Find the right camera for your budget in our round-up of the best cameras under £500.

There’s a fantastic range of cameras that are available for all kinds of budgets. We’ve rounded up six of the best that are available for £500 now. If you have a bit more to spend, you might want to check out our Best Cameras Under £1000 article. On the other hand, if you have a bit less to spend, you may want to take a look at our Best Cameras Under £250 article.

Canon EOS 750D (body only)

Canon EOS 750D product shot 9

Price: £465
Sensor: 24.2MP APS-C CMOS
ISO: 100-12,800 (native)
Drive Mode: 5fps
AF: 19 cross-type AF points (f/2.8 at the centre)
Display: 3.0-inch, 3:2 Clear View II TFT 1040k touch-sensitive screen

Canon’s mid-range DSLRs are popular with those who are new, or nearly new to photography. They offer a great range of appealing features without breaking the bank too much, being just a bit more advanced than something like the Canon EOS 1300D. It has a 24.2MP sensor, which is joined by a Digic 6 processor – that should make for a good combination for a wide range of different kinds of shot, including low light. A relatively modest 5fps is a good starting point for sports and wildlife, which is also helped by each of the 19 AF points being the more sensitive cross-type.

Read our Canon EOS 750D Review

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Nikon D5500 (with 18-55mm kit lens)

Nikon-D5500-product-shot-13

Price: £479
Sensor: 24.2MP APS-C CMOS
ISO: 100 – 25600
Drive Mode: 5fps
AF: 39 AF points (9 cross type)
Display: 3.0-inch, 1037k dot touch-sensitive TFT LCD

Just like Canon’s mid-range enthusiast model, the Nikon D5500 appeals to those looking for something just above beginner level. It has a 24.2MP sensor, with an EXPEED 4 processor. It’s a great camera for a wide range of different types of photography. Although there are only 9 cross-type AF points, it is made up for a little by having 39 additional points – portrait, macro and still life photographers should find this is helpful. Again, the 5fps shooting is a little modest for sports and wildlife, but it’s a good start.

Read our Nikon D5500 Review

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Panasonic G7

Panasonic Lumix G7 product shot 9

Price: £499
Sensor: 16MP Four Thirds CMOS
ISO: 200 – 25,600
Drive Mode: 30fps (4K Photo Modes), 8fps using full resolution
AF: 49-area
Display: Free-angle 3.0-inch, 3:2 aspect TFT LCD with touch control

Panasonic’s big selling point for all of its current camera is 4K. While you might immediately think that this is really only a feature for videographers, it has some incredibly useful functionality for stills shooters, too. Using 4K photo modes you can shoot at 30fps, and select a frame from the resulting video created in-camera. This makes it ideal for sports, wildlife, or even just portraits of children and animals. Otherwise, the G7 is also well-specced as a great all-round camera. It’s one of Panasonic’s  DSLR-like designs, so it has a chunky grip, an articulating screen and an electronic viewfinder.

Read our Panasonic G7 Review

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Sony a68 (body only)

sony_a68

Price: £486
Sensor: 24MP APS-C CMOS
ISO: 100 – 25,600
Drive Mode: 8fps
AF: 79-point “4D Focus” system (15 cross-type)
Display: 2.7-inch TFT LCD

Sony’s DSLT cameras are very similar to normal DSLR cameras, but with one key difference – the T stands for translucent. Rather than a mirror which moves out of the way when a shot is taken, cameras like the a68 have a translucent mirror that allows light through but stays put the whole time. This has several advantages which includes the ability to shoot at a very quick 8fps. The A68 has “4D focus”, which is designed for accurate tracking focus, while 79 points is the highest number for cameras of its kind. The A68 competes incredibly well with Canon and Nikon’s offerings, being especially appealing for those who like to photograph action, wildlife and sports and will make good use of the super accurate focusing and fast drive mode.

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Fuji X-T10 (body only)

Fujifilm X-T10 product shot 14

Price: £449
Sensor: 16MP X-Trans CMOS II
ISO: 200-6400 (raw) 100 – 51,200 (JPEG)
Drive Mode: 8fps
AF: 77-area AF
Display: 3-inch, 920,000-dot tilting LCD

Fuji’s retro-styling used to come at quite a high asking price. But the Fuji X-T10 changed that, offering something almost akin to the X-T1 in a much more affordable body. It has the same sensor and processor for a start. The design is also very similar to the X-T1. Of course there has to be a trade off for the lower price, and you don’t get weatherproofing with the X-T10, and some of the direct access settings dials are missing too, while the viewfinder is a little smaller, too.

Read our Fuji X-T10 Review

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Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II (body only)

Olympus-OM-D-E-M10-Mark-II-front

Price: £449
Sensor: 16.1MP Four Thirds CMOS
ISO: 100 – 25600
Drive Mode: 8.5fps
AF: 81-points
Display: 3-inch 1037k-dot tilting touch-sensitive TFT LCD

The small-size and weight of the E-M10 make it an ideal travel companion, offering fantastic image quality too. It has a retro look and feel and there’s a great range of dials and buttons to make changing settings quick and easy when you need to. There’s an electronic viewfinder and a tilting LCD screen for fantastic composition.

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