boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

Much depends upon exactly what you mean by beginner and what kind of money you want to pay. Have you ever used a camera before, and if so ,how much experience do you have? Money! Anywhere from a coupla hundred to over 6 grand and up. I suggest that you might start with a bridge camera (in between a simple point and shoot and an interchangeable lens camera). Canon, Nikon, Sony et al all make good examples.And as above going to a store and checking them out is a good place to start. Hope this helps. But most of all, enjoy the whole process. For those of us who are not pros (and even the pros) do this for one main reason--Fun. And you will acquire a whole new malady, from which we all suffer.GAS. Gear acquisition syndrome.

zug55 Loc: Naivasha, Kenya, and Austin, Texas

Bridge cameras are a bit lame. OP mentioned that she is open to future expansion. With a bridge camera you are stuck. If you buy a small kit--like the Sony A6000 with the 18-135mm lens--and you never take that lens off it is like a bridge camera. But you have the option of adding lenses in the future.

mr spock Loc: Fairfield CT

Really good solid advice Vince. You need to hold the camera in your hands to get a sense of what’s “right” for you
Good luck!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

An EOS 850D would be a digital rebel model .... The name for the European market of the EOS T8i announced in Feb 2020.

gessman Loc: Colorado

Obviously you aren't familiar with the Sony RX10iv. You might enjoy knowing about the 20mp 1" stacked sensor, the non-variable, manual aperture 24-600mm f/2.8 Zeiss lens, and the 24fps. "It's not your grandpa's Oldsmobile."

DeanS Loc: Capital City area of North Carolina

What is a Canon 850?

gessman Loc: Colorado

As CHG_CANON said two posts up, it's, "An EOS 850D would be a digital rebel model .... The name for the European market of the EOS T8i announced in Feb 2020."

DeanS Loc: Capital City area of North Carolina

Thanks.

zug55 Loc: Naivasha, Kenya, and Austin, Texas

I think that you are picking an excellent example. This is a huge camera (weighs 2.4 lbs or 1,095g) but only has an anemic 1-inch sensor, although with a crazy-long lens. It is the perfect dead-end camera: it is an all-in-one camera that does most things well but that does not give you any options to expand--both in range and in quality. It is like a RX100 VI that you cannot put in your pocket. Did I mention the price of $1,700? Cadillac?

Compare that to the Sony A6000 with a Sony 18-135mm kit that I recommended: it is high quality, versatile, expandable, much smaller (770 g combined), fun.

augieg27 Loc: Central California

I have a Nikon D5500 and do landscapes with a 18-200mm and sometimes I use the prime 50mm.

11bravo

I won't recommend a brand. What I will say is to also consider weight of camera and lens(es) especially if you'll be carrying them all day on foot. What is comfortable at the beginning of the day might not be comfortable at the end of a day's mountain hike (and unlike the moon astronauts (another thread) I doubt you will be leaving body and lenses in the mountains to reduce weight for the return trip).

wetreed

I will recommend a brand. I Nikon has the best options for the OP

gessman Loc: Colorado

I won't quarrel with your choice of words but unless I miss my guess, Debra lives in Colorado and an a6000 with a 18-135 isn't going to work for her shooting wildlife with moose, elk, bear, cougar, and wolf being high on the desirable wildlife list and she may not be ready to evaluate the various 400mm and longer lens available right out of the "just beginning" chute as she professes. I had an a6000, Canon's EF400mm f/5.6 adapted, and it worked quite well but that lens doesn't have IS so I got an a6500 with in body stabilization that works very well. Adding a 1.4x to go with the 1.5x crop factor and using Clear Image Zoom gets me plenty of reach. She's not going to be sneaking up on a moose so if that's what she's after, as it is with most everyone else here, she needs some reach right out of the chute or she'll come away with a dark dot standing in the middle of the river 200 yards away, not exactly classy photography. Using an RX10iv will familiarize anyone with the lenses to look for later if and when they decide to upgrade, if they do. She's not stuck with an RX10. It makes a very worthy backup camera and the resale value stays high, baring damage, so she can recoup most of her money if she wants to move up and get some very nice distant shots as she's learning to be a photographer. It's a matter of preference but I know her terrain and subject matter and what's going to be required of her to get some nice shots from the start and do so safely. My suggestion offers some immediate rewards in the form of good results without all the frustration and complexities of setting up a Sony interchangeable lens body, buying multiple lens, and learning what to use when. To me it's a no-brainer. As for the weight, the plus is that it's fairly light and doesn't grow depending on how far away the moose is and it's very manageable for an average size woman.

hookedupin2005 Loc: Northwestern New Mexico

If there is a camera store in your area, go and "feel" what camera fits your hands best. If no camera store, BestBuy would work. Do a TON of research. And, mainly, do not let the UHH members buy your camera for you.There are many very Knowledgable people here, but there are also many the love to spend other people's money.

aellman Loc: Boston MA

Well said. No more war!