10 Best Digital Cameras for Beginners
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Wize gathers millions of user and expert reviews from websites like Amazon.com, Walmart, and CNET and rates the best products for how people want to use them.
What To Look For
Why We Recommend These Products
Out of thousands of reviews for 512 products, over 2,000 people recommended Digital Cameras specifically for Beginners. These 10 are the most highly recommended products we found.
Canon PowerShot S5 IS
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$355 - $400
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82 People Recommend
"it's an adequate substitute for good quality home or amateur photography not as good a quality as a true slr camera such as the digital rebel or nikon d## series, but for the money a nice package…" - DennisG from East at Circuitcity.com "a complete novice could use this camera "out of the box" and product a high percentage of "keeper" photos.…" - Amazon.com User "all of the automation makes it a great point and shoot camera for "standard" pictures.…" - Amazon.com User |
Canon Digital Rebel XSi
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$594 - $1,000
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65 People Recommend
"overall i'm impressed with the quality of images after having only used it for a couple of days and to find adigital photography class and/or a dvd tutorial in order to make the best use of this…" - BW from Atlanta, GA at Circuitcity.com "i am enjoying the photos it takes and have enrolled in a digital photography class.…" - PJ from Winter Springs, Florida at Circuitcity.com "the xti has been a choice entry-level product into the world of dslr.…" - Bob from Carlsbad, CA at Circuitcity.com |
Canon EOS 40D
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$718 - $1,300
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50 People Recommend
"i recieved this camera for christmas so i could use it for school, and though school hasn't started i have already taken many, many pictures.…" - Ritzcamera.com User "i use it primarily now for taking football photos for my son/school.…" - Photoalley.com User "i just received my canon eos 40d with the 28-135mm lens kit (canon eos 40d 10.1mp digital slr camera with ef 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 is usm standard zoom lens) yesterday and haven't been able to put it…" - Amazon.com User |
Canon EOS 450D
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$484 - $800
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49 People Recommend
"the camera is simple enough for a beginner and deep enough for a student of photography. …" - Amazon.com User "overall, this is a first-class entry from canon, with a superb 12.2mp cmos sensor that keeps noise to a minimum, even more so with nr enabled. …" - Amazon.com User "when my old slr got dropped i finally broke down and got a state of the art entry level camera in digidal. …" - Amazon.com User |
Canon IXUS 80 IS
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44 People Recommend
"compared to its competition, it does a superior job in most of the basic requirements of a digital camera.…" - Bestbuy.com User "for a novice user, i would highly recommend it as a camera that will take you a long ways and for a number of years.…" - Amazon.com User "luckily the layout of the camera is very user friendly, and it only took a few seconds to realize the basic functions of the camera.…" - Amazon.com User |
Canon Ixus 75
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$165 - $350
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40 People Recommend
"this is a great camera for those of us that are amateur photographers, meaning we love to take good pictures, but aren't quite good enough to get paid for it.…" - RobinP from Fayetteville, NC at Circuitcity.com "the camera comes with it's own memory card, which is nice for starters.…" - Bestbuy.com User "that almolst keep me from buying the product for the price, it would have been a nice feature since now its almost a standard in all $300 cameras.…" - Amazon.com User |
Canon PowerShot SX100 IS
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$260 - $550
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38 People Recommend
"ever used it takes a very clean and crisp photovery good zoom ,nice built in camera lens cover , and this camera is very good for the money i would recamend it to anyone ,amatures and professionals…" - J at Circuitcity.com "good for the money, its a proffessional type camera,not for kids.…" - Overstock.com User "i definitely recommend this camera for anyone that wants the ability to expand their skills from basic point and shoot…" - customer from Arizona at Circuitcity.com |
Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS
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$149 - $280
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38 People Recommend
"for a novice user, i would highly recommend it as a camera that will take you a long ways and for a number of years.…" - Amazon.com User "luckily the layout of the camera is very user friendly, and it only took a few seconds to realize the basic functions of the camera.…" - Amazon.com User "i am a novice at photography but this little camera makes it easy to shoot great photo's both outdoors and indoors.…" - Amazon.com User |
Nikon D60
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$445 - $700
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32 People Recommend
"the nikon d60 is an entry-level 10.2 megapixel dslr aimed at…" - DC Views at Dcviews.com "find that for an entry level dslr, it's a great camera.…" - Amazon.com User "and don't let anyone tell you it's only for beginners.…" - Amazon.com User |
Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera
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$660 - $2,380
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30 People Recommend
"but if you are serious about learning or already know the basics of photography than buy this camera.…" - customer from Costa Mesa , Ca at Circuitcity.com "as an amateur, i'm still learning to use all it's amazing features!…" - Tom from Pismo Beach, CA at Circuitcity.com "as an amateur photographer, i found this camera comfortable to hold and easy to use.…" - Scott from Alpharetta, GA at Circuitcity.com |
| Compare Top Digital Cameras for Beginners | All Beginners Digital Camera Products | |
Tip: for more recommendations, try best Digital Cameras for "Everyday Use", "Shock Proof", "Vacations".
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Digital Cameras for Beginners Buying Guide
The bells, whistles and overall shininess of today's digital cameras can make a first-time shopping experience overwhelming. But don't worry -- if you focus on your needs and decide what you want out of a camera, you won't feel compelled to understand every whizgig and whirlidad you see.
Pixels are a big selling point for a lot of first-time consumers, but you might not need the highest pixel count you can find. If you're just taking snapshots for 4 x 6 prints, a digital camera with a 3MP pixel count is just fine. On the other hand, if you plan to create 8 x 10 prints or large posters, you'll want a pixel count of at least 5MP.
If you think it might be fun to take extreme close-ups of flowers, insects or similarly small, detailed things, look for a digital camera with a super macro function. Super macro allows you to take detailed images up-close without any blurriness or distortion.
Memory is important, too. Almost all digital cameras have on-board memory in addition to memory card slots. Try to find a camera that takes SD cards, which tend to be more convenient and less expensive than other types of cards.
Price, of course, is a big consideration. While it's true that you can get a digital camera for less than $100, it probably won't offer a good picture quality. Plan on spending at least $150 for a decent beginner's digital camera.
