Mirrorless cameras have several advantages over DSLRs for both beginners and experts, but for those just starting out in photography, the "what you see is what you get" benefit of electronic viewfinders might be the most helpful.

It is a huge benefit to be able to see, before you take a single picture, how adjusting shutter speed or ISO impacts exposure, what exposure compensation accomplishes, or how slowing a lens down increases depth of focus.

Fujifilm X-T30 II

The Fujifilm X-T30 II is one of the more recent models on the list; it builds upon its predecessor and provides consumers with a choice that combines their love of retro design with the modern functions they require.

To begin with, this camera looks really awesome. But don't write this off as just aesthetics. Looking at it will give you the same nostalgic sensations, which also point to some timeless educational opportunities. Although we acknowledge that touch screen controls can be very helpful, particularly for inexperienced users, manual exterior exposure controls—which are found on top of the X-T30 II—are unmatched.

The ability to directly see and access shutter speed and aperture dials does, in a very visual and understandable way, tie directly into the fundamentals of proper exposure, which is undoubtedly one of the first things a new photographer must master, even though the controls may be deemed retro for the sake of retroness. Setting the camera to "A" and adjusting the numbers on a digital display with thumb wheels is one thing; having those numbers on tactile, marked dials is quite another.

You have nothing to be concerned about within. The camera sports a powerful 26.1-megapixel BSI APS-C sensor that spans almost the whole frame and is currently the best APS-C sensor available. Phase-detect focusing works incredibly well. The camera is also capable of recording stunning 4K footage. I would be negligent if I did not bring up Fujifilm's exquisite film simulations, which can be used in-camera on JPEGs (as well as video) or in post-processing on RAW files. For color, Provia, Velvia, Classic Chrome, and Eterna have proven to be popular choices, and Acros is considered by many to be among the best simulations for black and white.

There are drawbacks. The Q button opens the quick access menu screen, which is positioned uncomfortably where your right hand should be to hold the camera, causing unintentional and painful bumps. The elimination of the four-way directional pad, which Fujifilm regrettably did on many of its newer cameras, is arguably the biggest letdown; nonetheless, I doubt touch screen users would find this problematic.

In any case, the power and image quality that this camera offers are just astounding, making it a starter with true longevity—not just a fantastic first camera, but also a fun, practical backup camera when you've upgraded to something a little bit better. All cameras, including the X-T3, X-T4, and X-Pro3, have identical sensors and yield same image quality, regardless of whatever model you choose.

Nikon Z50 or Nikon Z fc

There's no hiding it: these are some of my top picks for portable, budget-friendly cameras, and I've personally suggested them to both novices and photography enthusiasts alike. The Nikon Z50 and Nikon Z fc, two cameras with dissimilar external designs but almost same functionality and specifications, accomplish their tasks admirably.

The Nikon ZFC completely embraces the "retro" look, and it does it with great success, whereas the Nikon Z50 has a contemporary, classic mirrorless design with a regular PASM dial. You may easily adjust the shutter speed, ISO, and aperture with physical dials, and you can set the aperture to work with a lens ring or use a command dial. Similar to the Fujifilm X-T30 II, novices can learn how to use the "exposure triangle" with great ease by using these tactile dials. Although the lenses don't have distinct aperture rings, the Z fc has an ISO dial, something the X-T30 II doesn't have. Additionally, it has a charming tiny F-Stop "window" that displays your current aperture setting, making all three exposure settings easily accessible.

The higher-end Z6 and Z7 bodies' smaller (APS-C or "DX") sensors provide for the weight and cost savings. The 20MP sensor is identical to that of the Nikon D500 and D7500 DSLRs. This image quality is exceptional and among the best of all the ones on this list.

The sizes of the cameras are another important factor that makes these the perfect run-and-gunner. The Nikkor 16-50/3.5-6.3 VR kit lens is a genuine pancake, small enough to fit in a jacket pocket. Its proper mechanical zoom, as opposed to many other small kit lenses' power or electronic zoom, makes it a delight to use and produces quality that will amaze. There are always trade-offs, and the Z50's lack of in-body image stabilization is one of them. This is a drawback for a camera this small, but it's not a deal-breaker by any means, particularly since all of the Nikon Z DX lenses available now have VR. Like the 16–50, this lens is frequently seen combined with a body in a kit. The Nikkor Z DX 18–140/3.5–6.3 VR is another excellent and small lens that pairs well with any of these bodies and will provide any photographer nearly all the range they truly need.

Photographers who just prefer it to tilt-only screens or the selfie/vlogger community may find the Nikon Z fc's flip-out screen particularly appealing. But both have touch capabilities.

In summary, out of all the cameras on this list, the Nikon Z50/Z fc manages to capture some of the best photographs while maintaining the lowest profile and most straightforward controls. A novice could ask for nothing better.

Panasonic Lumix GX85

If you're looking for something really small to start with, the Panasonic Lumix GX85 has a lot of power packed into its incredibly small size. But it's not just little. It is quick, taking less than a second to focus, fire, and start up. One important feature for beginners is autofocus, which is also fast. Depending on the lens being used, it can range from a tenth of a second in perfect settings to a little slower in lower light. This is a result of any contrast-detection autofocus technology.

The GX85 is an attractive camera due to its high-quality 4K UHD video capture capabilities. Panasonic is renowned for being quite proud of its video capabilities, which are evident in cameras even in which the feature is secondary.

The outstanding Dual I.S. technology from Panasonic, which synchronizes the lens' optical stabilization with the camera's in-body sensor stabilization (IBIS), makes capturing high-quality photographs with the GX85 easier. Please take note that Dual I.S. is only compatible with Panasonic lenses; Olympus (or other) lenses can be used flawlessly with the GX85's IBIS.

With its 16MP Four Thirds sensor housed inside a Micro Four Thirds mount, the GX85 may have the largest selection of lenses available for a mirrorless platform. Those who are not accustomed to tapping the screen of their iPhone to focus will find the GX85's 1.044m-dot tilt touchscreen LCD very familiar.

There is no weather-sealing, but the building is acceptable. Nevertheless, given the advantages of both this camera and the Micro Four Thirds system as a whole, this is a small complaint. For your first shooter, you could do far worse than the GX85 if you're searching for something compact, quick, and easy. You have nothing less than an incredible price-to-performance ratio when you take into account that the GX85 comes with the excellent and incredibly small Panasonic 12-32/3.5-5.6 ASPH in addition to the Panasonic 40-150/4-5.6 ASPH.