Looking for the best camera under $1000? While prices change constantly and new releases are always arriving, it remains a constant fact that if you want an excellent camera system for less than $1000, you can get it. Whether you want a DSLR, a mirrorless camera or a fixed-lens compact, there are plenty of options out there that'll cover your bases.
We've rounded up the best cameras we've tested that fit this budget. We've made sure that everything on our list can be bought with a lens and still stay under $1000 (or close to; as we said, prices do fluctuate), so you don't need to worry about being caught out by needing to budget for a lens. While you won't get the absolute best mirrorless cameras or best DSLRs on this budget, you will get an excellent camera that our expert team can vouch for.
Scroll to the bottom of this page for some advice on how to choose a camera on a budget — and read on to find out which models we picked.
Jon Stapley
Jon is one of our go-to specialists when it comes to all aspects of photography, from cameras and action cameras to lenses and memory cards, flash diffusers and triggers, batteries and memory cards, selfie sticks and gimbals, and much more besides.
With pro-level features jammed into an affordable body, the Canon EOS R10 is a top pick as far as we're concerned. Fast burst and incredible autofocus make this a winner.
With its cool retro looks, the Nikon Z fc is one of the most stylish cameras going — but it's also got the imaging smarts to back it up, with 4K video and 11fps shooting.
The lightweight Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV is a superb mirrorless option for anyone who's new to photography or video — and it has loads of lenses to choose from.
Capable at stills and video alike, the Sony A6400 is an excellent option for anyone who's already got a little shooting experience. Its slim build makes it easy to take anywhere.
As you'll likely notice throughout this list, in-body image stabilization is something of a rarity on cameras at lower price points — making the Panasonic Lumix G95D stand out.
If you want to use a DSLR rather than mirrorless, the Canon EOS Rebel SL3 will fit the bill. It's easy to use, it's got loads of great lenses and it produces brilliant images.
One of the lightest APS-C mirrorless cameras around, the EOS R50 also boasts a number of brilliant features for vloggers. You can buy it with lens and accessories and stay within budget.
A full-frame setup, with lens, for less than $1000? Yep — with one of the first cameras Canon ever released for its full-frame mirrorless system. The EOS RP still delivers the goods.
A premium compact camera for anyone who wants pristine image quality but doesn't want to fuss with changing lenses, the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VA is a fast-shooting wonder.
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When Canon announced the R10, it sounded too good to be true, but it really is the ultimate enthusiast camera. In terms of value for money, it's pretty unbeatable with its 24.2MP APS-C sensor, burst rates of up to 23fps when using the electronic shutter and the incredible Dual Pixel CMOS AF II that features in the high-end R3, R5 and R6 bodies. It has full subject tracking for humans, animals and vehicles which is very effective, it can shoot 4K 60p (albeit it is cropped) but considering how much it costs - it's incredible value and a versatile all-rounder.
Weighing just 429g, it's incredibly small and lightweight and paired with the new Canon RF-S 18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM you've got a powerful setup for under 550g - perfect for budding street photographers. It might not be as robust as some of the higher-end models but it delivers sharp images, has a user-friendly layout and has a very desirable price point.
The Nikon Z fc combines the features of the Nikon Z50 into a body that looks more like a Nikon FM2 - only in bright colors. The Z fc is much smaller than Nikon's full-frame systems such as the Z6 II and Z7 II which make it an ideal choice for travel or street photography. Whether you want it for photos, videos or both, it's capable of recording 4K 30p, can shoot up to 11fps in burst mode and has accurate and fast autofocus and Eye AF. You can also transfer images on the go via WiFi using the Nikon app or you can use it as a wireless remote.
It uses the Nikon Z mount which means you can use any of the full-frame lenses available. Nikon and other third-party brands are starting to bring out more APS-C specific lenses and you can also use the FTZ adapter if you want to shoot with F mount lenses. This camera is a little over budget (depending on where you buy it from) but it's such a good bit of kit we still think it deserves a place on the list. For just over the $1,000 you can also get the Nikon Z fc in a kit with the NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR.
The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV's predecessor, the Mark III, was a great camera with plenty to offer. However, its aging 16MP sensor and contrast AF left room for improvement. Luckily the Mark IV is a great update, with the same 20.3MP sensor as the PEN-F and improved Continuous Autofocus. While some improvements are incremental, the Mark IV brings some interesting new offerings to the table including a zippy 15fps continuous burst mode. We're also a fan of the extra-tiltable screen, which is capable of flipping 180° down to create the perfect selfie screen. And Olympus has thankfully returned silent shooting to manual mode! Make sure you get this with the EZ 14-42mm pancake lens for the ultimate pocket-size travel camera.
Small but with a comfortable and natural feel, thanks to generously proportioned grip areas, the Sony A6400 is a mid-range model fitting somewhere between the bargain A6000 and the new flagship A6600. The A6400 just squeezes in under budget with a zoom, and is a particular great choice for those who want to shoot video as well as stills, as this mirrorless model was built with vloggers in mind. The 16-50mm PZ (Power Zoom) kit lens is a good match for the body, although some of Sony’s other E-mount lenses can seem comparatively large on such a slimline camera. The 16-50mm lens also features optical image stabilization. That’s good news, because unlike the top-end Sony A6600, the A6400 has no sensor-shift stabilizer.
Quite big for a Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera
The Lumix DC-G95 benefits from a chunky handgrip and large viewfinder that make it feel like a serious camera. Its handling and built quality is very good plus it's splashproof and dustproof. It has 5-axis sensor-shift stabilization which can be used alongside OIS (optical image stabilization) found on lenses for ultra-smooth video. You can shoot up to 9fps in continuous burst mode or up to 30fps when using the 4K photo mode. Talking of 4K, you can also shoot 4K video making this features packed camera a great all-rounder. The viewfinder is super sharp, it has a fully articulated screen which also makes it great for vlogging and an easy-to-navigate menu system. If it wasn't for the smaller Micro Four Thirds sensor, it would appear higher up in the list.
The pint-sized Canon Rebel SL3 has been around for a while now but it's still one of our favorites. Its 24.1MP APS-C sensor delivers excellent image quality, and Live View shooting with the LCD screen so easy and intuitive, with such good Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus, that we’d actually say this is one of the only DSLRs where composing shots with the screen is as easy as with a mirrorless camera. Canon also packs in 4K video, and wraps everything up in an ergonomically designed DSLR body that's just about the smallest on the market. The new EOS Rebel T8i is a lot more expensive but only marginally more desirable. With an EF-S 18-55mm kit lens the Rebel SL3 is well below our $1,000 budget limit, and it's worth looking out for twin-lens kits that add a telephoto zoom – and still for less than $1,000.
Replacing the popular EOS M50 Mark II, this is one of the lightest cameras int eh EOS R lineup. The EOS R50 is something of a jack-of-all-trades for beginners and experienced shooters alike — it's got ultra-fast autofocus and superb burst speeds for the photographers, while vloggers get to enjoy shooting 4K video using the full width of the sensor. There's none of that nasty cropping that plagued the EOS M cameras.
Even when bought with an RF-S 18-45mm lens, this camera comes in well under our $1000 budget. In fact, you can even buy it with a full suite of vlogging accessories as part of the Content Creator Kit, netting yourself an external microphone with windshield and a Canon Tripod Grip as well as the RF-S 18-45mm lens, and still stay comfortably within budget at $899.
The EOS RP is currently available for around $899 body-only. Throw in one of Canon's affordable lenses like the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM ($199), and you've got yourself a full-frame setup for around $1000! The EOS RP was Canon's second full frame mirrorless camera, and it's smaller, lighter and a lot cheaper than all of the others. It's designed to be a compact, affordable and easy to use entry point into Canon's full frame mirrorless system, and it succeeds brilliantly. Its small dimensions mean it can sometimes feel overbalanced by larger lenses, though, and the 4K video mode comes with some caveats – the image frame is cropped by a factor of 1.6 and you can't use Canon's speedy Dual Pixel CMOS AF system unless you drop the resolution to full HD.
On the upside, the pictures are clear and sharp, the vari-angle touchscreen display is a real advantage for both stills and video, and the inclusion of an EF lens adaptor means you can use existing Canon DSLR lenses alongside the new but growing RF lens system.
If you're looking for an all-in-one shooting solution, rather than mucking about with interchangeable lenses, there are plenty of high-quality compacts that come in under our $1000 budget. The Sony RX100 VA is one such premium point-and-shoot. It's called the VA because it's a very minor refresh of the original RX100 V, the key differences being an upgraded imaging processor. This brings in a few small but welcome upgrades, like the improved shot buffer of 233 frames allowing you to take better advantage of the super-fast burst rate of up to 24fps, with full autofocusing and metering.
Still, the fundamental combination of the 1-inch sensor and 24-70mm equivalent lens is unchanged from when it first impressed us in our full review. If you're looking for a camera under $1000 that does everything you need it to in a single package, the Sony RX100 VA might just be it.
You don't need to spend loads though to get a camera that offers a high level of performance. Even the cheaper cameras on our list are capable of producing amazing images.
The best thing to do when buying a camera with a fixed budget is figure out which features are most important, and prioritise them. If, for instance, you want to do wildlife photography, it will be a good idea to look for cameras with fast burst rates and reliable autofocus systems. If you want to shoot video as well as stills, look for a camera that has 4K capabilities.
Also, bear in mind that if you invest in a full camera system, you'll need to budget for a lens as well as the camera body itself. All the cameras we've featured in the above list can be bought with a lens without breaking (or in some cases only just breaking) our $1,000 budget. Many cameras can be bought bundled with lenses, and this is a good way to save.
You may want to sidestep this issue by opting for a fixed-lens compact camera — however these are less numerous than they once were, and many of the popular remaining compacts like the Fujifilm X100VI cost a good deal more than $1,000. We have included a compact suggestion in our guide, however.
We test mirrorless and DSLR cameras both in real-world shooting scenarios and in carefully controlled lab conditions. We take sample images in a range of lighting conditions and of a range of subjects so we are able to put features such as autofocus, eye tracking and image stabilization.
Using the cameras in real-world environments also gives us the opportunity to get our heads around the menu system and decide whether the button layout is intuitive. A camera might perform well but if it doesn't fit in your hand or is difficult to operate it might affect where we include it in the list.
Our lab tests measure resolution, dynamic range and signal-to-noise ratio. Resolution is measured using ISO resolution charts, dynamic range is measured using DxO Analyzer test equipment and DxO Analyzer is also used for noise analysis across the camera's ISO range. We use these real-world testing and lab results to inform our comments in buying guides.
Jon spent years at IPC Media writing features, news, reviews and other photography content for publications such as Amateur Photographer and What Digital Camera in both print and digital form. With his additional experience for outlets like Photomonitor, this makes Jon one of our go-to specialists when it comes to all aspects of photography, from cameras and action cameras to lenses and memory cards, flash diffusers and triggers, batteries and memory cards, selfie sticks and gimbals, and much more besides.
An NCTJ-qualified journalist, he has also contributed to Shortlist, The Skinny, ThreeWeeks Edinburgh, The Guardian, Trusted Reviews, CreativeBLOQ, and probably quite a few others I’ve forgotten.
