best camera under $500 reddit - Brave Search

Recommend cameras for photography $500 & under?

reddit.com › r › Cameras › comments › 1d8a5aw › recommend_cameras_for_photography_500_under

You can find any of these for less than $250 without a lens. There are many lens options under $200 for each mount. Canon EOS 5D Mark II Olympus OM-D E-M1 Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic GH3 Nikon D700 Nikon D7100 Canon 70D Pentax K-5 II Answer from OutsideTheShot on reddit.com

reddit.com › r/cameras › best cameras for under $500

r/Cameras on Reddit: Best Cameras for Under $500

February 5, 2025 - Just use your phone. Best possible results without investing any time into developing better photography skills. Buy used. A $200 DSLR or early mirrorless body with a $300 lens, plus some photography skill, will easily get you better results than a brand new $500 camera with a $100 kit lens.

reddit.com › r/cameras › recommend cameras for photography $500 & under?

r/Cameras on Reddit: Recommend cameras for photography $500 & under?

June 4, 2024 -

I really want to get into photography and don’t have a lot of money to spend, what are some good cameras for photography $500 & under?

I don’t care for any really high end stuff right now, as long as it can take pictures better than any iPhone I’ll be happy with it lol. Thanks in advance.

You can find any of these for less than $250 without a lens. There are many lens options under $200 for each mount. Canon EOS 5D Mark II Olympus OM-D E-M1 Olympus OM-D E-M5 Panasonic GH3 Nikon D700 Nikon D7100 Canon 70D Pentax K-5 II

Sony a6xxx series used. Maybe an a6000?

Videos

Best Budget Camera for Under $500! - YouTube

January 23, 2026

Top 5 Cameras Under $500 (Amazing Budget Cameras) - YouTube

19 Cameras Under $500 Ranked Best to Worst

This Budget Camera Combo is Insanely Good!? - YouTube

December 19, 2025

THIS Is The Best Camera Under $500 for 2025 - YouTube

December 10, 2025

reddit.com › r/smallytchannel › what is a decent camera under $500 for making videos? thanks.

r/SmallYTChannel on Reddit: What is a decent camera under $500 for making videos? Thanks.

January 11, 2024 -

I mainly use my laptop camera and my samsung camera on my phone but would like to upgrade without getting into the 1000 dollar range. Any ideas of a camera in the 300-500 range?

Honestly, I'd say to save up a little more if you can, and try to buy a second-hand Sony ZV-1 on eBay. That camera is the best damn thing I've ever used and has everything I need for my YouTube videos.

I’d recommend looking into the Panasonic LUMIX FZ300. I got mine for $400 (open box via Amazon last week). Shoots 4K 30fps and gets the job done! Excellent reviews on it as well!

reddit.com › r/askphotography › what are the best cameras under $500 for beginners in 2026?

r/AskPhotography on Reddit: What are the best cameras under $500 for beginners in 2026?

January 22, 2026 -

I'm researching budget cameras and getting overwhelmed by options. Looking at mirrorless mainly: Sony a6100, Canon R100, Fuji X-T200.

For those who started with a sub $500 camera: what did you get and would you recommend it? Any hidden gems I should look at?

(1) under 500, USA, $:

(2) It's going to be my first camera

(3) Mostly nature

(4) Photography

If "nature" means wildlife, then look for a long enough lens to shoot the critters you want. Makes it tougher in that budget; I'd look at maybe older M43 bodies and alike an Oly 75-300mm lens.

It depends what you want. The Olympus E-500 is relatively inexpensive, it has a Kodak CCD that many people like the look of and Olympus lenses tend to be sharp. For $80 it is a great camera to start with. Similarly, the Fuji S5 Pro has a great sensor, .jpg processing renders color nicely and it has a lot of dynamic range for an older camera (D.R. is the ability to capture detail from the brightest highlights to the darkest shadows in a single scene, representing the ratio between the strongest and weakest light a sensor can record without losing information). it uses Nikon lenses and flashes which are still widely available, but anything decent will cost more than the Olympus equivalent. Naturally, a Nikon D200 and D300 are good considerations. These are all older cameras and each has a different set of limitations, but the E-500 would be the most economical, and not much $$ would be lost if you ever feel you outgrew it. FWIW I have a lot of fancy cameras worth a decent amount of money, and I own two E-500 bodies; one for frequent use and another as a spare.

reddit.com › r/askphotography › what are the best mirrorless cameras for under $500 for beginners?

r/AskPhotography on Reddit: What are the best Mirrorless cameras for under $500 for beginners?

September 24, 2024 -

I want to start on photography and I want to learn as I shoot . I always wanted to do photography as a hobby so now I’m planing to get a camera. I mainly planing on street photography and cars . What are the best options under 500 in the used market and what are the brands I should look for?

Probably a Sony A6XXX series camera. The best one you can get in your budget.

If it absolutely has to be a mirrorless camera, I'd look into Sony A6xxx (lots of used ones out there, lens mount is still relevant and has a lot of lens choices), Canon M series (discontinued mount, and not as much lens choice, but because of the dead mount, you can find them relatively cheap, and they are some of the smallest, lightest mirrorless bodies out there), or maybe a used Canon R100 or R50 (the 50 is significantly better, and not much more expensive; both use the current RF mount, which has less lens choice than Sony's E mount, but this will likely improve in the future; they are however absolute entry-level bodies). You could also look into the Micro Four-Thirds system (MFT); these cameras use smaller sensors than APS-C or full frame (half the size of a 35mm sensor), so cameras and lenses can be built smaller, lighter, and cheaper. This makes them less suitable for low light applications, and getting a lot of background blur can be more challenging, but for the genres you're interested in, this shouldn't be too much of a hindrance (and especially for street photography, a small unobtrusive kit can be a huge advantage). If you're open to used DSLRs, you can get some older but still really good mid-range or even professional kits for $500. The brands to look for here would be Canon and Nikon. Street photography is maybe one of the least demanding genres in terms of gear, and (static) cars don't need obscene levels of gear either (though a CPL filter is going to be a game changer, regardless of which camera you use), so even a 10/15-year-old body will still serve you fine - and it will leave you more budget for lenses, which are much more important for image quality than the body. I'd wager that a $200 body with a $300 lens will give you better results than a $450 body with a $50 kit lens - however, the 50mm f/1.8 budget lenses from both manufacturers cost around $100 used, and they are pretty near excellent for the price. Nikon also made a similar 35mm f/1.8 that is probably more useful for street photography, especially on an APS-C body.

reddit.com › r/askphotography › [deleted by user]

[deleted by user] : r/AskPhotography

September 18, 2024 - Pocket size, fun and cool pictures profiles so you don't need to edit. Great image quality. ... Yes, Canon is very beginner friendly. If you want, go ahead and get yourself a Canon EOS r100, it's the best budget camera for Canon as far as I know and if you have a bit more to spend, try a Canon ...

reddit.com › r/askphotography › what would be a good camera for under $500?

r/AskPhotography on Reddit: What would be a good camera for under $500?

June 14, 2024 -

I am a beginner when it comes to cameras and I plan to use the camera for nature photography like lakes, fishing, mushrooms and the occasional low lighting scenery like concerts. I want something that's not too bulky. I plan on taking a college photography class so advanced settings might be ok.

Go to MPB.com and, as the other poster said, KEH.com and start browsing. You'll find something, I'm sure. I'm a Nikon guy, so I'll recommend a D7100. It's a camera you can learn with and it's capable enough that you can use it forever.

My vote for you is a RX100miii (usually $350 to $500used) or a rx100mv. Such good versatile cameras. Try to buy from a source where you can slap a warranty on. On the slr side I’d suggest a canon 60d they cost nothing and are amazing, start out with a kit lens and you’ll be well under $500-look to KEH, they have a 3 month warranty, sometimes 6 over the holidays and they will also sell extended warranties. The upside to the RX family is that it is so compact you can get it into most venues, you’ll have mixed results with an slr. Good luck! All three suggestions are fast, have great auto focus and still deliver great shots on automatic.

reddit.com › r/askphotography › best digital camera for around a $500 budget?

r/AskPhotography on Reddit: Best digital camera for around a $500 budget?

July 26, 2025 -

Hello all!

I’m recently getting back into photography and I’m needing some help on good budget gear to buy. I mainly shoot analogue, but I’d like to have a decent digital camera to have more options and to eventually scan my film. I’ve seen a lot of people suggest the Sony a6000 would be a good fit for this price range, but I wanted to see if there were other decent suggestions that I should look for.

I’d like the price to include a lens, and from what I’ve found there’s quite a few listings on eBay for an a6000 with a kit lens. I also have a few decent vintage Pentax and Canon lenses that I figured I could use with a mount.

Thank you all in advance!

Don’t sleep on used. You can get a pretty decent used DSLR set up for that budget or maybe a bit more. More complicated and more control but worth it if you really want to get into photography.

Also look at Canon R100, R50, and Nikon Z 30, Z 50, and Z fc.

Find elsewhere

Google Bing Mojeek

reddit.com › r/cameras › camera recs for under $500

r/Cameras on Reddit: Camera recs for under $500

May 5, 2024 -

Uses, photography and videography

It would be helpful to provide more info about how you want to use it, subject matter, etc.

Canon 5D Mark III
Nikon Z50
Panasonic GH4
Panasonic G9
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Panasonic GH3

The Canon 5D Mark III or Mark II will have the best video if you use Magic Lantern.

Next would be the GH4/GH3. These have more inexpensive lens options than the 5D's.

Lists of more cameras:

16 Cameras Under $250

24 Cameras Under $500

reddit.com › r/cameras › what are some good used cameras i could get under $500?

r/Cameras on Reddit: What are some good used cameras I could get under $500?

June 1, 2024 -

I also want it to do a bit of video.

At that budget, go for an MFT like Panasonic Lumix GX85. Excellent hybrid camera.

Canon 6D, 5D Mark II…both get you the camera and a nice lens

reddit.com › r/askphotography › which camera to buy under 500 dollars (preferably new one) ?

r/AskPhotography on Reddit: Which camera to buy under 500 dollars (preferably new one) ?

May 31, 2024 -

Hi Guys, I am looking for a beginner camera mainly for taking photos have iPhone 13 so prefer videos on that. Any suggestions would be great

At that budget you should consider used. You are limiting yourself to a very very small selection of very very low end cameras at that budget if you only buy new. You can get a fairly "pro" level camera that will be WAY better at that price if you buy used.

If you can stretch your budget a couple hundred more, you can pick up a new R50 with an 18-45 kit lens for $699. Canon also has the camera body and kit lens refurbished for $449, but it’s currently out of stock, so you’d just have to wait for it to be posted (you can sign up for alerts to be notified). I would recommend the R50 over the R100 for the fully articulated touch screen, higher shooting speed (11 fps vs 6 fps), slightly better AF, and uncropped 4k at 30 fps (vs 4k at 24 fps with a crop).

reddit.com › r/askphotography › best camera for both photo and video under $500

r/AskPhotography on Reddit: Best camera for both photo and video under $500

March 15, 2023 -

I'm looking to buy my first camera. I have experience with cameras already, so a "beginner" camera is not really an essential factor for me. I want to be able to shoot high-quality photos and videos (preferably in 4K).

What's the best camera I can buy that can do both well within the $500 budget? I'm willing to buy used or new, so if any prices have gone down on older cameras, that's fine.

https://www.reddit.com/r/photography/wiki/buying

I would go for a Fujifilm x-t30. Probably can find a used one right around $500

reddit.com › r/cameras › best mirrorless camera under $500

r/Cameras on Reddit: Best mirrorless camera under $500

December 26, 2023 -

Hey everyone, I am looking to buy my wife a camera for her birthday. She loves taking pictures and making reels for herself or to post on social media. She loves to capture different aesthetics and edit them. She usually does this on her iPhone bit I know she's been wanting a mirrorless camera for some time. Which is the best mirrorless camera I can get which would fall under $500?

A Sony a6000 with the kit lens is a good start. Are you ok with getting used gear?

Either A6000 or something like a Ricoh compact camera.

reddit.com › r/askphotography › best bang for the buck beginner camera up to $500 (second hand)?

r/AskPhotography on Reddit: Best bang for the buck beginner camera up to $500 (second hand)?

May 30, 2024 -

After some research I have concluded that the most recommended cameras in my price range are the Sony a6x00 and the Canon EOS R100.

I'm mainly interested in street photography and macrophotography, if it makes any difference.

I have found some second-hand cameras and I was wondering: which one will offer the best cost-to-performance ratio?

Sony a6000 for $277 with 17,000 photos and all accessories / for $378 with 2,000 photos and all accessories
Sony a6300 for $403 with 15,000 photos and all accessories / for $504 with 1,000 photos and all accessories
Canon EOS R100 for $403 with 600 photos and all accessories
Fuji X-T100 for $554 brand new

I haven't done any research concerning the lenses, but I've read that not all lenses fit all cameras. So, which one of these cameras sounds the most reasonable to you? I'm open to suggestions for cameras as well as some cool lenses :)

Edit: I live in Europe, and I'm looking for mirrorless, dslr's are too heavy for my taste.

Recommend a6300 for better AF with more focus points and third party lens. a6300 human eye AF able lock and tracking eye of moving subject. R100 only has few lenses and X-T100 has slow AF. If you able to get a6100 would be better because it has animal eye AF and subject tracking. https://cameradecision.com/compare/Sony-Alpha-a6300-vs-Sony-Alpha-a6000 https://lesdeuxpiedsdehors.com/en/sony-e-lenses-aps-c-list

The R100 is $250 on the canon refurb site ($300 with a lens) The R50 is $400.. The R100 is a steal at that price (as is the R50) but will leave you a bigger budget for a better lens.. I also think the R50 has more room for you to grow into and is the better camera of the 2. https://www.usa.canon.com/shop/cameras/refurbished-cameras?stock=1 As far as lenses, cant go wrong with the nifty fifty (RF 50mm f/1.8 STM)👍..

reddit.com › r/askphotography › best camera for 500 bucks or under on the used market (preferably lens included)

r/AskPhotography on Reddit: Best camera for 500 bucks or under on the used market (preferably lens included)

September 23, 2022 -

Mirrorless or DSLR

I was thinking of getting an a7 or a7ii or an a6000

However, I am open to other brands and would love if someone could recommend something that might be newer and have better features.

I’m strictly looking for photography so videography features aren’t important.

Essentially if there are cameras you guys can recommend that can be found for 500 or close to it, I’d love a recommendation. I’ve done lots of research and want to see if there’s anything else I’m not looking into!

Thank you!

EDIT: I have a d3200 and I’m looking for more features than that :)

Tight budget, if you really want a full frame camera you’re looking at like an original canon 5d or something with the 50mm 1.8. Getting an APSC camera like an a6000 could be better value. Anyway, it really depends on what you want to shoot

If budget is going to be an ongoing concern for you, consider a used m43 camera. The system has been around for a long time, so you can get a lot of great used gear fairly cheap, particularly some great budget primes. With your budget I’d probably look at a used LUMIX g85 or Olympus e-m5 ii, with their kit lens.

reddit.com › r/cameras › any decent cameras for absolute beginners under $500?

r/Cameras on Reddit: Any decent cameras for absolute beginners under $500?

December 2, 2022 -

My girlfriend and I will be doing a good deal of traveling in 2023 and so I was considering getting her a camera for Christmas!

Looking for recommendations that are under $500 and relatively easy to use.

Thanks!

Canon EOS M200. It's a small camera with an APS-C sensor that takes some really nice pictures. It's a very simplified camera with minimal buttons and dials that can do some manual adjustments through a decent touch menu. I've seen them on Amazon new for under $500 with a 15-45mm kit lens. Compatible lenses are all over ebay for around $85-150. I have one with a 22mm lens that's very compact, takes nice pictures, and didn't cost a lot.

Depends, do you want to be able to zoom, do you want it to be lightweight? In all honestly smartphones have come a long way, and I for one absolutely believe in traditional camera systems, but smart phones are so good now (and many shoot in raw) that they outperform most sub $500 cameras.

reddit.com › r/askphotography › best cameras around 500$ for lowlight photography?

r/AskPhotography on Reddit: best cameras around 500$ for lowlight photography?

February 8, 2026 -

1) Budget, country, and currency: 500$, US, USD

(2) What equipment, if any, you have now and why is it no longer meeting your needs?

canon rebel t3i w a 18-55 kit lens, not meeting my needs cus its old and does pretty bad in low light

(3) What kinds of subjects do you intend to shoot?

tunnels, trains, graffiti

(4) Is it primarily for photography, videography, or both?

mostly photography

I love photography but I must absolutely say that you should not be on the right of way of any active railroad. That is dangerous. I know you asked about camera bodies and lenses for low light, but please don’t be putting your life on the line for these types of shots.

Maybe find a used canon 6d. That might be one of the cheapest full frame cameras you can buy. Grab a nifty fifty and you're off to the races!

reddit.com › r/askphotography › looking for a good camera under $500, any recommendations?

r/AskPhotography on Reddit: Looking for a good camera under $500, any recommendations?

April 27, 2024 -

Going on a road trip to a bunch of national parks soon and would like to take some really nice photos while I’m out on my hikes. Not doing photography as a profession or anything, I’m a total novice that would like to take some nice landscape shots and maybe some pictures of wildlife while I’m out on the trail. Any recommendations?

Wildlife is tough since you need a longer telephoto lens for that. And that lens alone might cost $500 or more.

Try renting at lensrentals.com.

reddit.com › r/cameras › what's the best 4k video camera for around $500?

r/Cameras on Reddit: What's the best 4k video camera for around $500?

July 19, 2024 -

For context, I know next to nothing about cameras and all the settings and details that go into it, however I am very prone to picking up tech-related things rather quickly. I have experience shooting videos so wouldn't necessarily call myself a beginner. I just want a video camera that shoots 4k for around the $500 mark. Any recommendations?

The 4K part is easy. Even your phone can do that The real question is, what do you need it for and what are you expecting out of it? There's more important aspects to consider - did you know some professionals deliver content to clients in 1080p?

I've used a Panasonic Lumix G85 for years and it's still insanely good. I believe you can sometimes get them on sale for less, but usually it's around $700.

reddit.com › r/cameras › best beginner camera for $500 budget

r/Cameras on Reddit: Best beginner camera for $500 budget

November 24, 2023 -

My wife loves to take pictures and has shown interest in photography in the past. I’m thinking about buying her a camera for a Christmas present. It’s not much but I wouldn’t want to spend more than $500. Totally fine with going the used route, but what’s a good website for that?

Photography purposes would be nature photos, sunrise/sunset photos and family photos.

Thanks for the help!

If you can stretch your budget to $600, Canon has refurb R10's with a kit lens for $599. The camera body alone usually goes for $879-$979. Canon refurb has a great track record too.

mpb com and keh.com are the two big used camera resellers in the US (mpb is also in the UK) In that budget, a used DSLR will get you the most bang for the buck.