I’m totally new to photography and want to get my first camera. I’ll mainly be using it for nature photography while hiking and traveling.

My only focus is on photos of the highest possible quality.

My budget is around $600, and I’ll also need essential accessories, but don’t know what I’d need, like a lens?

Not open to refurbished, as I’m buying in Vietnam.

  • everett
    1·
    2 days ago

    It would be pretty irresponsible for me to make a suggestion. I chose my camera system well over a decade ago and while it’s served me well, the market is way different today and I haven’t kept up with current choices. (There’s a very real chance I wouldn’t make the same choice if I was starting out in 2025.) I’ve seen posts in !photography@lemmy.ml or !photography@lemmy.world with questions like yours answered by helpful people who are actually up on current stuff, so I’d definitely see what they have to say.

    edit: To expand on this somewhat, if you choose well you’ll likely get a number of years out of your camera “body” (the actual camera itself, not counting the lens) before you feel like you need to upgrade to a new one. At that point you’ll keep all your lenses and choose a new body from the same system, which means it’s still compatible with your collection of lenses. (And while it seems counterintuitive, some lenses can actually cost more than the camera body.) That’s why, although these are things you don’t need to know today, per se, choosing a system that suits your needs and budget matters, and why you want advice from people with broader experience.

      • everett
        2·
        1 day ago

        First of all, are you sure you’re buying the camera body by itself? It’s possible that you are, but it sounds like that camera is most commonly sold together with the Canon RF‑s 18‑45mm IS STM, a good lens with an okay range that lets you zoom from “sort of wide” to “sort of long.” It’s a good starter lens, but Ken Rockwell (a trusted camera reviewer) points out a few other common lens options for this camera if you’re looking for more zoom range.

        Buying a camera+lens combo (often called a “kit” in the photo world) will usually save you a little bit, versus buying the two separately.