MikeMck Loc: Southern Maryland on the Bay

Hi Toni, If I were you I would go to either Costco or Sams Club, or both. They have very good deals on camera kids, typically with two lenses and good prices. Kits include camera bag, SD card. There is a fine Sam's Club in Annapolis, that is where I go. If you don't like anything in there, try Best Buy. There isn't any dedicated camera store around your neighborhood, I don't think. Good luck. PM me if you want any more info.

jsenear Loc: Hopkins, MN.

Toni: I would entertain buying used if I were you. I am 75 years old and my DSLR's and lenses were getting a little too heavy for me while taking pictures. A year ago I did an intense study on Mirrorless Cameras and decided to buy a Nikon 1 V1 system from KEH. The camera and lens cost me less than $300.00 and the Camera has been flawless. I have the 10-100 video lens with the camera. It has a wonderful electronic zoom feature that makes videos and still easy to accomplish. This is just one suggestion but it worked for me. Good luck in your future Photography.

repleo Loc: Boston

Toni, 'starting fresh' you should definitely go mirrorless. If you are unburdened by years of experience and bags of lenses there is no advantage to going the DSLR route. Mirrorless is the future.

I took a look at your pictures and see a definite creative talent there. You will soon want full control over your images. It is much easier to get off Auto with mirrorless. You just adjust the settings until you like what you see in the viewfinder and then click. Having the histogram displayed in live view will really help with getting the exposure right every time. There are may options in mirrorless that will meet your needs. They will all be excellent choices.
What has worked very well for me is the Sony A6000 and the Sony 18-105 OSS G lens. I got me A6000 with a kit lens in a Black Friday one day sale for $500 and the 18-105 in a Sony sale for $500 so it can meet your price criteria. However, you may have to go used to stay under $1000.

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

Sound like my kind of girl. Nothing wrong with old stuff. I would recommend going to one of your bigger stores where as I recall a variety of models will be on display. Try a few in the hand and see what feels best. Model no's may change frequently, the layout less so. Then perhaps visit an old type camera store, speak to the sage and see if there is a 2nd hand model available.

Check out what models your friends have. I'm happy with my CANON, but what swayed it for me was that it was also what my sister had so I could borrow her lenses prior to purchasing my own. Depending how seriously into this your friends are, perhaps go along on a shoot with them hiring a model for a few days if necessary.

Finally, I wouldn't rule out a good bridge camera. The ones with the larger sensors perform reasonably well and offer a lot of bang for your bucks and may suit all your needs. I used a finepix model for many years before getting the CANON.

Ref. getting your hands on and feeling the camera. I bought a 500D to start and never really felt at home with it, but despite having smallish hands I felt much more comfortable with the 60D that I still use now use some 6 years later.

50teeslady Loc: Ormond Beach Florida

I buy Nikon REFURBISHED...Cameta Camera gives you a one year warranty.....also Adorama or B& H have refurbished.....look in to it....they are refurbished by Nikon...
In fact I just purchase a D5300 from Adorama for $379. body only....since I had lens...I had the D7100 but it was alot more camera than I needed....
Good luck with your purchase I'm sure no matter what you get you will enjoy!

Toni Girl Loc: Maryland's Eastern Shore

Thanks kindly Mike!
-Toni

Toni Girl Loc: Maryland's Eastern Shore

Jsenear,
This is great information! I will definitely look into this. Thanks for sharing your experience and research summation. It's very helpful and enlightening.
-Toni

Beagleman Loc: Indiana

Hi Toni,
I have been through several cameras since 2011, and have settled with the Sony A6300 with just the kit lens which is good enough for me. I also have a Panasonic GM5 which is very small but very capable, and is my "always with me" camera. Three suggestions:
1. A viewfinder is a must. You'll regret it if you don't have one.
2. As others have said...a camera that "feels good" in your hands is valuable.
3. The most valuable camera in the world though, is the one you have with you. No missed shots then!
Best wishes,

Beagleman

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

Get to a store, try holding a Canon T6i/T7i, see if they feel good if not try other brands until you get the best feel as far as size, weight balance and grip, should answer most of your questions. Bob.

whwiden

I would consider a small Nikon DSLR. A D3300 or D3400. I prefer the D3300 for the sensor cleaner. But, as mentioned, a blower and the D3400 could work. I would get a prime lens--either the DX 35mm or an even sharper DX 40mm macro lens. The macro is slower at 2.8 versus 1.8 for the 35mm. But you can take macro shots with the 40mm. Some do not care to get that close for macro and like a longer macro for that reason but it is nice to have for occasional use if you use the 40mm mostly as a long prime. There are great deals on a 55-200mm long zoom. Make sure to get the one with VR. The camera, long zoom and one of those primes can be purchased new for under $1000. The DSLR will give you better battery life and faster focusing than an entry level mirrorless. The kit lens will give you 18-55mm but you want to add a prime for better subject isolation and higher image quality. Add a UV filter and a circular polarizer. The kit lens used to be 52mm, the same as the other suggested lenses. If possible, for a small kit it is helpful to have a single filter size. Lastly, maybe an extra battery.

genocolo Loc: Vail and Gasparilla Island

I recommend you go to Costco and buy a Nikon 3400 or canon t6, both under $600 and both with the two lenses that will cover everything you want to photograph. You have 90 days to return it. You could try the canon for three months and then the Nikon if you wished. Never had a return hassle from Costco. On the other hand trying to return something to Best Buy is a pia. After years with a canon rebel from Costco I went to adorama to buy my next camera only because Costco did not carry it. You can not go wrong with the Nikon or canon imo.

Boris Ekner Loc: From Sweden, living in Guatemala

It looks to me that your shooting is similar to mine.

Here's my answer to a similar question in another thread.

Here's what I did:
-Budget: no more than $500. (This was the most important criteria I had.)
-Searched for $500 DSLR's on eBay & Amazon in order to understand what I might get.
-Found some favorite models that I compared at cameradecision.com. I refused to have any brand preferences.
-Read plenty of reviews on the cameras I found interesting.

My priorities were; very good professional reviews, the highest pixel count possible, RAW format option, wifi, built in GPS, fair prices & f/values on future lenses.

Nikon D5300 turned out to be the final option. With my personal preferences, and budget, it was by far the best option. Price paid: $449 on eBay, including an 18-55mm lens, plus some other (now useless)-stuff in the bundle.

I've had the camera for since January 2017, and I have no regrets on my purchase. On the contrary, I'm very happy with what I got for the money spent.

Later I've bought a 55-200mm(used) and a 35mm(used) lenses. A better speed light/flash, a good tripod, petal lens hoods, third party battery grip, extra batteries, twin charger, better/faster memory card, and some other stuff. All from eBay who time after time confirms to have the best prices.

Your best option is probably not my best, and vice versa. It is not about the camera as much as it is about the photographer. Just as a good stove and pan isn't enough to cook you a good dinner, right?

In order to update my knowledge I started off with reading Nikon D5300 For Dummies as well as Stunning Digital Photography by Tony Northrup. The third book was Secrets To The Nikon Autofocus System by Steve Perry, which is my favorite so far. It was all well invested pennies. Next book will be Understanding Exposure. As knowledge has no weight it is easy to carry...

http://backcountrygallery.com/secrets-nikon-autofocus-system/

Best of luck on your persuit of your best camera. ...and don't rush it to get one. Take your time, i.e. weeks, to learn about your options and what you favor.

Examples of pictures I've shot are found under my name at 500px.com as well as at Instagram.com.

A very informative D5300 Review:
https://sleeklens.com/nikon-d5300-review/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly-blog&substat=blog

PS
I had the same procedure when I looked for, and bought, my sons camera. It was my birthday gift to him as turned 6 this Saturday. The budget was no more than $80, had to be fully automatic, as well as having manual features to grow with as he gets older and if his photo interest persists. Best option: a used Fujifilm Finepix S8600 (it's a bridge camera), for $76 on eBay. 
And there are instructive videos on his camera on YouTube for him to watch later.

PPS
Here’s a different opinion on this issue.
https://petapixel.com/2017/03/24/battle-micro-43-camera-outsold-full-frame-dslr/

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Conclusion
I suggest you get the best camera of your choice. List what camera features are important for you. Compare models that dulcimer your requirements. Choose wisely as you probably will have it for many years.

Don't spend any money on stuff not needed now. Save your money o get better, more suitable, lens/-es.

Read the books suggested above. Learning your camera is your best investment.

Ask questions. Ask as many you need while figuring out your best choice.

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

Push your budget to the absolute limit. Otherwise, you may find yourself spending more on a second purchase. I would not recommend a mirrorless camera to start with. I would go with a Canon or Nikon DSLR. While the camera is important — the lenses you purchase are the most important. I cannot tell you what without knowing your maximum budget. Good luck.

Davethehiker Loc: South West Pennsylvania

People frequently ask me the question you are asking. I have been taking photographs all my life and own several good camera and a ROOM full of lens. However when asked asked to give advice on buying a good starter camera I recommend the Sony RX100 series.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=sony+rx100&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Asony+rx100

There are many models of this camera starting with the first/oldest one the RX100 and now after continuing to make improvements year after year they are up to the model V/(5). Pick the price you want; they are all very good. I own the model II. They all include a little pop up flash but from the III on up they also include a built-in viewfinder. I like view finders. The little camera has a lot of buttons that you might find intimidating. I recommend that you just put it in "automatic plus". The built in artificial intelligence will make all the decisions for you. As you learn more and you think you are smarter than the camera, you can try out the manual settings. It has a fixed small but very good zoom lens. When my wife and travel on vacation I lug a bug SLR and a few lenses in my backpack. She drops the little RX100II in her purse and often gets better photos than I do. Good luck and have fun.

BuckeyeBilly Loc: St. Petersburg, FL

Toni, I'm sure you've realized by now that you have many, many good people on UHH willing to give you plenty of suggestions/help in anything about photography. For me, my vote always goes to JerryC because he gives you such a complete picture, pun intended, of information for your questions. Having said that, given that you want to hold the line in spending of less than $1K, I would definitely go to the Canon refurbished website to make a purchase. When it comes to refurbs from the manufacturer, no one, NO ONE, gives you better confidence with your purchase than it because everything it sells comes with a one-year warranty. Why? Because its own technicians have completely gone over the cameras, lenses, etc. and reconditioned them to good-as-new; hence, the warranty. Now, having said that, I would guide you to look at the Rebel T6i or the T5i for a camera and then get an 18mm-135mm lens, with the addition of a faster 50mm lens for your closeups. Why do I suggest the T5i or T6i? Because Steve Winter, a National Geographic award-winning photographer, used a straight-out-of-the-box T5i to capture his photos of big cats (tigers, snow leopards, etc.). If it's good enough for him, it's good enough for anyone. I'll give you links to everything I've mentioned here. Good luck in your pursuit!
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/travel-photographers-favorite-cameras/ (there are 10 photographers listed here. Winter is #7)
http://www.albomadventures.com/steve-winter/
https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/eos-rebel-t6i-ef-s-18-135mm-f-35-56-is-stm-kit-refurbished
https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/eos-t5i-18-135mm-is-stm-lens-kit-refurbished
https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/ef-50mm-f-18-ii-refurbished
https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/ef-50mm-f-18-stm-refurbished
https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/ef-s-60mm-f-28-macro-usm-refurbished (this would be a good one, too, for closeups)
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/ (this is an EXCELLENT website to learn about photography. Click on "tutorials" to get started)