I believe that the best camera for beginners today is typically a fixed-lens bridge camera or a point-and-shoot. In the past, I have suggested to people that the first camera they purchase should be an entry-level DSLR or other interchangeable lens camera. However, it appears that the majority of camera makers are abandoning the sub-thousand-dollar interchangeable lens camera market in favor of the high end market.

I recently used Canon's entry-level DSLR, the EOS T7, and it was not a positive experience. I experimented with it to get a feel for how it captured stills, how it took video, and everything else, but primarily I was curious as to whether or not it would make a suitable streaming camera to keep in a fixed spot and hook up as essentially a webcam utilizing Canon's webcam tool. And even compared to the experience of using some simple point-and-shoot cameras, it was a step down.

In many ways, the experience was inferior to that of a cell phone camera, and it felt antiquated. It also appeared as if the manufacturer developed the camera as a low-effort, entry-level product.

In addition, Canon is discontinuing its EOS M line of interchangeable-lens mirrorless cameras, which was formerly a very capable system. It is the first major camera platform I got into, but it appears like Canon won't really develop that many new cameras for that platform. I'm kind of bummed about that. They are moving on to the EOS R full frame system, which is more expensive, thus they have no plans to continue making lenses for that format.

In contrast, the market for budget-friendly point-and-shoot cameras has greatly improved with the introduction of optical image stabilization and computational photography features. A point-and-shoot camera with a one-inch sensor gives an excellent experience for a variety of everyday situations. It can perform well enough in low light that you can use it for the most of your daily tasks. Moreover, bridge cameras are becoming increasingly competent. Bridge cameras are, of course, fundamentally a more expensive market if you choose something with low-light performance. However, I believe that even the cheapest bridge cameras and super zoom cameras may produce decent results in the typical situations where one would use them.

In addition, there is a world of premium point-and-shoot or fixed-lens cameras that have also become quite good. So I sold my interchangeable lens system save for film cameras and switched to fixed lens cameras for most of my hobby work, because I believe it is a better deal these days.