As a companion piece to our popular best budget cameras for filmmaking article, we thought it would be nice to provide a high-level overview of some of the best budget photography cameras available on the market also.
We will discuss (in no particular order):
The Nikon D3500 [Amazon Affiliate Link] is a lightweight, reasonably priced, easy-to-use camera offering great image quality (24.2-Megapixel) and battery life (~1,550 shots per charge).
Connecting the D3500 to a compatible smartphone or tablet is easy, allowing photographers to share what they capture. The Bluetooth connectivity allows continuous downloading of images to a phone. The camera shoots 1080/60p video, too.
The camera has a useful Guide Mode to help beginners learn and manual controls for more advanced photographers. Photographers can switch between autofocus, manual mode and turn Nikon's vibration reduction (VR) image stabilizer on and off.
This camera also offers the ability to download photographs directly to a compatible smartphone using its built-in Wi-Fi and NFC technology. The camera’s “scene intelligent auto mode” delivers accurate focus and exposure, simply. The autofocus can be overridden through the lens.
This camera includes a large optical viewfinder, auto-white balancing functionality and an on-board Feature Guide with a simple description explaining each function.
The compact form factor of the camera (4.19 x 6.1 x 10.54 cm) means that it is very durable, portable and ideal as a travel camera. The G7 offers high-speed continuous shooting up to 8 fps in RAW2, JPEG and RAW+JPEG2 modes, so if you’re into photographing sports, animals or other fast-moving subjects, this camera is for you.
The large, high-resolution, 3.0" LCD touchscreen display is quite impressive for a point-and-shoot. The screen can be tilted up 180° and down 45° to compose “selfie” shots.
This camera can shoot photos at 4K and offers “macro shooting” in which photographers can shoot at 3cm at wide-angle and 30cm at telephoto. This is ideal for photographing flowers, plants, etc. to reveal the finer details.
This camera also has Bluetooth/Wi-Fi connectivity, so photographers can share their images straight to a compatible smartphone using their Image App (Android/iOS).
For those into photographing fast-moving subjects, such as sporting events, this camera offers continuous shooting at up to 8.0 fps. The camera has a sleek, somewhat retro, simple form factor and was “created in the pursuit of minimalism,” according to Fuji.
Various Amazon reviewers have commented that this camera’s ergonomics are excellent. The JPEGs look great, the dynamic range is stellar (9.6 to 9.8 f-stops), the highlight retention is excellent and the camera has accurate auto-white balancing.
Sony claims that this camera has the “world’s fastest hybrid autofocus system” to capture fleeting moments with precision. The camera includes a variety of other nice features, such as single burst shooting, AI-based real-time tracking to focus on moving subjects, “Active” mode image stabilization and Wi-Fi/NFC connectivity to compatible smartphones and tablets.
This camera also has an LCD display that rotates in various angles (up ~180° and down ~90°) to be able to capture the perfect selfie.
The Olympus has an intuitive touch screen interface, shortcut buttons to make camera settings accessible and a built-in flash. The convenient touch autofocus function lets photographers instantly focus on their subject with one touch of the screen.
The Olympus is a good camera for traveling because of its small body (4.8 x 2 x 3.3 inches). The “OLYMPUS Image Share” mobile app (Android/iOS) makes it quick and easy to transfer pictures to your phone for sharing on social media.
It should take 6 to 8 hours (~740 shots) to recharge a fully depleted K-5 battery. Pentax cameras are known for their durability and the K-5 is no exception; it is small and light but “built like a tank.” The camera’s continuous shooting mode can do 22 images in a single sequence, so it can comfortably handle high-speed subjects such as sporting events.
The K-5 can take good, affordable lenses and has a great optical viewfinder with a nearly 100% field of view. The camera’s autofocus system is excellent, featuring a new-generation, wide-frame SAFOX IX+ with 11 sensor points.
If you end up buying any of these above cameras (or any other gear) – you will want to have the right insurance coverage in place to protect that valuable gear.
Consider Front Row’s online policies. If a location requires evidence of liability insurance before they will allow you on the property to shoot, Front Row can provide that to you in 5 minutes, 24/7 for 12 months of coverage. Online means lower cost.
Front Row’s insurance for photographers (Canada) is a good option for insuring your photo gear against theft, breakage and/or fire. You can get a quote and purchase a policy online in just a few minutes. Read more about the coverages available on the photography insurance site.
Based on customer demand, we’ve setup our referral marketing program and if you refer a friend to Front Row, you could win a $15 Amazon eGift Card OR be entered into a random draw to win a $99 Amazon eGift Card! (depending on your province)
About: Front Row Insurance Brokers Inc. is an independent insurance broker that specializes in the entertainment industry – specifically, the film and photography industries. Front Row works hard to provide insurance protection for a very low cost. Should a claim occur, Front Row works diligently with clients and insurers to expedite the payment of claims.
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