This sounds good since it saves you some effort buying accessories separately – but the equipment included in these bundles is often quite overpriced. As a result, you can buy most of them as a bundle with lots of extra photography accessories. Most of the cameras in this article, due to their price range, are targeted largely at first-time DSLR buyers. Your individual needs – say, a desire to shoot video more than stills – could shift where each camera falls for you, perhaps significantly.īefore jumping into the rankings below, take just a moment to heed a quick warning: Don’t buy that all-purpose photography bundle! The difference between the best and worst cameras on the list below is surprisingly small. Last, I have to mention my (somewhat boring) takeaway after testing several entry-level cameras last year: They’re all very similar in quality, without any real duds among them. I didn’t plan that ahead of time, but it’s a pretty nice sign that each company is competitive in this space. In fact, one camera from each manufacturer makes it to the top three. It’s not a sign of Canon favoritism (and you might notice that the bottom spot belongs to Canon, whoops).

The overwhelming number of Canon cameras is simply because Canon’s lineup has more entry-level DSLRs at the moment. In total, I’ve ranked six DSLRs from Canon, two from Nikon, and two from Pentax.

Other than a few older or obsolete DSLRs that are still sold new for some reason, this guide includes every current entry-level DSLR on the market it’s the most comprehensive list you’ll find anywhere today. Besides, I stretched the definition a bit just because I wanted to do a great top-10 list and needed to reach the quota. That’s my way of saying that the cameras on this list are still really good, even though the title of the article says “entry-level.” The category of the camera doesn’t determine the category of the photographer.

It was a good camera! I had saved money and spent a lot of hours researching which one to buy, but pros nonetheless dismissed it as “consumer” or “amateur.” The few times I heard people call the D5100 a “prosumer” camera, I nodded in agreement. But when I heard people actually call it entry-level, I was taken aback. My first DSLR was the Nikon D5100, which is almost the definition of entry-level. The rankings below have been updated accordingly. Hopefully, this list gives you a good idea of which camera will be right for you.Įarly 2022 Update: Since this article was first published, almost every camera on the list below has changed in price, some more than others. Today, I’d like to circle back and rank some of these cameras for photographers who are trying to decide on a DSLR, either for yourself or as a gift. Not long ago, I had a chance to test several entry-level DSLRs side by side and review which ones were the best.

Best camera 2015 under 1000