Affordable travel cameras for beginners

If you fancy adding a good camera to your smartphone for your holiday and if you just want to try out whether you like photography as a hobby, then you might not want to invest a small fortune right away…

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A walk at the beach (photo: Ulrich Knüppel-Gertberg)

Intro

And that’s perfectly understandable. Unfortunately, the intensive marketing activities of the manufacturers don’t help at this point. Because they obviously make the most money when you buy a top camera packed with technical refinements.

Of course, the influencer scene enthusiastically presents all the new products and superlatives on the market on all portals and you can’t help but spend €7,000 on your first camera afterwards….or something like that.

Enniscorthy Castle (photo: Ulrich Knüppel-Gertberg)

However, there are always influencers who present affordable cameras for beginners and I’m doing the same today.

I can be a bit nerdy when I’m interested in a topic and I’ve been following the camera market with great interest for years.

I fully accept that there have been a lot of real improvements and advancements in both cameras and lenses in recent years.

And I fully understand that there are professional users or accomplished amateurs who very much welcome and appreciate many of the newer features in their profession.

Seagull at Skerries harbour (photo: Ulrich Knüppel-Gertberg)

The actual camera needs of a beginner

If you just want to get a taste of photography and take more beautiful pictures on your travels, then your results with a mid-range camera will probably not look much different than with a top professional camera.

On the contrary: too many controls and menu sub-items can also be very confusing and you will never use many of the options.

Cottage at Wicklow Mountains (photo: Ulrich Knüppel-Gertberg)

If you just want to take beautiful photos and don’t want them to be too complicated, then less camera may even be more for you.

Below I have listed a few cameras for you with which you can take very nice travel photos and are in a good mid-range in terms of quality and lower mid-range in terms of price.

Old cannons on Londonderry/Derry city wall (Photo: Ulrich Knüppel-Gertberg)

I only selected digital system cameras with an electronic viewfinder (DSLM). System camera means you can change the lens.

Zoom lenses in the medium zoom range are offered as kit lenses for all these cameras and I would also recommend these to get you started. You can always buy additional lenses later.

The cameras are all a few years old, but not too old. You will still occasionally find them in specialised shops as new or used stock.

If you buy second-hand from a specialist dealer, the goods have been tested and you get a guarantee. I have already bought and sold several cameras second-hand and can recommend this with a clear conscience (professionals do this too).

Let’s get started:

Sony Alpha 6400

Very small and compact APSC camera with a very good sensor. Due to its size, the viewfinder is relatively small, but this camera fits easily into a handbag and takes excellent photos.

Nikon Z5

Very affordable full-frame camera with simple features. The sensor is not the youngest, but still good. The same applies here as with the smaller sister (Z50) – simply good and often available cheaply second-hand or as remaining stock.

Fujifilm XT30

Uncomplicated, nice little handy APSC camera with a very good sensor. Like the Sony 6400, it also fits in small hands and in a small bag. A little slow autofocus – but sights and landmarks usually don’t run away…:-)

Fujifilm XT3

This is the slightly larger APSC sister of the XT30 with slightly more features and the same good sensor. Also slightly slower autofocus – same issue.

Olympus OM-DE-M5 Mark II

This small MFT camera is very suitable for holidays and is available at a very reasonable price. The Olympus company no longer exists, the successor is called OM-Systems and offers a minimally improved M5 today as a new product at a significantly higher price. This small camera can do a lot!

Lumix G91

Also a good MFT camera with a slightly larger, very good body for slightly larger hands. The menu is also very clearly organised. The only weakness: somewhat slow autofocus – not a problem if you don’t necessarily want to take action shots.

Canon RP

Very affordable full-frame camera with simple features. Good ergonomics of the medium-sized body and good menu. Simply sublime pleasure.

Canon EOS R50

Good APSC camera, easy to use for beginners, larger body with good ergonomics typical of Canon, sometimes available second-hand at favourable prices.

Conclusion

This has been a short list of cameras for you, with which you as a beginner can find faithful companions for many journeys.

The list is not exhaustive or complete, as there are simply far too many models on the market.

It may well be that you go to a good specialist dealer and he recommends a different model that he has available at a favourable price. Try it out, let them show it to you and let them show you alternatives.

If it feels good, then you can buy it. If it doesn’t feel good yet, then look a little further (elsewhere). Buying a camera is not only a technical matter, but also a matter of feeling. The camera that feels good to you is the one you’ll want to take with you on your travels and use again and again.

Tiny building on huge cliff at Glencolumbcille (photo by Ulrich Knüppel-Gertberg)

And in fact, the most important thing is to use the camera again and again and to shoot again and again will improve your photography in the first few years more than expensive equipment.

I wish you lots of fun with your new and wonderful hobby, photography. And of course, have fun with your new camera on your first trip!