Hi I'm looking for a camera for beginners.

[Kbonier2007]

What is the best option? Dslr or mirrorless if I want to shoot videos landscape and animals? Looking at a price range 300-700 max

[Kbonier2007]

I looked at the r50 on the canon site looks like it's not for birds or landscapes. Which I'm looking for a camera that is

[shadowsports]

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@Kbonier2007 wrote:

I looked at the r50 on the canon site looks like it's not for birds or landscapes. Which I'm looking for a camera that is

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Greetings,

What makes you feel the R50 is not a good camera for wildlife?

[Kbonier2007]

Well I looked on the canon website and it specifically says may not capture wildlife? Right in the description 

[Tronhard]

If you have not done so, I would encourage you to completely and carefully read my previous long and carefully- composed post, which will explain (among other things) why an interchangeable lens camera (which any series R unit is) is highly adaptable depending on the lenses attached.  You cannot afford the kinds of lenses you will require for wildlife photography - they cost well upwards of $1k each, but a general-purpose lens (like the RF-S18-150) will be very useful as a walk-around lens and let you learn how to use a camera.

You need to learn a bit about photography in general, so you can understand what we are saying to you, and be able to sort out the terms and technology.  This is not like buying a cell phone - dedicated cameras require some underlying knowledge of the principles of photography or videography and are capable, in skilled hands, of producing amazing results.  

So, I will recommend a couple of initial sources and encourage you to view them so you can come back and be less confused in trying to engage with our advice.
Canon EOS 101: Photo and Videography Basics | Canon U.S.A., Inc.

A complete course from National Geographic photographer Chris Bray on the basics of general photography:
Learn Photography - Simple, Practical - Free Photography Course 1/10 (youtube.com)

If you log onto your local library on-line catalogue, search for an item called LinkedIn Learning.  It is a site full of material from skilled trainers in a variety of topics, but with a host of material on photography from the basics to advance skills.   If the item is there, it will give you a free link to the site via your card and PIN number.
Once logged on, go to the search feature and input Photography Fundamentals and check out the videos options there.

[Tronhard]

I am a bit late to this one, and although I have browsed the responses, I hope you will be tolerant if I repeat advice already offered.  This may seem long-winded, but I am trying to guide you in aspects of use and benefits and that takes us to the technical options.  People often buy on specs or the advice of others (often base on their own preferences) that may not render good value for money.  This is YOUR decision but it is based on your purpose and how you will use it, not just tech specs. 

First, if you have no existing dedicated camera equipment, you are in an enviable position of not having an investment in legacy equipment.  It is thus easy for me to wholeheartedly recommend that you move to the R-platform of Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Cameras (MILCs).  Simply put, the DSLR system has stopped development about 4-5 years ago, and all of the new effort (and thus future) of cameras and lenses is on MILCs.

Given you need the funds to cover a camera body and optics, that budget is an extremely limiting value - my first reaction is to consider saving more funds to afford a wider range of choices and a better camera base, and spend the intervening time learning some of the principles of photography.  When I first started, for exactly that reason, I spent months studying material on exposure, composition etc., and these days there are many sources of such education from You Tube videos to on-line articles and books - likely your library has some.

That takes us to the next questions.  You have already indicated, you want to take videos, and photograph wildlife and scenery, but what are your priorities and do you want to produce?   The output is critical as it has a huge impact on what equipment is needed - for example, with stills, will you produce images for social media, digital display and small-medium prints, or do you have aspirations for extremely large, high quality images - as we work our way along that list, the demands and thus investment will be likely to rise.  For video, do you have an idea of the formats you want for those: 1080p, 4k, 8k etc - or to put it another way, what is your target audience?

Taking the issue of subjects...  Cameras will, to some degree, be biased towards the types of subjects.  For example a larger, heavier body might be better for balancing a long, heavy telephoto lens for wildlife, but not so good for doing run and gun video.  I am a wildlife/scenic photographer (and so are some of my colleagues) so my  own purchases are made from those perspectives. Subject type has a huge influence of the lenses and, to a fair degree, the sensor size you will be heading for.   

However, the term wildlife itself offers a myriad of options: from insects to birds and large, macro predators.   In the former, shorter telephoto lengths may be an advantage, but with the latter you want very large, long focal lenses to give you distance from your subjects - to avoid scaring them off or attacking you.  Long zoom lenses tend to be big, heavy and expensive and at the moment outside your budget by a considerable margin.

On the other hand, if you have a bias towards video or vlogging, a light, compact camera with short focal length lenses is better.  Choosing photography gear is based on a set of compromises and priorities that are, to some degree, offset by the choice of lenses you make.

So, what I would suggest for you to start with is a camera body that will allow you to grow but have a lens that is good for landscapes, social events, portrait and some limited wildlife - for example, a good place to learn to photograph animals is the zoo, where they are available, relatively close and will be used to humans.   I still go there myself to keep my hand in until I go on my next adventure.

We now come to a decision about the sensor type: there are two broad types - Full-Frame 35mm, which is about the same size (24x36mm) as most film cameras and takes RF (but effectively NOT RF-S) lenses.  The second type uses an APS-C sensor and is colloquially called a 'crop sensor' because it is smaller by a factor of 1.6 along each dimension.  It can take both RF and RF-S lenses.  This makes the bodies more compact, cheaper to make (but not inferior) and RF-S lenses are also smaller and cheaper, but not necessarily inferior.   As far as the impact on your images goes, the FF bodies have an advantage for wide landscape shots and are better in low light and to isolate subjects from their backgrounds, while the APS-C 'crop' bodies have an advantage for such things as wildlife, and the lighter compact camera + lenses are much more easy to handle for 'run and gun' video.

Given you have a mix, I suggest leaving aside the wildlife specifically for the time being and not invest in a long, heavy and expensive lens.  I would suggest an APS-C 'crop' camera for the benefits above.  The question is which one? 

The choice is the current flagship APS-C, the R7 - which offers In-Body Image Stabilization (IBIS) to enhance steadiness when shooting hand-held and works with RF-S lenses' own stabilization.  This is currently the only body that does have IBIS.   That one is outside your budget but might be achievable if you can wait and save.

The next two down - R10 and R50, have a common sensor with the R10 being the higher-end unit.  The lowest end R100 uses an old sensor and is a really budget camera - I would choose one of the others, personally.

My respected colleagues have suggested the R50 and that seems to be a camera with benefits for vlogging and stills.  You mention that you don't think it's suitable for wildlife, and again I stress that the lenses attached have by far the biggest impact on what subjects can be captured.  That is the benefit of an Interchangeable Lens Camera - you change its personality and capabilities significantly by changing the lens.

 I would suggest the R10 or the R50.   Along with this, you need to decide on a lens to start with.  So much depends on where you start as regards subjects.  I would suggest not taking on all three genres (video, scenic and wildlife) at once as the subjects each bias towards a different range of focal lengths.  Learn the general principles of photography that you can carry across all applications, - learning to measure light exposure and control it (and the composition of the image) by becoming familiar with the 'holy trinity' of camera control: Shutter Speed, Aperture and ISO.  Start off with a subject range that can be managed by a lens within budget (preferably greater), and is a good teaching environment. 

Wildlife is a fairly specialized area both in terms of equipment, and technique and getting long telephoto zoom optics is not cheap. Getting good shots is about a lot more than the camera, it takes years because, unlike scenery, animals are mobile, they are not cooperative like people who want portraits, and you need to study their behaviour to be ready for that brilliant shot.

For economy sake I suggest considering Canon's Refurbished gear site - these units are often essentially new (opened or damaged box, or display unit) but are as good as new and come with a guarantee - there are bargains to be had here, as I shall demonstrate.
Link to the site: Canon Refurbished Cameras & Accessories | Canon U.S.A, Inc.

So, the bottom line is:
EOS R10 or R50 and RF-S 18-150, currently in stock: Shop Canon Refurbished EOS R10 RF-S18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM Lens Kit

I shall finish with one observation...  Moving from say a cell phone to a dedicated camera is no small task.  Such a camera will offer you higher quality and much more potential for a diversity of subjects and output, but it has a significant learning curve.   There is a condition amongst some photographers: GAS - Gear Acquisition Syndrome - that takes the view that technology will overcome lack of knowledge and release their otherwise latent talent.  Tech will take you only so far and technique is by far the more powerful.   So, accept that fact that you have some work ahead, be prepared to take your time and do the hard yards to understand the principles, and do the practice and you will be rewarded.

[stevet1]

Kbonier2007 said that he had a budget of $300 -$700 max.

That's going to have to be a pretty basic kit.

Maybe something in the Powershot line like the SX740?

It 's got 20mp, 40X zoom, built-in optical stabilizer, 4K video,  built-in wi-fi and Bluetooth. for $479.

That's not a bad beginning.

Steve Thomas

[Tronhard]

Hi Steve:
Thanks, just saw that (chemo brain agiain 😒), so  I shall amend accordingly.  Yes, that is pretty limiting.  I shall stick to my advice but amend my suggestions of gear!

[Kbonier2007]

She

[shadowsports]

Cheers Gents.  You've said it all, covering the outlined budget and why we initially targeted the R50.  

[stevet1]

Rick,

The R50 is a pretty good suggestion. You can get one with an 18-45mm lens at B&H right now for $699.

Steve Thomas