Photography is a great hobby to explore, but it can be a little daunting if you have no idea how to choose your first camera.

There are so many questions to ask about the different styles, sizes, lenses and prices that you could be forgiven for making some expensive mistakes! Don’t worry, though, because we’re going to give you our top tips to help you get an idea of what’s right for you.

The most important thing with a new hobby is to have fun! We know that may seem obvious, but it’s easy to be overwhelmed with information and forget this simple fact.

With that in mind, we think that your first camera should help you embrace the joy of taking photos and give you the opportunity to grow your skills.

We’ll keep this as simple as possible because there really are loads of options for a first camera:

DSLR – a digital single-lens reflex camera offers the best combination of usability, control, picture quality and build quality – but that comes at a price because generally, they’re bulky, expensive and require you to invest in several lenses which may also require a large outlay of cash.

CSC – compact system cameras are the next option and offer many of the features of a DSLR in a smaller body. The image quality and autofocus ability may not be quite up to a full frame DSLR, but, for a beginner, they’re a great option if you want to build a collection of lenses as you learn, but still have a pocket-able camera for a day out.

Bridge camera – think of this as a DSLR crossed with a simple compact camera, but with a fixed zoom lens instead of interchangeable lenses. The image quality from the smaller sensor will almost definitely be worse than the above two options, but there are some great bridge cameras on the market if one of these fits your eye and hand.

Compact – offering everything from a kid’s toy to a serious camera for the professional, the compact camera is now a real option for everyone. These are, generally, relatively simple to operate, come with fixed or zoom lenses and, as the name suggests, are small enough to slip into a coat pocket.

Knowing how to choose your first camera should be a little easier now that you have an idea of the options, but what else should you consider? Well, you need to pick a budget and stick to it… even if that means buying used gear. In fact, we recommend this because you’ll get more for your money and can easily sell it on with little financial loss if you don’t get on with it. Try the second-hand section of your local camera shop so that you can get a feel for the camera before buying if you decide on this route.

We don’t recommend spending a fortune at first – instead, buy something that’s easy to use and offers the opportunity to shoot manually at some point. Around £200 should get you a usable camera from any of the types listed above without breaking the bank! 

The most important thing to remember when it comes to figuring out how to choose your first camera is to hold as many cameras in your hand as possible, because it must feel comfortable if you’re going to use it. Oh, and make sure you read the manual because that way you’ll soon find yourself taking photos that you want to print onto canvas to hang on your wall!