The best camera in 2019: find the best camera for you, and the best price too!

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Keen novices
Family snapper?
Expert enthusiast?
Potential pro?

So what is the best camera? That's a question that has at least four different answers depending on who's asking! There is no one camera that's perfect for everyone, so we've split our guide up into four categories, and you can click on the buttons above to go straight to the one that sounds like you.

Our guide covers the full spectrum of cameras, from pocket-sized point and shoot cameras the whole family can use, through DSLRs and mirrorless cameras for keen photographers ready to take their skills to the next level.

You'll see a lot of debate about DSLR vs mirrorless cameras, but the fact is that both types have their pros and cons. DSLRs are chunkier to grip and good value, especially at the cheaper end of the market, while the best mirrorless cameras are smaller and lighter and are perfect for video – many have flip-around screens for selfies and vlogging.

If price is your main factor, there are lots of cheap camera deals right now. You might also want to take a look at some of our other guides, including the best cameras for kids, the best cameras for vlogging and the best cameras for beginners.

So what type of camera user are you?

Keen novice? If you're upgrading from a camera phone or a compact, 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.

Family snapper? Then you don't really need 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.

Expert enthusiast? We'd guess your looking for the best features, power and performance, and at the best price! Whether you're into landscapes or sports, video or vlogging, these are the cameras we rate right now.

Potential pro? If you're stepping into the world of professional photography, take a look at our guide to the best cameras for professionals. In the meantime, we've picked two full frame powerhouses that deliver stellar resolution and performance.

If none of these sound like you and you're into sports, action and adventure, we've also got guides to the best action camera, best waterproof and underwater cameras and the best 360 camera right now.

So keep reading to find the best cameras you can buy right now, regardless of your experience, expertise or budget!

Keen novices

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1. Canon EOS Rebel SL3 / 250D

It costs more than Canon's cheapest DSLRs but it's easily worth the extra

Easy to use

Excellent live view autofocus

4K video

Bigger than a mirrorless model

The Canon EOS Rebel SL3 (EOS 250D in the UK) 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.

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A black and silver Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III camera

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2. Olympus OM-D E-M10 III

A brilliant mirrorless camera you can fit in a coat pocket

Very compact body

Extensive external controls

Tiny 14-42mm 'pancake' zoom

Only 16.1 million pixels

The Canon EOS Rebel SL3 / 250D is extremely compact for a DSLR, but the OM-D E-M10 III is smaller still, and shows off the size advantage of Olympus's mirrorless Micro Four Thirds format. The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III is a jewel of a camera that's easy to get started with but gives you unexpected power and features later on. It uses a smaller 16-megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor than most mirrorless cameras, but you shouldn't read too much into that, and it does take a wide range of compact and affordable Olympus and Panasonic lenses. It also has an excellent 5-axis in-body stabilization system, shoots 4K video and comes with a wide selection of Olympus’s rather good Art Filters. It's small but powerful and a great travel camera too.

Read more: Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III review

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3. Sony Alpha 6000

It's five years old but the A6000 is powerful and effective... and cheap!

Superb AF system

Great EVF

No 4K video

No touchscreen

DSLR cameras continue to be popular with novice users, partly because it's hard to get a mirrorless camera with a viewfinder at anything like the same price. But the Sony A6000 is the exception! Despite the arrival of the A6300 and A6500, the Sony A6000 remains in Sony’s Alpha lineup – and that’s a smart move on Sony’s part. While the latter two models can satisfy enthusiasts and those keen on shooting 4K video, the A6000 serves as a more affordable introduction to the system – one that still absolutely holds its own against even pricier cameras. Thanks in part to a 179-point phase-detect AF system spread broadly across the frame, it's particularly adept at tracking moving subjects, with its 11fps burst shooting option helping you to get the decisive moment. This is a great mirrorless camera at this price, especially if you really don't want the bulk of a DSLR.

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4. Nikon D3500

A DSLR is still the cheapest way into ‘proper’ photography

Great ergonomics

Superb image quality

Versatile and affordable

Fixed rear screen

Many of our best camera choices are mirrorless cameras, but the best DSLR cameras are still going strong. In fact they offer great value for beginners – and the Nikon D3500 is the perfect example. 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.

Read more:

• Nikon D3500 review
• Here are some more of the best cameras for beginners

Family snapper?

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5. Panasonic TZ200/ZS200

Easy for beginners, powerful enough for experts, a great all-round camera

Good 1-inch sensor

Excellent 15x zoom range

Manual controls and raw files

4K video and 4K Photo

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.

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6. Canon Ixus 185 HS

A pocket camera for the whole family, with a pocket-money price tag

8x zoom lens

Low price

Only HD video

Small sensor

Our third compact camera choice is different again. 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.

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7. Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III

If only you could get a DSLR that would fit in your pocket...

APS-C sensor

24.2 million pixels

Excellent image quality

Small size

Pocket cameras don't always have to be simple point-and-shoot models that swap picture quality for practicality, and at the opposite end of the scale to the Ixus 185 HS is the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III. This is Canon’s top PowerShot camera, and although it doesn’t have the zoom range of some of the smaller compacts and bridge cameras, that’s because it has a big APS-C sensor the same size as those in Canon’s enthusiasts SLRs. We’ve no idea how Canon has crammed this sensor – and a 3x 24-72mm equivalent zoom – into such a small body, and yet it’s still managed to include an electronic viewfinder and a fully-articulating touchscreen display. The only downsides to this camera are the (understandably) high price and the fact the maximum aperture of the lens drops to f/5.6 at full zoom – but this is still an amazing camera for experts and enthusiasts who don't want to carry around their main camera all the time, or first-time buyers who want DSLR quality without the bulk.

Read more:

• Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III review
• Here are some more of the best point and shoot cameras you can get right now

Expert enthusiast?

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8. Fujifilm X-T3

A professional quality camera that's also compact, affordable and versatile

Full area AF coverage

4K video up to 60fps

High-speed burst modes

No in-body stabilization

Whether you want to shoot sports, 4K video or all-round photographic subjects, the X-T3 does it all brilliantly. It has Fujifilm's latest 26.1-megapixel APS-C format sensor with 11fps continuous shooting that goes up to an amazing 30fps in 1.25x crop mode with its electronic shutter. Fujifilm’s new autofocus system covers pretty much the whole image area and it can capture 4K video at 60/50fps, a feat that only dedicated video-centric cameras like the Panasonic GH5S have been able to manage until now. The only thing missing is in-body stabilization, but in the context of everything this camera can do, that's a minor issue.

Read more: Fujifilm X-T3 review

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9. Canon EOS 6D II

Canon’s cheapest full-frame DSLR is remarkably capable

Vari-angle touchscreen

Dual Pixel CMOS AF

Value and versatility

Full HD video only

If you're a keen photographer upgrading an existing camera, quality and features are going to be high on your shopping list, and the Canon EOS 6D Mark II offers both, but at a surprisingly reasonable price. Canon’s 2018 was dominated by the speculation and then excitement around the launch of its EOS R full frame mirrorless system, but many users still prefer the size and handling of a DSLR, and the Canon EOS 6D Mark II is Canon’s cheapest full frame DSLR and a bit of a slow burner, as steady price drops have made it more and more appealing. Its 26-megapixel resolution and 6.5fps continuous shooting speed are unremarkable, but its effective control layout, vari-angle touchscreen and rather good live view autofocus give it really nice handling. If you want to step up to full frame DSLR photography, this is a very effective and affordable way to do it.

Read more: Canon EOS 6D II review

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10. Nikon Z 6

Nikon’s new full-frame mirrorless camera is very good indeed

High 12fps frame rate

In-body image stabilization

Adaptor for DSLR lenses

Single XQD card slot

The EOS 6D Mark II is a good value 'old school' full frame DSLR, while Nikon's new mirrorless Z series is right at the cutting edge of camera technology. We love the 45.7-megapixel Nikon Z 7, which is a direct rival to the Nikon D850 And Sony A7R III, but not every one can afford it, and while the Z 6 has a lower-resolution 24MP sensor, it’s a lot cheaper than the Z 7 and does have some technical advantages, including a slightly higher 12fps continuous shooting speed and full-frame 4K video. Physically, the Z6 is identical to the Z 7, so it has the same tough, well-designed and good-handling body. Nikon’s Z-series cameras are a little more wieldy than the Sony A7 models, and the Z 6 makes a great entry-level all-round full-frame mirrorless camera.

Read more:

• Nikon Z6 review
• The best mirrorless cameras you can buy right now
• These are the best cameras for vlogging

Potential pro?

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11. Nikon D850

A landmark camera, and still the ultimate all-round pro DSLR, even now

Supremely versatile

Tough, weather-sealed body

Exceptional image quality

45.7MP resolution

Despite the relentless march of mirrorless cameras, DSLRs are still very popular amongst professional users, and the Nikon D850 is a stand-out example. This is largely down to its chunky, rugged design and its versatility. The 45.7MP sensor provides bags of resolution for landscapes, fashion and still-life setups, while 7fps burst shooting and a 153-point AF system means it’s equally at home when faced with action – and you can boost this to 9fps with an optional battery pack if you need to. Wedding photographers will love the silent burst shooting mode, and it captures 4K video too. On top of all that, the robust, weather-sealed body means you can easily rely on it in even challenging conditions. The Nikon D850 is easily one of the best professional-level cameras you can buy.

Read more: Nikon D850 review

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12. Sony A7R III

Still one of the greatest all-round mirrorless cameras for pros

10fps burst shooting

Solid video specs

In-body stabilization

42.2MP resolution

With all the big mirrorless announcements from Nikon, Canon and Panasonic in 2018, it feels like Sony has been left behind. But Sony was the first to enter the full frame mirrorless market and still has one of the best line-ups – not to mention the best premium quality lens range. The Sony A7R III is like the Nikon D850, but in mirrorless form. Like the Nikon, it combines sky-high resolution with a super-fast 10fps continuous shooting speed and 4K video. Physically, however, they are very different cameras. The most obvious difference is the much smaller body of the A7R III, though any size advantage is quickly offset by the size of Sony’s lenses, which just as large as full frame Nikon lenses and, in the case of Sony’s G Master series, often larger. What recent rivals have done, though, is push down Sony's prices, so the A7R III is not just a great camera, it's also become a great bargain.

Read more:

• Sony A7R III review
• These are the best cameras for professionals right now

Read more: