Here is our guide for those who want to approach photography with the best budget mirrorless cameras under 500 $.
Do you like photography? Do you want to take your camera everywhere to immortalize the best moments of your life but without carrying too much weight? Are you looking for a mirrorless camera that suits your needs? If you have answered yes to these questions, then the perfect solution may be to buy a camera without a mirror. Yes, without a mirror, EVIL, mirrorless … everything comes to an end in the same idea. A camera with smaller dimensions than an SLR, but with an equally large sensor, the ability to change lenses, and very good image quality. What is the best mirrorless camera for beginners? In today’s article, we bring you a selection to serve as a guide when assessing what your next EVIL camera can be.
Also, read our other guides on the best cameras for less than 500, Nikon lenses, Canon lenses, and Instant cameras.
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What to keep in mind to buy the best EVIL camera?
Buying a mirrorless camera for beginners is not something simple. They are still unknown to many users who think that to make good photos they have to buy an SLR camera and the bigger the better and over time they leave them forgotten and do not use them because of the size. They have the laziness to carry them. It will not happen to you because you know what a mirrorless camera is.
We are going to guide you in buying a mirrorless camera, although it is not an easy task. There are many factors to take into account when making the choice of the best mirrorless camera for beginners that suits your needs. The use that you will give it, your requirements, and especially the budget that you have planned to allocate for your purchase.
Factors to take into account when choosing a camera without a mirror.
The budget that you have
It is the first factor to take into account. You have to put in a budget to start seeing models. If our needs are resolved with a more affordable camera, investing in a superior does not make sense. BEGINNER RANGE up to 700$, AVERAGE RANGE up to $ 1600, and HIGH RANGE more than $ 1600. If you are one of those who has never had a camera, apart from the mobile phone, my advice is to start with the range for beginners and then sell it on one of the multiple second-hand platforms to acquire a superior one.
What use are you going to give him?
You should look for mirrorless cameras with appropriate characteristics for the use you are going to give him. If you are a lover of sports photography and action, you have to look for a mirrorless camera that has a good shooting speed and a good focusing system, in addition to acquiring a lens with a good zoom. If your idea is to make videos, then you should focus on the cameras without a mirror that can record in 4K and with an image stabilizer.
Accessories
If you come from the world of the SLR camera and now you are going to start with the mirrorless cameras you have to know that you can take advantage of your objectives if you buy a mount adapter. But beware! If your targets are of a different brand that the evil camera does not usually work with autofocus, you should buy special adapters with autofocus. It is a very interesting option if you had invested in your lenses a considerable amount. If the camera you purchase lacks an electronic viewfinder, you can buy one from online stores.
Top 7 best mirrorless or EVIl cameras, especially suitable for beginners
Leave cumbersome SLR cameras to professionals. If you no longer have a smartphone with enough quality shooting and want to make a big step forward in your passion for photography – ahead for the “mirrorless.” We chose the best of the models that are relevant now. Are you ready? Let’s start then.
Nikon 1 J5 Mirrorless Digital Camera
Nikon is also inside the evil camera sector. This particular model is quite compact, which makes it a very portable camera and perfect to carry with us, and also its design is quite attractive.
It has a CMOS sensor of 20.8 megapixels, a 3-inch screen tiltable up to 180º and touch, has different dials to enjoy its control as we would with an SLR, has a built-in flash, and records video in 4k (limited to 15 frames per second). In addition, it has an amazing burst of up to 20 frames per second with continuous autofocus and connectivity via Wi-fi and NFC.
+ PROS
- Touch-sensitive screen
- Tilting screen
- Inbuilt Wi-Fi and NFC
– CONS
- 4K recording only at 15fps
- Slow shot-to-shot speeds
- MicroSD memory cards are too easy to lose
- No viewfinder
Discover more and the price here
PANASONIC LUMIX G7 4K Mirrorless Camera
This camera is the little sister of the well-known GH4 and a very good bet from Panasonic. If something catches our attention is its ability to record video with 4k quality at an affordable price. And the 4k gives us a lot, and not only video lovers, since the camera offers us the possibility of extracting from them, images of up to 8 megapixels of high quality.
Light, with an intuitive and comfortable controls layout, and always ready so you do not miss any time. It has Wi-Fi, a high-speed autofocus system, a 16-megapixel Live MOS sensor, a flip-up and touch screen, and an OLED electronic viewfinder.
In addition, as a curiosity, with its latest update, the camera has incorporated the “Post-Focus ” function, to be able to adjust the focus of our images once done, something that although it is not a tool to use continuously, can be very useful for certain situations, and become a point in favor of this model.
+ PROS
- Plenty of control
- 4K video
- Great EVF
– CONS
- Plastic build
- APS-C rivals offer a better dynamic range
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Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II
In addition to having a very attractive design and being quite light, Olympus has a simple operation, an impressive 5-axis stabilization system, and can be connected via Wi-Fi to share our images quickly.
It is interesting its ability to record videos in slow motion, as well as the possibility of doing time-lapses in 4k. This mirrorless camera has a flip-up and touch screen, a quality OLED electronic viewfinder, and a sensor that is 16.1 megapixels. It is really a very good camera of reduced size to take with us everywhere. Give it a try.
+ PROS
- Attractive retro design
- Compact body
- Excellent JPEG image quality with lovely color rendition
- Superb in-body image stabilization works with every lens
- Fast, accurate autofocus with static subjects
– CONS
- Over-simplified in-camera raw conversion
- Less reliable autofocus with moving subjects
- Sensor dated compared to APS-C competitors
Discover more and the price here
Sony Alpha a6400 Mirrorless Digital Camera
If you just want a more compact but no less sophisticated camera, you should take a closer look at the Sony Alpha A6400. Its matrix has a large area and includes more pixels, plus the camera can shoot video in 4K format, which should be to your liking, if you, for example, video blog. Its magnesium alloy body will not let the inside get damaged from the first fall from a small height, and a fast autofocus system will help you cope even with the shooting of a sporting event.
+ PROS
- Solid burst performance
- Fast AF in most situations
- Good higher-ISO performance
- Great image quality
– CONS
- No in-body OIS
- ‘Entry-level’ manual controls
Discover more and the price here
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Mirrorless Camera
This model of Olympus already exceeds the barrier of $ 1,000, but we cannot fail to mention it because this light camera offers us really good quality and performance.
Like its little sister, it has a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor and a powerful 5-axis stabilization system. Thus, even in low light situations, our images can be seen clearly without using a tripod, and with our videos, we can follow the action without having to use an external stabilizer.
It is light and also has a sealed body, to be resistant to dust, splashes, and freezing, something that can be useful if we take photos of our most extreme trips.
It has a folding and tactile screen, electronic quality viewfinder, Wi-Fi connectivity, record videos in Full HD quality, and even a 40M high-resolution shooting mode, to get images in the RAW format up to 63.7 megapixels.
+ PROS
- Great 5-axis OIS
- Excellent handling and controls
- Much-improved EVF
– CONS
- No 4K video
- Lesser detail and high ISO performance than some
Discover more and the price here
Fujifilm X-T2 Mirrorless Digital Camera
This is another of the best mirrorless camera for beginners in the world. The updated model of Fuji X-T1 looks almost the same as its predecessor, but many features are significantly improved. Perhaps the main difference is the autofocus system. Now focusing is performed much more accurately, both for static and moving objects. Impressive in general, all the functionality of the camera from Fuji. In continuous shooting mode, the camera can shoot up to 8 frames per second. For a convenient composition of the frame, the camera is equipped with a two-hinged display on the back of the case and a bright electronic viewfinder.
The Fuji Matrix with a resolution of 24.3Mp and a large number of convenient settings, placed in a compact and pleasant touch feel make the Fuji X-T2 one of the best mirrorless cameras available in the market.
+ PROS
- Best-in-class ergonomics
- Outstanding image quality
- Capable 4K video mode
– CONS
- Burst and video autofocus could be better
- A little slow in normal use
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Sony Alpha a7R Mark II Mirrorless Digital Camera
Despite its small size, which is quite typical of the mirrorless, the Sony A7 series is equipped with full-frame matrices. This means that the matrix of this camera corresponds to a film size of 35mm.
Accordingly, the quality and control over the depth of field are much higher than that of the other cameras. Sony Alpha A7R II has already become a popular camera. It has an amazing resolution of the matrix that allows you to shoot incredibly detailed images.
Moreover, the camera from Sony is able to shoot 4K video. In addition to numerous photo functions, it also offers many settings for video. In addition, Sony has packed the Alpha A7R with a unique high-end image stabilization system and built-in Wi-Fi / NFC.
+ PROS
- Great low-light performance.
- Excellent for video.
- Much-improved ergonomics.
– CONS
- Limited detail capture among full-frame cameras.
- Unimpressive burst performance.
Discover more and the price here
Conclusion
So here is our list of the best mirrorless camera for beginners. Most of them should be noted that you can find them available in various colors for you to choose the one you like the most, although that may affect the final price. Of course, this is a list, but there are many other very good and competitive models in the market.
What you must keep in mind, is that you already have the first, the last, or another EVIL camera model that has not been reflected in the article, what really matters is that you take photos and enjoy it.
Do you have another EVIL camera model that I have not mentioned? Share with us your opinion about it. You can use the comment section below. Thank you.