-mirror design and EVF allow the video focus system to use the same sensor as the focus for stills, which delivers autofocus on the same level as with mirrorless cameras when recording moving pictures.
Traditional SLRs struggle when it comes to video autofocus. Contrast-based methods require that the focus point move just beyond the point of crisp focus and come back to it in order to lock on, which can be distracting when refocusing to follow a moving subject. SLR makers have worked to improve this, utilizing lenses with Pulse or Stepping Motors, which are are quieter and smoother during focus, but they're still not on the same level as most mirrorless cameras.
You'll get the back-and-forth effect with entry-level mirrorless models that rely entirely on contrast for focus. But it's not as noticeable as you get with SLRs, and by the time you've moved up to a midrange price point—which is actually in line with the price of entry-level SLR models—you start to see on-sensor phase detection in low-cost options like the Sony Alpha 5100, and our favorite low-cost mirrorless camera, the Sony Alpha 6000. Both the 5100 and 6000 run circles around comparably priced SLRs in shooting speed when capturing stills, grabbing shots at 5.9 and 11.1fps respectively.
We've rounded up both our favorite mirrorless cameras and SLRs.
For Serious Shutterbugs: Premium Mirrorless and SLR
Once you cross the $1,000 price barrier, you've entered into a realm where you likely have a very good handle on whether you prefer an SLR or mirrorless camera. If you're buying in this range, you need to take a serious look at the lenses and accessories available for each system, and weigh the pluses and minuses of different image sensor formats.
Mirrorless cameras have gotten better and better in terms of tracking autofocus in recent years. Top-tier models like the Sony Alpha 6500, Fujifilm X-T2, and Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II track subjects and fire off images as quickly as comparable SLRs. Depending on which system you have your eye on, and what type of shooting you do, you may find that lens selection to be perfectly adequate.
Micro Four Thirds cameras can use either Olympus or Panasonic lenses, which gives them a leg up in the pure number of lenses available, including fish-eye, ultra-wide angle, and extreme telephoto primes and zooms. Fujifilm has a strong library of lenses, including a 100-400mm zoom that can be paired with a teleconverter for even more reach. Sony cameras, which can utilize both APS-C (E) and full-frame (FE) lenses, have you covered up through 300mm, but longer telephoto options are not available at this time.
But lens options aren't as vast as they are with the Canon and Nikon SLR systems. You have a much larger selection with a Canon or Nikon, including many excellent third-party options from Sigma and Tamron. SLR lens options like the Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary aren't matched by mirrorless in terms of value, and you also have access to exotic glass like the AF-S Nikkor 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR ($16,299.95), the likes of which simply isn't available in a mirrorless format at this time.
Canon and Nikon both offer a pair of strong midrange and pro APS-C SLRs, priced under $2,000. The EOS 80D and 7D Mark II utilize Canon's Dual Pixel AF system for Live View, which makes video autofocus just as quick as it is with a mirrorless camera. Nikon has the D7200 and the D500, the latter of which has the most advanced autofocus system we've seen in a camera at its price point.
While photographers who want to capture distant subjects and take advantage of telephoto lenses will likely love the flexibility that the APS-C and Micro Four Thirds sensor sizes deliver, there are also a number of full-frame models aimed squarely at enthusiasts. The full-frame size, called so because it matches 35mm film in physical dimension, is a solid choice for landscapes, portraiture, event coverage, and reportage.
The larger sensor provides more control over depth of field when paired with wide aperture glass. There are entry-level SLRs, like the Canon EOS 6D, which can fit just as easily into the pro category as it can in the enthusiast world.
If you're in the market for an interchangeable lens camera and want to keep the budget between $1,000 and $2,500, you have a lot of options. Perhaps too many. If you're already invested in a system, it would take a much greener field to make you jump ship, and models in this price range are very close in terms of features, performance, and image quality.
If you're buying into a system, or don't have a huge investment in lenses and accessories, the first thing I'd recommend doing is identifying which lenses you'd like to have in your bag and factoring those prices into your decision. You may find that spending a bit more on a body is worth it if lenses you're going to buy are significantly less than the competition.
And then there's the capabilities of the camera itself. You can buy a D500 or E-M1 Mark II and enjoy extremely high burst rates for image capture and 4K video recording. But if you're more of a landscape shooter and don't give a hoot about video, a full-fame model like the 6D or Alpha 7 II may be a much better choice.
The choice between an optical or electronic viewfinder is another one to consider. Modern EVFs are really, really good, and refresh quickly enough so you can track moving action. If you haven't used one in a few years, you'll be surprised at how far they've come. But for some photographers there's no substitute for an optical viewfinder, in which case an SLR will be preferred to mirrorless.
Professional Options: Full-Frame and Medium Format
Pro photographers are almost always shooting Canon or Nikon SLR systems, but there are some very capable alternatives out there. Sony has premium full-frame mirrorless models, including the 42MP Alpha 7R II, which offers a ton of resolution and 4K video recording. On the other end of the spectrum is the 12MP Alpha 7S II, which excels at extreme ISO settings and records 4K video natively, without any sort of resampling.
But it's the Canon 5D Mark IV and the Nikon D810 you're doing to see hanging at the side of your wedding photographer, or clicking away at a press conference. They're built to endure the rigors of daily use, and deliver the image quality that professionals demand.
For pro sports, you'll see bigger cameras, like the Canon 1D X Mark II and Nikon D5 on the sidelines. They don't pack as much resolution as the 5D or D810, but fire off images at much higher burst rates—12 and 10fps with continuous tracking and exposure, respectively. Sony hopes to shake up the sports market with its brand new Alpha 99 II. It matches the 1D X's 12fps shooting rate, but does so at an incredible 42MP resolution.
Beyond full-frame you move into the territory of medium format photography. In the film days, medium format referred to anything larger than 35mm and smaller than 4-by-5-inch. That's a pretty big gamut. With digital you get the 33 by 44mm sensor size used by models like the Pentax 645Z SLR and Fujifilm's upcoming GFX 50S mirrorless at the entry side of the market.
At the high end you can go for a sensor that's about 54 by 40mm in size, just about matching the 645 film size. We've reviewed one of these cameras so far—the insanely expensive Phase One XF 100MP. It offers Raw image capture at 100MP resolution, which is more than overkill for the vast majority of photographers.
We've put together a list of The Best Full-Frame SLRs if you're looking for a pro camera.
If you're still not sure which digital camera is right for you, check out all of our recent reviews and see if a particular model catches your eye. And once you're up and running, check out our 10 Beyond-Basic Photo Tips.
Featured in This Roundup
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
$3499.00 MSRP
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV balances resolution and shooting rate, making it an ideal camera for professional photographers. Read the full review-
Fujifilm X-T2
$1599.00 MSRP
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Fujifilm X-T2 is a fast-shooting mirrorless camera that doesn't disappoint when it comes to imaging, video, or build quality, and is backed by a strong lens library. Read the full review -
Nikon D500
$1995.95 MSRP
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Nikon D500 puts the company's finest autofocus system in a tough, compact SLR body that will please demanding enthusiasts and pros alike. Read the full review -
Ricoh GR II
$699.95 MSRP
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Ricoh GR II is a modest update to many a photographer's favorite pocket camera, adding Wi-Fi and a few firmware tweaks. Read the full review -
Sony Alpha 6000
$649.99 MSRP
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Sony Alpha 6000 focuses instantly and shoots at 11.1fps. Its image quality matches its speed, making it our Editors' Choice. Read the full review -
Sony Alpha 6300
$999.99 MSRP
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Sony Alpha 6300 adds weather-sealing and 4K video to the popular midrange Alpha 6000. It's the premium mirrorless camera that Sony photographers have been waiting for. Read the full review -
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III
$799.99 MSRP
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 III compact camera earns Editors' Choice accolades because of its image quality and excellent EVF, even despite its high price. Read the full review -
Canon EOS Rebel T6s
$849.99 MSRP
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Canon EOS Rebel T6s offers some big upgrades over older Rebel bodies, making it our top pick for under-$1,000 D-SLRs. Read the full review -
Canon PowerShot SX60 HS
$549.99 MSRP
%displayPrice% at %seller% The Canon PowerShot SX60 HS has a lens that covers an extreme zoom range, and even though it's on the pricey side, it earns our Editors' Choice award. Read the full review -
Olympus Tough TG-4
$379.99 MSRP
%displayPrice% at %seller% Olympus didn't add much to the Tough TG-4 camera aside from Raw shooting support, but it's as fine a rugged compact as its predecessor. Read the full review