Beginner photographer camera recommendations

[edrichard]

What is the best camera for photos? R50, R7 & R8 were recommended. Which is better?  

[kvbarkley]

R7 is the most feature rich (An R7 II is in the works so R7's might get cheaper) but it has the smaller sensor.

The R50 is the least feature rich and has the smaller sensor, but is the least expensive.

R8 is in the medium range of features, but is the larger full frame sensor,

[rs-eos]

What type of images do you wish the capture? If just starting out and wanting to capture things in general, I would go for something inexpensive. Of the three, that's the EOS R50. And I'd pair that with at least the RF-S 18-45mm lens. But if your budget allows, the kit that has both that 18-45mm lens as well as the RF-S 55-210mm lens.

There's also the EOS R100 which can also come in a kit with one or both of those lenses. That would have an even lower price thatn the EOS R50.

If you wish to capture something more specific (e.g. mostly outdoor sports, or mosty portraits), we can fine-tune the recommendations.

[mdphotography · Accepted solution]

If you just want something that's better than your phone or a compact camera, go with the R50 or R10.  If you want to take a deeper dive into some of the more advanced concepts of photography (ie. steeper learning curve), then go for the R7 or R8 as those will grow with you better than the other two.

[stevet1]

edrichard,

Your question is a little hard to answer right off the bat. All three of the cameras that you mentioned are good cameras, but there are a couple of factors you need to take into consideration before you make your first purchase.

As the others have mentioned, one of the first things you need to look at is money. How much do you have, or want to spend? In addition to the camera, you will want to set aside money for extras like a tripod, an extra battery, memory cards, etc. Memory cards do not come with the camera, they have to be purchased separately.

Another thing is weight. Are you a younger person, or an older person? Cameras can get heavy carrying them around all day.

You say that you are a beginner photographer. There are a lot of things to learn in order to become a good one. Things like good composition, camera settings, proper exposure, etc. There are a lot of modes, dials, settings, functions and sub-functions etc. on your camera, so you might want to start out with the smaller number of these features like the R50 rather than the more advanced R7 or R8.

Another thing to consider is what kind of pictures do you like to take. The R8 is a full-frame camera, so you will get a wider frame of view. The R50 and R7 are what's called crop-sensor cameras, so your your field of view will be narrower and more "zoomed-in", but the R8 is heavier too.

You need to tell us a little more about yourself and what you want to do with your photography so we can help you better.

Steve Thomas

[SignifDigits]

I agree with the advice given by others regarding the cameras.   You didn't mention what really would excite you in your journey with a camera compared to taking photos with your phone.   

I would suggest that you also consider what lens you want to start with as that is just as, if not more important, than the camera.  Great lenses are ones that can stay with you if you ever upgrade cameras.  An excellent all purpose lens to consider is the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM.  At $460 new and just $343 refurbished (and refurbished is as good as or better than new in my opinion - has been individually tested and is warrantied as new) it's quite a bargain.

You didn't mention the RP.  It is older technology, but you can currently get this excellent lens on an RP as a kit combination for $1073 at Best Buy (an authorized Canon reseller).  I believe you might consider this lens with the RP as a starter camera at that price point.  My first Canon full-frame mirrorless was an RP and although you certainly might outgrow it the R8 body alone costs about $400 more than the RP kit.  In any event I would recommend this lens as a significantly better use of your funds than the RF 24-50 f/4.3-6.3 IS STM that will come with many other kits, and be an investment that you would not regret making.

And if I were recommending a starter combination at about $1,000 I would not hesitate to recommend the older RP and that lens as a great starter camera and lens.  You could make many quite satisfying photographs with that combination.  

Please keep us informed about what you decide and what directions you go in, and know we wish you all the best in your decision-making and photography adventures.

[TomRamsey]

"Photos" is pretty broad, as mentioned before, knowing what interests you will mean a lot as to what you buy.  And of course the initial lens is very important.  As far as the cameras they all have different strengths.  Make a chart (can probably be done online) and compare the features of each camera and what they mean to you, do the research.  There are a lot of capabilities of each camera that you may never use.  There is also a lot of ranking of things like autofocus speed, that may be or may not be relevant, meaning there could be really little difference.  Do you want in body stabilization, well if you are going to shoot with a long lens probably, it means a lot to me, but does it to you?  A lot of features may sound cool, but in reality would rarely be used by most people, but you may use it a lot, and that's hard to tell at this point in you photography journey.  

My own choice of your candidates would be the R7 because it is stabilized and weather sealed.  But the R8 has a full frame sensor with 24 MP, where the R7 has 32 MP on a smaller APS-C sensor, that will give the R8 better low light performance, so it is not a clear choice.  I shoot almost exclusively outdoors and often in early morning, often before sunrise so that is a big deal to me. 

I'm sure either the R7 or R8 will be a good camera, but just make sure it fits what you want to do.

[shadowsports]

@edrichard,

Let's get your actual budget established?

[edrichard]

$2000

[stevet1]

edrichard,

I forgot to mention the most important thing to do first.

Visit a camera store, or at least a place that sells cameras. Pick up and handle the models that interest you and see which one seems to feel most natural in your hands. Get a feel for it. Hold it up to your eye. See how the buttons are laid out. Can you easily reach them with your eyes closed?

There's no point in buying the fanciest, most sophisticated camera out there, if you don't like how it feels in your hand. Down the road, it's got to feel like second nature to to pick it up and work with it.

Don't plan on buying one right then and there. You'll want to do that later from an authorized Canon dealer. Once you ultimately do buy one, keep all your paperwork, even the box.

Steve Thomas