Choosing the best camera becomes a whole lot easier when you know what kind of photographer you are and what you want to shoot. You don't have to spend a fortune to get a great camera, and the latest tech is only useful if you actually need it!
If you already know what kind of camera you want, check out these buying guides:
• Best point and shoot camera
• Best camera for beginners
• Best camera for kids
• Best cameras for vlogging
• Best waterproof camera
• Best bridge camera
• Best mirrorless camera
• Best DSLR
• Best professional camera
• DSLR vs mirrorless cameras
• Best 4K camera for filmmaking
There are so many different users out there, from beginners, to vloggers, to adventure fans to professionals, that we've split our guide up into sections to make it easier to figure out what is the best camera for you.
Learners: This category is for people who are just starting out in photography but who want to learn more. We've included cameras that are affordable to buy but advanced enough to keep up as you develop your skills.
Enthusiast upgraders: Maybe you already have a camera and you're looking for a better one? As with all these categories we have a dedicated guide for this one, but we pick out three of our favorites right here.
Travel and vlogging: Travelling the world is a dream for most of us, and these are cameras that are designed to capture everything we see, whether it's stills to hang on the wall or video to post on our social media.
Point and shoot: Not everyone wants to become an expert. Sometimes you just want a simple point and shoot camera that does everything automatically. Here's a selection of affordable cameras the whole family can use.
Action cams: Perfect for recording life's adventures, these tiny video cameras fit on your surfboard, helmet or handlebars. You just press a button to start recording, press a button to stop.
Turning pro: Professional photographers look for very specialised and specific features, but here is a selection of pro cameras which have had a big impact and are still achievable for the rest of us.
The best cameras in 2021
Still learning?
If you're learning about photography for its own sake, as a hobbyist, student or budding professional, you should get a beginner-friendly DSLR or mirrorless camera. This will give you lots of creative control and lots of potential for the future. See also: the best cameras for beginners.
The cameras we've chosen here are two DSLRs and a mirrorless camera. The Nikon D3500 is still the best interchangeable lens camera to start with as far as we're concerned, for value, usability and lens choice. The Canon EOS Rebel SL3 (EOS 250D) is a little more expensive but also a little more versatile, and the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV is a little gem of a mirrorless camera that's small and easy to pack away.
The Nikon D3500 is a long-standing favorite of ours. It's by no means the most advanced DSLR you can get, but its simplicity, its controls and the quality of the images it can create make it our top recommendation for anyone just starting out. There’s a lot the D3500 doesn’t do – it has a fixed rear screen that’s not touch-sensitive, it doesn’t have hybrid on-sensor autofocus and it doesn’t shoot 4K video. But its 24-megapixel sensor delivers super-sharp, super-high quality images, Nikon’s latest AF-P retracting kit lens is a miniature marvel and focuses very fast in live view, even without on-sensor phase-detection autofocus. The D3500 handles well, it’s easy to use, it’s more powerful than it looks and it’s the perfect introduction to interchangeable lens photography.
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The Canon EOS Rebel SL3 (called the EOS 250D in Europe) is a terrific camera for beginners, because although it costs a little more than entry-level models like the Nikon D3500, it has lots of features to make picture taking easier and more exciting, and the potential to take on more advanced projects as your skills grow. The 24-megapixel APS-C sensor delivers great results, but the star of the show is Canon's advanced Dual Pixel CMOS AF system, which makes the live view autofocus (when you use the rear screen rather than the viewfinder) extremely fast and responsive. Better still, the rear screen is both fully-articulating and touch-sensitive, so you can take pictures at all sorts of odd angles, and for the first time in a DSLR at this price it's possible to shoot 4K video – this is the perfect DSLR for bloggers and vloggers, not just regular photographers.
Read more: Canon EOS Rebel SL3 / EOS 250D review
With a new 20MP sensor, incrementally improved in-body image stabilization and a new flip-down and tiltable monitor, the new Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV is the best version yet of a camera we've been raving about for ages. Retaining the 4K video and attractive styling that made the Mark III so attractive to consumers, the Mark IV is set to be a new favorite for anyone looking for an entry-level camera that can do pretty much everything. This is one of our favorite pint-sized cameras ever, so we're really pleased that it has AT LAST got Olympus's latest 20MP sensor. It's still a little pricey for beginners, but this is a great little camera that's so much more powerful than it looks and could be with you for a long time to come.
Read more: Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV review
Enthusiast upgrades
We have a complete guide to the best cameras for enthusiasts, but in the meantime here is a trio of cameras which we think are star buys right now. If you've reached the limits of what your current camera can do, these will offer a step up in features, performance and potential.
The Fujifilm X-S10 is a well made and affordable mirrorless camera with everything, including in-body stabilization, the Nikon Z5 is a relatively inexpensive way to get into Nikon's excellent full frame mirrorless Z system, and the Canon EOS 90D is a terrific old-school DSLR packed with the latest tech for Canon fans who just want to upgrade.
The Fujifilm X-S10 doesn't have the external exposure controls of the higher-level X-series cameras, but that's the only thing we can find to complain about, and it's clear this is no 'amateur' camera. as its build quality and handling stand out straight away. The swap to a conventional mode dial might disappoint Fujifilm fans, but the excellent finish, build quality and handling and the inclusion of IBIS (in-body stabilisation) gives this camera a very broad appeal, especially in this price sector, to produce perhaps the best combination of performance, quality and value in the APS-C mirrorless camera market right now. It even has a vari-angle rear screen, which is another reason why we rate this new camera above our previous favorite, the X-T30.
Read more: Fujifilm X-S10 review
While Nikon has done a solid job with filling out the very upper end of its Z range of full frame mirrorless cameras with the flagship Z7 II, and even found room for a cheeky APS-C offering with the Z50, it was arguably lacking an entry-level gateway to full frame. That has come in the form of the Nikon Z5, a stylish little shooter that offers full-frame features at an attractive price. With twin card slots and 4K UHD video it takes a few cues from professional bodies, though you won't be burst-shooting at anything higher than 4.5fps. Still, with full weather-sealing, five-stop image stabilisation and a spectacular electronic viewfinder, anyone making their first jump to full frame is going to find themselves absolutely spoiled for features. What we like most about this camera is its keen pricing – well below the Nikon Z6 II – and its neat retracting kit lens.
Read more: Nikon Z5 review
We know that mirrorless cameras are all the rage, but we've included the Canon EOS 90D for all those DSLR fans we know are still out there – and for all the folk who've got drawers full of Canon lenses! The Canon EOS 90D is an astounding APS-C workhorse of a camera, which combines the highest resolution yet seen in an APS-C sensor of 32.5MP, with high-speed frame rate of 10fps, and it also manages glorious uncropped 4K video, without that irritating crop that has plagued Canon cameras in the past. Its handling and ergonomics are a joy, reminding us of why shooting on a DSLR is such an enjoyably tactile experience, and it's available for a welcome enthusiast price point – not to mention the fact that you get an optical viewfinder, which many people still prefer to the electronic viewfinders on mirrorless cameras. Rumours of the DSLR's death will have been greatly exaggerated if Canon keeps on producing models as good as this.
Read more: Canon EOS 90D review
Travel and vlogging
Travel photography and vlogging are two of the biggest growth areas in photography and often go together. So what you need is a camera system that's compact and versatile, and equally good at both video and stills photography. Read more: Best travel cameras, Best cameras for vlogging, Best 4K cameras for filmmaking.
We've picked out the Panasonic Lumix G100 as a compact and affordable travel/vlogging/content creation tool, the Sony ZV-1 as a compact alternative with a built in zoom and a wind noise muffler for the mic(!) and the rather lovely Fujifilm X-T200 – though this camera is still proving quite hard to get.
Vloggers and content creators will enjoy the simplicity of the Lumix G100. It makes it easy to capture high-quality video and stills with its approachable button layout. Even people uninterested in the technicalities of capturing great-looking videos will be able to get results with this camera. There’s an inherent risk of dumbing things down too much when creating a camera for social media, but Panasonic has avoided that pitfall with the Lumix G100. By giving it a decent viewfinder and “proper camera” ergonomics, Panasonic has given the G100 an edge in a highly competitive market. This is a great camera to start with if you're interested in travel photography, vlogging or both!
Read more: Panasonic Lumix G100 review
Normally we recommend interchangeable lens cameras for any kind of serious photography or filmmaking, but we'll make an exception with the Sony ZV-1. It has a fixed 3x zoom lens and a 1-inch sensor that's smaller than its Micro Four Thirds and APS-C rivals, but it makes up for it with a super-compact body small enough to slip into a jacket or even a trouser pocket, and a body, controls, audio system and rear that are optimised brilliantly for vlogging. The woolly hat you see in the pictures is a muffler to cut wind noise while filming, and it comes with the camera, and the autofocus on this camera is blazingly fast – and copes brilliantly when you hold objects up to show the camera.
Read more: Sony ZV-1 review
The Fujifilm X-T200 is light and compact, but looks and feels handles like an old-school 35mm SLR camera. Best of all, it has a big new 3.5-inch vari-angle touchscreen with twice the resolution of most rivals and a 1:6 aspect ratio perfectly suited to video. It also has an electronic viewfinder and can shoot 4K video as well as 24-megapixel stills. Its 15-45mm kit lens is electrically powered takes up much less space than a regular kit lens as well as offering wider angle of view than most, making it ideal for interior shots and big landmarks. The big touchscreen will help smartphone upgraders feel right at home, and if you decide you don't need an electronic viewfinder, the cheaper X-A7 is essentially the same but cheaper. Annoyingly, the X-T200 does seem in short supply right now, and prices have climbed as a result – we hope supplies of this great camera are back to normal soon!
Read more: Fujifilm X-T200 review
Simple point and shoot cameras
Looking for a simple point and shoot camera that the whole family can use, and nothing more? Then you don't really need big sensors, advanced controls or interchangeable lenses, just a camera versatile enough for all kinds of situations, easy for anyone to use and small enough to slide into a jacket pocket. See also: the best point and shoot cameras.
We've picked three very different cameras here, but all designed for easy family use. The Panasonic TZ200/ZS200 is a premium long-zoom compact camera for high quality stills and 4K video, the Canon Ixus 185 HS is the perfect example of a pint-sized pocket camera at a pocket money price, and the Nikon Coolpix W300 is a rugged go-anywhere little camera perfect for the sand and the surf.
Interchangeable lens DSLR and mirrorless cameras are great if you want to get seriously into photography, but can be overkill when you just want to grab pictures casually. Sometimes a fixed lens compact camera will be fine, especially if you want to do a lot of travelling, and if you're more concerned with capturing the moment than fussing over technicalities. A superzoom travel camera is the perfect solution, but most have really small 1/2.3-inch sensors which limit their picture quality. The Panasonic TZ200/ZS200 is different. It has a much larger 1-inch sensor for much better pictures, matched up with a big 15x zoom – and yet it will still fit in a jacket pocket when it’s powered down. The TZ200/ZS200 isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s surely one of the best long-zoom compact cameras you can get, and it has features and controls that will even please experts.
This time we've gone for a camera that's cheap, effective and practical enough for the whole family to use without worrying about it. With its small sensor and simple controls, the Ixus 185 is about as far away from a DSLR as a bicycle is from a Harley Davidson, but that’s not the market it’s designed for. If you think of it instead as an alternative to a smartphone, it has A LOT going for it. For a start, there are no smartphones with an 8x optical zoom, and the price of the Ixus 185 means you don’t have to lie awake at night wondering if you’ve got it adequately insured. It’s perfect for kids, teenagers and technophobic adults who want a camera to take pictures with and to keep their phone for making phone calls.
Family cameras have a pretty hard life, so if you need one that can put up with the rough and tumble and even a little underwater adventure, the Nikon Coolpix W300 could be perfect. It's rated to depths of 30m, outstripping most waterproof cameras, and it comes with a barometer that provides useful underwater data like altitude and depth, as well as an electronic compass. You get Bluetooth and Nikon’s SnapBridge technology for fast image transfer. Video shooters will also welcome the addition of 4K video to the W300’s toolkit, and the generous shockproof rating of 2.4m means it’s extra protected against bumps and knocks. Keen photographers will have to do without raw capture, but most casual snappers will be happy to stick with JPEGs and find this camera a superb all-rounder.
Read more: these are the best waterproof and underwater cameras right now
Action and adventure
Photography is changing and evolving all the time, and a traditional camera might not be what you need. If you want to record your adventures and travel from an immersive, first-person angle, then an action camera is the perfect tool to do it with – or even a 360 camera. Read more: Best action cameras, Best 360 cameras.
Here are three cameras that offer a very different approach to photography, with point and shoot simplicity but a wild and exciting approach to photographing a wild and exciting lifestyle! The GoPro Hero9 Black is the gold standard for action cameras, the DJI Osmo Action is a cheeky alternative with a front-facing selfie screen, while the Insta360 ONE R Twin Edition captures everything around you, no matter where you point it – literally, EVERYTHING.
The ante just got upped. If you want the very best action camera around it’s got to be GoPro’s latest flagship. It’s true that the brand’s first action camera to feature a vlogging-style front-facing screen won’t be for everyone, but the appearance here also of 5K resolution surely makes it the front-runner.
Even if you’re not after 5K video as such, a new sensor allows you to get 14.7 MP grabs from 5K video, as well as take 20MP stills. It’s also got a a larger 2.27-inch display than the GoPro Hero8 Black, super-smooth Hypersmooth 3.0 video stabilization, TimeWarp 3.0 for handheld time-lapses, a travel case, and an upcoming Max Lens Mod accessory that will bring GoPro Max-style features like 360º horizon lock and an ultra-wide 155º Max SuperView mode.
• Read full GoPro Hero9 review
DJI is best known for producing some of the best drones around (and to a lesser degree for its handheld gimbal camera stabilizers) – but has turned its attention to the action camera market with the arrival of the Osmo Action. It look and feels like it has been made to be a direct competitor to the GoPro Hero7 Black – and does a real good job of giving the GoPro a run for its money. We particularly like the addition of a full-color front LCD display – which makes it one of the best action cams for selfie sequences or vlogging.
360 imaging is one of the latest and most exciting developments in photography, but if you can't decide between an action cam and a 360 camera, why not get a camera that does both? The Insta360 ONE R Twin Edition is called "Twin Edition" because it's two cameras in one, coming with two lens modules that are easy to swap between. One turns it into a straight 4K action camera, the other gives it 360º-shooting capability, and it's got loads of extra features too, including 5m of waterproofing (which can be extended with a special housing). AI-powered algorithms also augment the various shooting modes, and particularly impressive Auto Frame mode, which can automatically find and pick out the action in a 360º video. Right now the Insta360 ONE R Twin Edition is one of a kind, but we wouldn't be surprised if many future 360º cameras look a lot like this.
Read more: Insta360 ONE R Twin Edition review
Turning pro
If you're ready to take the step up into the world of professional photography, you need to take a look at full frame camera systems. DSLRs still have their place amongst pro sports photographers, but in every other aspect of pro photography, mirrorless cameras have become the norm. See also: the best cameras for professionals.
If you're just taking your first steps in professional photography, we think you're probably looking for a big step up in image quality, so we've picked three high resolution models rather than more specialized sports or video cameras. The Canon EOS R5 is just a spectacular all-rounder, the Sony A7R Mark IV has the highest resolution yet in a professional full frame camera, and the Nikon Z7 II is a great all-rounder for both stills and video with a growing range of rather good lenses.
The EOS R5 is Canon's latest flagship mirrorless camera, and seems to be trying to corner every segment of the market at once. It's got a brand-new 45MP sensor that produces images of incredible detail thanks to a new low-pass filter, as well as the class-leading autofocus system of the EOS-1D X Mark III, with a whopping 5,940 AF points for photography and 4,500 for video. The EOS R5's video specs are nothing short of next-generation. It can capture uncropped 8K Raw video internally at up to 29.97fps in 4:2:2 12-bit Canon Log or HDR PQ (both H.265) in both UHD and DCI – this is cinema-quality stuff, and Canon knows it. 4K capture is also possible at up to 119.88fps, and with the new Frame Grab function, it's possible to snatch high-resolution 35.4MP stills from your 8K footage, ensuring you never miss a moment.
Read more: Canon EOS R5 review
The 'R' models in Sony's A7 series cameras are designed first and foremost for resolution – and the Sony A7R Mark IV has the highest resolution yet in a full frame camera. It's not just the detail rendition that's stellar, but this camera's 4K video capability and 10fps continuous shooting speed – all combined with in-body 5-axis image stabilization and one of the most powerful autofocus systems the world has seen, complete with the world's best (so far) eye AF. One of the most compelling reasons for picking the Sony system, however, is the extensive lens range now available, both from Sony itself and from third party lens makers, and the momentum the Sony brand has built up in the professional photographic community.
Read more: Sony A7R Mark IV review
The Z7 II is Nikon's flagship full frame mirrorless camera. All the changes that we’ve seen on the Z7 II compared to the original Z7 are certainly welcome, but we can’t help feeling that Nikon’s played it a bit safe. We’d like to have seen even more of a jump to really make it a serious threat to the likes of the Canon EOS R5 and Alpha A7R IV. But still, the Nikon Z7 II has a lot going for it. It might not have a standout feature that sets it apart from its competitors, but the Nikon Z7 II delivers solidly across the board and is a great mirrorless camera. Nikon's changes – dual processors and dual memory card slots, for example – have made a great camera even better.
Read more: Nikon Z7 II review
Read more:
- The 10 best point-and-shoot cameras
- The 10 best cameras under £500/$500
- The 10 best cameras for beginners
- The 10 best cameras for enthusiasts
- The 10 best cameras for professionals
- The 10 best compact cameras
- The 10 best mirrorless cameras
- The 10 cheapest full-frame cameras
- The best full-frame DSLRs
- The 10 best travel cameras
- The 10 best bridge cameras
- The 10 best selfie cameras
- The 10 best action cameras
