You want to buy your first best SLR camera, but don’t really know where to start? Then along here! We show you the best SLR cameras for beginners and give you useful tips to make your purchase the right thing.

Would you like to buy your first best SLR camera? Super!

With a SLR camera (DSLR for short), you not only take high-quality photos, but you also learn to take pictures properly.

With the many settings and interchangeable lenses that SLR cameras offer, you can create your photos wonderfully creatively.

But the market is big and there are an incredible number of SLR cameras. What should you pay attention to and how much money should you spend on a good entry-level SLR camera?

In this article we will answer these questions. We show you the best SLR cameras for beginners and help you make the right choice.

Admittedly, at first glance there are countless SLR cameras in different price segments.

If you are not sure whether a SLR camera is suitable for you, you can also read our camera purchase advice.

Our selection of best SLR camera for beginners

Each has different features. But how do you, as a beginner, know which camera functions you really need and what makes a good camera?

Don’t worry, it’s not that complicated. For the first time, there are nuptled models that are not eligible for a novice photographer.

We’ll show you the top five entry-level mirror reflex cameras and introduce them to you individually in this article.

Our selection of the best sLR cameras for beginners (the order is not worthit):

Nikon D3500
Nikon D5600
Canon EOS 2000D
Canon EOS 250D
Canon EOS 800D

Further down you will find two SLR cameras, which are actually no longer entry-level cameras. But if you want to spend more money and buy a camera for advanced users directly, we’ve included it in the article.

For Eilige: The best SLR camera for beginners 2021

Which camera is the best SLR camera for beginners, you can’t answer so flatly. It all depends on your needs and your budget.

Here we present the best SLR cameras for different requirements short and compact and of course you will find the right links directly through which you can buy the cameras.

The detailed description and more SLR cameras can be found below.

The SLR camera for beginners with the best price-performance ratio: Nikon D5600

The Nikon D5600 is available with a kit lens for around 580 euros. For this, it offers great image quality, a folding display and a fast autofocus. For this purpose, it is also quite light for a slr reflex, which benefits you during longer photo tours.

For us, it is the entry-level mirror reflex camera with the best price-performance ratio.

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The best SLR camera for beginners with high demands: Canon EOS 800D
The Canon EOS 800D is a super entry-level camera, but it’s just as well suited for experienced photographers. The operation is easy, the image quality is very good and the autofocus can easily keep up with that of a professional camera.

The Canon EOS 800D is available with the kit lens from around 700 euros.

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The best entry-level SLR camera for video recording: Canon EOS 250D

If you care about video shooting in addition to taking pictures, then the Canon EOS 250D is a good choice. Among the current entry-level SLR cameras, the EOS 250D is the only one that captures videos in 4k.

The camera is available including lens kit from around 500 euros.

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The best SLR camera for beginners on a small budget: Canon EOS 2000D

The Canon EOS 2000D scores above all with its low price of around 350 euros. It has a simple menu with help texts, good image quality, if only in good light conditions, and also Wi-Fi.

For this price you have to make some compromises, but by and large the camera is a good compromise for beginners with smaller pockets.

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Why should you buy a best SLR camera as a beginner in the first place?

If you no longer just want to snap, but want to learn to photograph properly, you need a real camera.

With a SLR, you can take pictures much more creatively than with a compact camera or smartphone, as you can make all the settings yourself.

You can also change the lens with a SLR camera. This gives you the possibility to optimally adjust your camera depending on the shooting situation.

We have been photographing with SLR cameras ourselves for years and can therefore recommend you to learn to take pictures properly.

As an alternative to the SLR: system cameras for beginners

System cameras are a good alternative to SLR cameras. They offer the same high image quality, but do not have a mirror inside, which makes them smaller and lighter.

In contrast to a SLR camera, the viewfinder image is displayed electronically in a mirrorless camera. Whether this is better or worse is purely a matter of taste.

Mirrorless system cameras learn to take pictures, but just as well as SLR cameras. If it is important to you to have a camera as small and light as possible, we would advise you to use a mirrorless variant.

Read also our camera purchase advice

What should you pay attention to when purchasing a sLR camera for beginners

All SLR cameras presented here are good cameras for beginners. All offer high image quality, HD video recording and are well suited for learning to take pictures.

Read also our 22-step guide to learning to take pictures

Nevertheless, we would like to show you here again what you should pay attention to when buying a camera.

Kit Lens

Make sure that your first SLR camera also includes a lens, because sometimes the offer only includes the housing. Without a lens, you can’t use the camera unless you already have one at home.

If you already have one, you should also make sure that the lens connector fits the camera. Canon lenses, for example, do not fit on Nikon enclosures and vice versa.

When a camera is sold together with a matching lens, it is called a kit lens.

Normally, the zoom lenses are with a focal length of 18-55 mm. That’s pretty much the standard focal length for kit lenses.

For the beginning, this is also a good focal length, with which you can cover many requirements.

Sometimes you can also choose from different lenses and buy a longer focal length as a kit lens, such as .B 18-105 or 18-140 mm. However, they also cost a lot more.

Depending on the direction in which your photography needs evolve, you can later buy even more lenses to your kit lens and upgrade your camera with them. Therefore, a standard zoom of 18-55 mm is absolutely fine for the beginning.

More about lenses can be found in this article:

Our great lens consulting

Image stabilization

The image stabilizer helps to counteract the movements of the camera when taking pictures. Small vibrations or tremors caused by hands-free photography can be corrected.

Image stabilizers can be located both directly in the camera and in the lens.

All cameras listed in this article have their image stabilizer in the kit lens and not in the case. So if you want to buy another lens, make sure it has an image stabilizer.

In Nikon, the image stabilizer is marked with “VR” and in Canon it is marked “IS”.

Folding and swiveling display

A foldable and swivel display is not an absolute priority, but it makes it much easier for you to take pictures from some positions.

If you want to photograph your subject from above or below without having to climb a ladder or lie down on the floor, a foldable display is an advantage.

You will no longer take pictures through the optical viewfinder, but you will see the image directly on the unfolded display in live view mode.

However, this is only worthwhile in such exceptional situations, because the autofocus of a SLR camera is usually much slower via the live view mode.

Weight

Adjust to the high weight of a DSLR, because SLR cameras are much heavier than compact cameras or mirrorless system cameras. This can be detrimental to long photo tours or trips.

Depending on the model with the battery inserted, the camera housing alone weighs between 400 and 700 grams. You have to calculate the lens: Depending on the model, the weight of a lens can be between 200 grams and 2.5 kilos. This is the case, for example, with large telephoto lenses.

Kit lenses usually weigh around 400 to 500 grams. This means that you have to expect a total weight of at least 1 kilogram with your SLR camera.

How important is the number of megapixels?

Many photography beginners believe that many megapixels guarantee good image quality and look at it first with a camera. In reality, however, the number of megapixels is only partially decisive.

You can have an expensive professional camera with 45 megapixels and still take poorly defined photos. Conversely, you can take crisp images with a 12-megapixel camera.

How sharp and detailed your photo is depends on the lens, sensor, focus and the correct camera settings. The number of megapixels is not relevant for this.

How much megapixel your camera has is only important if you want to print your photos especially large.

All current SLR cameras offer at least 24 megapixels, which is easy for common photo prints or posters in A4, A3 or even larger. This means that even canvases up to 100 cm wide and 66 cm in height can be printed without any loss of quality.

How much money should you spend on a SLR camera?

The cheapest SLR cameras are available for as low as 300 euros. If you don’t have high demands for the beginning anyway, a beginner camera in this price segment is quite ok.

However, if you can spend a little more money, we recommend spending between 500 and 600 euros on a SLR. This not only gives you more leeway when it comes to settings, but also allows you to continue using the camera as your demands have evolved.

Of course, the more you spend, the better SLR cameras you get. As a beginner, you don’t really need to spend more than 1000 euros on the first camera.

An expensive professional camera is no guarantee for good photos. They have more features, but learning to take pictures is enough for a cheaper camera, with which you can take just as great pictures.

The best SLR cameras for 300 to 500 euros

Here we show you the best SLR cameras for the smaller purse.

Good value for money: Canon EOS 2000D

The Canon EOS 2000D is one of the most popular sLR cameras for beginners. For the relatively low price, you can already get a good range of settings here.

The most important data at a glance:

Sensor: 24 Megapixel APS-C
Weight (without lens): 475 grams
Serial images: 3 frames / second
Focus fields: 9
Connection technology: Wi-Fi, NFC, HDMI, USB
Folding display: No
Price incl. kit lens: approx. 350 Euro

Our assessment:

The Canon EOS 2000D is a solid SLR camera for beginners. With an 18-55 mm kit lens, the camera currently costs around 350 euros.

Wi-Fi and NFC let you download your photos directly from the camera to your phone.

The menu is quite intuitive for beginners, so you can get through quickly. In good light conditions you can take very nice, sharp photos with this camera, in worse you need a bright lens.

You have to make a small smear on the number of serial images. The camera only manages three frames per second. Most SLR cameras can do more. So if you are interested in sports photography, for example, and want to photograph fast moving subjects, you should buy a camera that can shoot faster.

In addition, the camera does not have a swivel monitor. But for a beginner this is not really dramatic and all in all the camera is already very well equipped for this price.

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Nikon D3500

The Nikon D3500 has been available since 2018 and is Nikon’s cheapest SLR camera. Nevertheless, it offers enough room for beginners and excellent image quality with the right lens.

The most important data at a glance:

Sensor: 24 Megapixel APS-C
Weight (without lens): 415 grams
Serial images: 5 frames / second
Focus fields: 11
Connection technology: USB, HDMI, Bluetooth
Folding display: No
Price incl. kit lens: approx. 450 Euro

Our assessment:

For an entry-level camera, however, it already offers great image quality. Thanks to the high ISO sensitivity range, you can shoot even in lower light conditions and the fast and relatively precise autofocus allows for crisp images.

Wi-Fi or NFC doesn’t have this camera, but you can transfer your pictures via Bluetooth or cable.

Apart from these little things, the Nikon D3500 is a super entry-level camera. With an 18-55 mm kit lens mounted, it weighs about 800 grams, making it one of the lightest SLR cameras.

If you can spend 100 euros more than the EOS 2000D, we’d rather recommend this camera.

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The best SLR cameras for beginners from 500 to 1000 euros

If you can spend a little more money, there are some really good SLR cameras on the market. These are not only suitable for beginners, but also meet the requirements of advanced photographers.

Our favorite for Beginners: Nikon D5600

The Nikon D5600 offers the best price-performance ratio for beginners. This camera still meets your requirements even if you are no longer a beginner.

The most important data at a glance:

Sensor: 24 MP APS-C
Weight (without lens): 465 grams
Serial images: 5 frames / second
Focus fields: 39
Connection technology: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
Folding display: Yes
Price incl. kit lens: approx. 550 Euro

Our assessment:

The Nikon D5600 is an entry-level camera that will surely keep you entertained for longer.

It has a fast and precise autofocus, a swivel display with touchscreen and a wide ISO sensitivity range, so you can still take good photos even in lower light conditions. However, the prerequisite for this is also a bright lens.

Thanks to 3D tracking, autofocus can also continuously sharpen the motifs that move around unpredictably. This is beneficial, for example, for children playing or athletes, so that you don’t have to refocus again and again in the event of sudden movements.

The video function in Full HD also offers some useful features, such as time-lapse recording and a connection for an external microphone, which is actually indispensable for proper video recording. For example, you avoid recording the sounds of the camera generated by the image stabilizer or autofocus.

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The alternative with videos in 4k: Canon EOS 250D

If you place special value on video recording in Ultra HD, then you should watch the Canon EOS 250D.

The most important data at a glance:

Sensor: 24 MP APS-C
Weight (without lens): 449 grams
Serial images: 5 frames / second
Focus fields: 9
Connection technology: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
Folding display: Yes
Price incl. kit lens: approx. 550 Euro

Our assessment:

The Canon EOS 250D is similar to the Nikon D5600 in many features.

Here, too, the screen can be folded out with a touchscreen, which is an advantage for difficult perspectives, such as macro photography.

The EOS 250D is also quite light-sensitive, which allows you to take pictures even in lower light conditions with the right lens.

A small shortcoming is that the camera has only 9 focus measuring fields. These are the rectangular boxes that you see through the viewfinder and that you can select to sharpen certain image elements.

With more measurement fields, the camera covers a larger area in the image section and you have a larger selection of image details that you can select to focus. By comparison, the Nikon D5600 offers up to 39 focus measuring fields for around 50 euros.

However, the EOS 250D balances this out with its very high-resolution video recordings in Ultra HD. A connection for an external microphone is also available. In this price segment, you will not find another camera that shoots such high-resolution videos.

All in one, the EOS 250D is a very good SLR camera for a relatively small price.

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For Beginners with High Demands: Canon EOS 800D

The Canon EOS 800D is a camera that is suitable for both beginners and advanced users. If you can invest more money for your first Reflex, then you’re not doing anything wrong with this camera.

The most important data at a glance:

Sensor: 24 MP APS-C
Weight (without lens): 532 grams
Serial images: 6 frames / second
Focus fields: 45
Connection technology: Wi-Fi, NFC, HDMI, USB
Folding display: Yes
Price incl. kit lens: approx. 700 Euro

Our assessment:

At around 700 euros, the camera moves in the upper price range for entry-level cameras, but offers many features that also benefit advanced photographers.

With 45 focus fields, a large part of the image section is covered and with up to 6 serial frames per second you can also sharply photograph the fastest movements.

The camera makes video recordings in full HD, which is absolutely sufficient for filmmakers without professional demands.

The EOS 800D leaves little to be desired for beginners and is great for those who know that they want to use their camera for a long time to come.

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The best SLR cameras over 1000 Euros

And here come the SLR cameras for larger budgets. These cameras go beyond the normal demands of beginners, which is why we can no longer call them entry-level cameras.

If you still want to spend more on a camera to get started, you can find our selection here.

Advanced: Canon EOS 90D

The EOS 90D is great for advanced photographers who have grown beyond the needs of a novice photographer.

The most important data at a glance:

Sensor: 32 MP APS-C
Weight (without lens): 701 grams
Serial images: 10 frames / second
Focus fields: 45
Connection technology: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, HDMI
Folding display: Yes
Price incl. kit lens: approx. 1300 Euro

Our assessment:

With a fast-paced serial frame rate of 10 frames per second, video recording in Ultra HD and 45 focus fields, this camera belongs to the upper league of SLR cameras.

Such a camera is especially worthwhile for advanced photographers. But even as a beginner, you don’t do anything wrong with the EOS 90D, provided you’re willing to invest a lot of time in the camera.

Especially if you want to have semi-professional photography settings to choose from at the same time for 4k video resolution, this camera offers good value for money.

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The full-format mirror reflex camera for professionals: Nikon D850

The Nikon D850 is a professional mirror reflex with full-frame sensor. It is currently probably the highest quality SLR camera on the market.

The most important data at a glance:

Sensor: 45 MP FX
Weight (without lens): 915 grams
Serial images: 7 frames / second
Focus fields: 153
Connection technology: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, HDMI
Folding display: Yes
Price (only case): approx. 2400 Euro

Our assessment:

With a 45 megapixel full-frame sensor, the D850 not only offers excellent image quality, but also allows you to print your photos very large thanks to the high number of pixels.

But here, too, you can only reach the full potential of the camera with a high-quality lens and advanced photography skills.

With a full-frame sensor, 153 focus measuring fields, a very fast autofocus and 4k video recording, Nikon has developed a real all-rounder. But also at its price: The case alone costs about 2400 euros. With a good lens you can quickly get to over 3000 euros.

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Memory card

SLR cameras have no or very limited internal memory. That is, in order to be able to take pictures, you need a memory card that you need to buy additionally.

There are different types of memory cards. The common memory card for SLR cameras is the SD memory card.

These, in turn, are also available in various forms, which differ mainly in write and read speed as well as in storage capacity.

We take pictures with UHS-1 SD cards with 32 gigabytes of storage capacity and can recommend this format. The write and read speed is fast and videos can also be played smoothly.

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This was our comparison of the best SLR cameras for beginners. Do you have any questions about the cameras presented? Do you know another beginner’s SLR camera that you can recommend? Then we look forward to a comment!