I think that it is important to know who is issuing the extended warranty. If it’s a store, I would pass. It also might limit where it can be serviced.

“Another view” posts some excellent points. Don’t get hung up on the DSLR v mirrorless debate. It does not matter.

I think that a lot depends upon your budget and what you want to spend and shoot. The difference between a DSLR and a mirrorless camera is the mirror. I have both systems and frankly, it does not matter, I believe that most new systems will be mirrorless. As far as a bridge camera, I think that they are limiting as you won’t be able to change lenses. However, I do have a Leica that has a short zoom that I use a lot. You might try the used market as you will get more for your money. In order to learn about photography, my advice is to look at photographs taken by the old masters. There are many techniques to learn, such as composition, lighting, etc. Also, what works for portraits, landscapes and “birding” are different. Don’t be discouraged, buy what you can afford and have fun. There are many folks on this site that can give you good advice but ignore the snippy, opinionated views.

I shoot a lot of portraits. Large apertures produce shallow depth of field and isolate your subjects better. I have an older Nikon 85 f1.4D and it is great for that. No noise at lower ISOs. I try to keep my ISO less than 800, which in my view is high. Optimally, ISO is best around 100 for that size lens.

Fuji X T4. They have a 55-200 now and a 70-300 coming out in March.

If you take portraits or street photography, fast lenses tend to give better bokeh. I have a Nikon 85 f1.4D that really blows out the background when shot wide open or up to f 2.8. I like the effect. You have to be careful as the depth of field wide open is very shallow and isolates the subject from the background. One of the other posters noted that a lens may not be as sharp wide open but I have not had that issue.

Lightroom is faster but it does not have all of the features of photoshop.I generally use LR unless I want to use some features of PS such as fill. It is fairly easy to go back and forth.

You might want to look at the new Fuji XE4. Just came out.

The X Pro 1 (used) seems to be reasonably priced. As long as you buy it from a store with a good return policy, you will be happy with your purchase. I did not have the same experience with the 18-55 but I clearly am in the minority. Have fun. I personally like rangefinder cameras but I did a lot of street photography before Covid. Rangefinders let you anticipate your shot. Hope all of this helps.

I am just relating my experience with the Fuji kit lens. Maybe I had a so-called bad copy. I find the primes in that range to be a lot better. Besides, it is a in a zoom range that you can use by walking back and forth with your feet and a prime. Since it is variable aperture, you lose maximum aperture. You are correct, that there are a lot of good articles on the Fuji kit lens as one of the better kit lenses. Fuji’s are offered as a kit with either the 18-55 OIS or the 23. (OIS in that range is meaningless to me). I think that the 23 is a better lens. As to the optical viewfinder, that does not bother me as I used to shoot with a Leica M-6.

I am just giving you my experience. Enjoy whatever you pick. Fuji makes a good product. Just test it in low light.

I was thinking about selling my Fuji system. Then, in reviewing old pix, I found that the kit Lens, 18-55 mm, was not that good. I have an X-T2, 23mm, 27 mm few 2.8, a 50 mm f2 and a 55-200. I generally shoot Nikon but I have to say that the Fuji is really reliable, sharp and light. My friend has the 35 f2 and raves about it. The only criticism about Fuji’s in my view is that they are not great in low light. I understand from Fuji rumors that Fuji is coming out with some new lenses soon. I am not going to upgrade since I don’t need inbody stabilization. If you go with an X-Pro 1, make sure that you buy it from a reliable source with a good return policy. Also, if you are planning to get an Xpro-1 make sure that you want an optical finder as you will experience parallex. Not so with its EVF.

I do know who you are responding to. I am using really old Nikon lenses from my film cameras and they are great on any Nikon camera. A good lens is a good investment. I am not upgrading my lenses. They are fine. No excuses.

IMHO, technique is critical but you cannot fix a poor quality lens in post, particularly focus issues.

Once again, we are seeing some mean responses. I got great results with thirty year old Nikon lenses on my old D200. Now I am using a D750 with the same lenses and get good results. Buy good glass within your price range and there are plenty of good used lenses to pick from. For those who have commented on technique, that is the most important thing to learn. The only two lenses that I was not satisfied with are the old 24-120 variable aperture Nikon and the Fuji kit lens. Keep in mind that wide to tele lenses are difficult to design.

I think that if you don’t have a lot of equipment, then mirrorless is the future. I use a Nikon DSLR and am perfectly happy with it. I bought it (used) because I have a lot of old Nikon gear. I also have a Fuji mirrorless system that is ok at best. I seriously doubt that Nikon will disappear but who knows. I have seen a lot of rude comments in this thread that are inappropriate IMHO.