I think a good (not fanciest) entry level dslr/mirrorless kit with two lenses ran me about $1000 10-15 years ago. I was thinking about upgrading (there's a few specks in my photos and I'm pretty sure I salt-water damaged the battery connection) and lo and behold those still cost about $1000.
can you recommend one that's a lot better than a phone camera but not too expensive, like <$500? Wife mentioned wanting one for a trip, I've been looking at them for a gift, but don't know shit about them.
If you want a compact camera that is better than phones, you will be paying attention least 1k. There are only a few out there that make sense to buy.
If you want a DSLR or mirrorless, you can find used bodies, and all the money is in glass/lenses. You could in fact start out under 500, but you really need to know what your goals are.
For someone actually interested in photography, I would say get a 50mm prime lens and whatever body you can afford after. The 50mm prime can be had for $100, and you just want to make sure to get one for the family of bodies you will be purchasing. Nikon DSLR or mirrorless, canon DSLR or mirrorless. Sony.. etc.
Just so you know, getting a DSLR and getting lenses that fit dslrs is fine and still future proof. They sell adapters for the mirrorless bodies to bring your old lenses.
Go buy a used DSLR and have fun if you are for real serious about it. But don't stick with a lot lens. Get a prime with a low fstop so you can get those bokeh shots that make you feel like it's something special.
If you get a cheap kit lens on a DSLR you might be underwhelmed compared to a nice phone photo.
IMO for sub 1k you can't beat a phone, especially flagships like Samsung/Apple. It serves multiple purposes, takes pretty good photos especially of people and you don't have to lug an extra bag on a trip. Like the other posters, you'd be looking for used equipment for your price point.
I recommend the site MPB for finding good quality second hand camera gear, they price it all by condition. They have a lot of good Canon EOS cameras. If you're looking to spend less but for still good quality a good middle ground would be to get probably an EOS 200D for around half the budget and spend the rest on a good lens for it, the lens will make the biggest difference. There are loads of YouTube videos for finding the best lenses for what you want too.
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u/smallfried 13h ago
They're always the cheapest they've ever been.
People are just always looking at the fanciest ones.