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Buying Guide: [301] The Best Entry-Level D-SLRs
When you buy a digital SLR you're purchasing more than just a camera. You're also locking yourself into a good number of accessories that you can take with you to your next camera body—assuming you stick with the same brand. Generally speaking, the lenses, flash, and other accessories that you buy for Nikon's entry-level model can be used with its top-end model—and the same is true for Canon, Pentax, and Sony. The cameras below all come in at less than $1,000 and most can be purchased with a bundled lens. You can dip your toes in the water with a model that's closer to $500, or dive in a little bit deeper with a pricier one.
Besides the camera's build, feel, and basic features, you also need to consider what lenses you'll want. If you don't see yourself ever buying more than the 55-300mm telezoom to complement the included 18-55mm, don't fret—every manufacturer has you covered. But if you see yourself adding a good number of lenses down the road, you should take a look at what is available before you choose a camp. Canon and Nikon offer the largest number of lenses, many of which are also compatible with pro full frame models, but you'll have to pay extra for lenses with optical stabilization.
Sony and Pentax both make cameras with in-body stabilization, so any lens you attach is stabilized. Sony's lens lineup isn't as vast as Canon and Nikon, but you can use older Minolta Maxxum autofocus lenses with Sony Alpha cameras. Pentax is light on the number of zoom lenses available, but has more compact fixed focal-length lenses than you can shake a stick at—and offers full compatibility with every K-mount lens the company has manufactured since 1975.
The cameras in this roundup all feature APS-C image sensors. This format is a bit smaller than 35mm film, so old-school shooters looking to move to digital should understand that the 18-55mm lens that is bundled with each camera produces a field of view that's roughly equivalent to a 28-80 zoom on film. Canon, Nikon, and Sony all make high-end full-frame bodies—but they'll set you back at least $1,900 even before you add a lens. If you see yourself moving to full-frame eventually, make sure that any additional lenses you buy cover that format—they'll work fine on your entry-level SLR. Nikon and Sony will let you use APS-C lenses on full-frame bodies in a special crop mode, but it sacrifices a good deal of image resolution. Canon's EF-S lens lineup works only with APS-C bodies; those lenses won't even mount to a full-frame Canon body.
Another variable to consider is the viewfinder, which is what you use to frame your shots. Entry level digital SLRs use pentamirror viewfinders almost exclusively; they're lighter than the pentaprisms found in more expensive cameras, but aren't as large or bright. Pentax is an exception here—its K-500 and K-50 SLRs use the same solid glass pentaprism that you'll find in its top-end K-3 camera; the K-50 even sports a weather-sealing system.
Sony uses electronic viewfinders in its current crop of SLRs. Less expensive models use LCD finders, but its Alpha 65 uses a stunning high-resolution OLED display that's extremely sharp. If you're happy with an electronic viewfinder, you may also want to weigh the option of getting a smaller compact interchangeable lens camera like Micro Four Thirds models from Panasonic and Olympus, and those in the Sony E-mount, Samsung NX, and Fuji X systems.
For more tips on choosing the right digital SLR, check out our buying guide. And if you've recently entered the SLR world and are looking to upgrade your kit lens, take a look at our roundup of the best lenses—every SLR system is represented. You can also look at every camera and lens that we've reviewed in our Digital Cameras Product Guide.
Featured Entry-Level D-SLR Reviews:
Pros: Excellent image quality. Fast autofocus. 4fps continuous shooting. Sharp vari-angle LCD. 39-point autofocus system. Fast to start and shoot. 1080i60 video capture. Wi-Fi and GPS add-ons available.
Cons: Small pentamirror viewfinder. Will not autofocus with screw-drive lenses. Noisy focus during video recording. Only one control wheel.
Bottom Line: The under-$1,000 Nikon D5200 is a capable D-SLR that delivers impressive image quality and continuous shooting at 4 frames per second, earning it our Editors' Choice.Read Review
Pros: Compact design. Touch screen. Quick to start and focus. 4fps continuous shooting. Smooth live view focus experience. Microphone input. Good high ISO performance.
Cons: Limited Raw burst shooting. Pentamirror viewfinder. Fixed rear LCD. May be too small for some hands.
Bottom Line: Canon's high-performing EOS Rebel SL1 is the tiniest digital SLR you can put your hands on, but it may be too small for some hands.Read Review
Pros: Compact and light. Includes small, optically stabilized lens. Guide Mode for beginners. 24-megapixel sensor with no OLPF. Excellent JPG detail at high ISO. 4.9fps image capture. Raw shooting support. 1080p60 video. Mic input for video.
Cons: Fixed LCD. Images on the noisy side. Limited burst shooting in Raw. Small pentamirror viewfinder.
Bottom Line: The Nikon D3300 is a solid entry-level camera for shooters moving up to a D-SLR, but it's not quite worthy of being named Editors' Choice.Read Review
Pros: Large pentaprism viewfinder. Weather-sealed design. 5.9fps burst shooting. Customizable controls and noise reduction. In-body shake reduction. Very good high ISO performance. Available in 120 different colors.
Cons: Fixed rear LCD. No mic input. Slow to focus when recording video.
Bottom Line: The Pentax K-50 is a fully weather-sealed D-SLR camera with an big optical viewfinder and fast burst shooting capability. It's available to order in any of 120 color combinations, but its video functionality is behind the times.Read Review
Pros: Large pentaprism viewfinder. 5fps burst shooting. Customizable controls and noise reduction. In-body shake reduction. Very good high ISO performance. AA battery power.
Cons: Fixed rear LCD. No mic input. Slow to focus when recording video.
Bottom Line: The Pentax K-500 boasts top-notch image quality, and a pentaprism viewfinder, which is unheard of at its entry-level price point.Read Review
Pros: Shoots at 9 frames per second. High resolution. Fast autofocus. Excellent OLED EVF. Built-in GPS.
Cons: No optical finder. Low-quality kit lens. Performance suffers with slower memory cards.
Bottom Line: The 24-megapixel Sony Alpha 65 is capable of shooting at a blazing fast 9 frames per second, but is held back by a kit lens that simply can't match the quality of the high-resolution image sensor.Read Review
Pros: Fast to start and shoot. Sharp, articulated touch-screen LCD. Compact. Nearly silent video autofocus when used with STM lenses. 4fps shooting. Good image detail at high ISOs. Fast autofocus.
Cons: Small pentamirror viewfinder. Very limited burst shooting in Raw mode. Video autofocus is choppy with non-STM lenses.
Bottom Line: The Canon EOS Rebel T5i is essentially the same camera as its predecessor, and it's still a solid performer.Read Review
Pros: OLED EVF. Full-resolution 5fps burst shooting. Cropped JPG shooting at 7.3fps. Good performance at high ISO settings. Hinged rear display. Good control layout.
Cons: EVF not as sharp as other Sony models. Rear LCD could be larger and sharper. Only one control dial. Disappointing kit lens.
Bottom Line: The Sony Alpha 58 (SLT-A58K) offers an upgraded OLED EVF and kit lens, but it isn't the top D-SLR in Sony's lineup.Read Review
