(108 x 67 x 35 mm) Weight: 302g (10.6 oz.). A decent prime lens is the best investment you can make on an entry-level camera, bringing out the most of what it’s capable of. And they are FUN! I hope this guide has helped you in your quest for a great camera that doesn’t break the bank. As for image quality, Canon knows what it’s doing with colours, and the JPEGs out of the Canon EOS M100 look great. (Read this post on understanding aperture if you want to learn more about how fast apertures can help.). This advanced feature isn’t normally seen on a compact camera, let alone a mirrorless camera costing less than $500. If we're to weigh up all the options, though, our top pick is the Sony a5100 as it's small and light and gives you the best bang for your buck. (105 x 61 x 42 mm) Weight: 11.2 oz (318 g). Which is the best bridge camera to buy instead of bulky DSLRs and low-quality compact cameras? The lack of dynamic range is consistent with its 1″ sensor size, but the Sony RX100 does a good job at nailing exposure and white balance, so there’s not much need for post production. Is this a deal breaker? The P500 also struggles with basic usability. The Nikon P500 has been discontinued. The Sony RX100 is another top pick for beginners on a budget, as it has a great Auto mode that you can start out on before learning all the manual settings. If you’re lucky enough to find the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II for around $500, snap it up – despite the lack of an International warranty at this sale price, it’s a reliable, solidly built camera that won’t let you down. Yes… I’m writing this roundup of the best cameras under $500 in 2020, and yes this Sony RX100 was released in 2012 – get over it! The dynamic range performance when editing a RAW file is impressive, providing a good degree of post processing latitude at low ISOs and no more noise than is expected at higher ISO settings. The P510 also struggles with basic usability. On the mirrorless Sony a5100 however, the lack of mirror means autofocus during video recording works well, and the phase-detection AF points track your face around the screen eerily well. 8fps (both JPEG and RAW) and accurate AF will make sure even fast-moving subjects can be captured with ease. 5 Best DSLR cameras under $500. Let me preface this review with one caveat – you may struggle to get hold of this excellent entry-level Nikon DSLR. Megapixels: 20 Sensor Size: 1 inch Dimensions: 0.8 x 1.4 x 3 in. Nevertheless, the value proposition is clear: give up a bit of zoom range in exchange for extra pristine picture quality. Although it’s getting a little long in the tooth compared to the more modern mirrorless cameras in this list, it’s still a camera with some amazing features and one you can keep comfortably in your back pocket all day long. Its size makes it a good travel camera, but remember to try and pair it with a small-ish lens to really take advantage of its proportions – see also Sony a5100 vs a5000. To speed your research up, I’ve categorised each section by the most popular camera formats, with a foreword about the benefits of each type: If you’re able to stretch your budget a little further, I recommend you check out my guide to mirrorless cameras and also this one on the cheapest full frame camera – both investigate a selection of higher-priced cameras which offer more features. Read more: The best cameras for under $500 The best cheap … Bridge cameras are universal camera bodies with DSLR manual controls and a huge built-in zoom lens that takes amazing wide-angle to telephoto images. Small, light, and crammed with useful functionality not available on DSLRs, the best mirrorless cameras under $500 deliver a lot for the money. Pro Tip: it’s always a good idea when buying a camera to have a think about what lenses you might want in the future. There are many types of cameras, with as many different functions. Once you have one of the camera bodies on this list, you can either stick with the included kit lens, or invest a little more on something with a larger aperture (a ‘faster’ lens). 5 Best Digital cameras under $500- Point and Shoot Style. I highly recommend you take your camera off the automatic modes as soon as possible, so you can learn how to be more creative with your exposure settings. It’s also arguably the best budget camera you can buy for travel. For this reason, I won’t go into a full review of the Canon T6 (aka the EOS 1300D) here. Thankfully in 2020, this is no longer the case, with some great value for money options available. I absolutely love the ability to touch your subject on the rear LCD, to have the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II focus and shoot in a split-second. This will be the single most effective way in getting every last detail out of your camera. The FZ1000’s comparably huge sensor provides excellent overall image quality, and its relatively short lens is very sharp and provides beautiful … Olympus has fitted the camera with the best features from its more expensive counterparts, namely the E-M5 Mark II, into a more affordable body. If you suggest other good options for a beginner, I will consider them too. Mirrorless are really the latest technology though, and you can expect them to be taking over more and more. Well, batteries are affordable, so probably not since you can buy a couple. Shop for video cameras under $500 at Best Buy. When we reviewed the Sony a5100 in more depth, our reviewer chose to pair it with the excellent Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 lens – ‘FE’ lenses refer to ones made predominantly for the full frame sensor, but they also work with APS-C crop sensor cameras like the one on the a5100. Aside from autofocus that blows DSLRs out the water, the Sony a5100 produces vivid, punchy and detailed JPEGs and RAWs at 24 MP, meaning you can print 300 dpi enlargements at around 20 x 13.3 in. At maximum zoom, the image is evenly exposed and sharp from edge to edge. Strangely enough, it actually has several features that don’t exist in other entry-level DSLRs, including the D3400. With a 42x zoom range, the Nikon P510 offers the longest zoom range on the market. They also allow you to blow up your prints to be displayed on your wall, which is exactly what I intend to do with a shot of my son taken with this camera, like the one below. I wrote an entire post on the best lenses for Sony a6000 owners, and any of the lenses mentioned there can be used equally well on the Sony a5100, so be sure to check it out. (124 x 98 x 75.5 mm) Weight: 445 g ( 15.7 oz ). As you zoom the lens (whether with the dedicated control slider or with the lens ring set to one of the two zoom functions), the aperture changes from f/1.8 at the lens’s widest point, to f/2.8. No need to carry multiple lenses or lose the shot by having to change a lens at the last moment. You can find a DSLR, a mirrorless camera, or a pretty good compact camera for less than 500 dollars. If we’re to weigh up all the options, though, our top pick is the Sony a5100 as it’s small and light and gives you the best bang for your buck. The camera captures 16-megapixel still images, and it also … We have listed the best under $500. Megapixels: 18 Sensor Size: Micro Four Thirds Dimensions: 4.6 x 3.2 x 1.8 in. Mark Condon is a British wedding photographer based in Australia and the founder of Shotkit. 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