Cameras for Beginners
Unsure where to start? Learn from the best, with our specially curated guide to help you find the best camera for beginners.
BUDGET GIFTS FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS
Photography gifts from Canon don't have to break the bank. We have a range of affordable cameras, lenses, printers, accessories and paper that makes finding a cheap gift for a photographer simple. Find our best budget gifts for photographers below.
Best Budget Cameras
EOS R100 Mirrorless Camera: For mirrorless photographers on a budget
One of the best budget digital cameras is the EOS R100. It's a great gift for any budding photographer or anyone who wants to capture special moments with ease. Benefitting from state-of-the-art Canon technology, this camera is a great entry into proper photography, with a 24.1 megapixel sensor and Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus delivering sharp images that are unobtainable with your phone.
• High-quality 24.1mp stills and 4K video great for any new photographer
• Features like built-in autofocus offer a professional edge to your photos
• A beginner option, get creative in low light and enjoy depth of field control
• Link to your smartphone and share your amazing snaps to social media
• Optional Creative Assist offers a helping hand with lighting, colour and blur
SHOP NOW• High-quality 24.1mp stills and 4K video great for any new photographer
• Features like built-in autofocus offer a professional edge to your photos
• A beginner option, get creative in low light and enjoy depth of field control
• Link to your smartphone and share your amazing snaps to social media
• Optional Creative Assist offers a helping hand with lighting, colour and blur
EOS 4000D: For DSLR photographers on a budget
Another one of our best budget cameras is the EOS 4000D, perfect for those who want to get into photography, but prefer the optical viewfinder of a DSLR. Despite being an entry-level camera, you can take beautiful photos and movies, experiment with background blur and share images to family, friends and social media with the Canon Camera Connect app. Scene Intelligent Auto and Creative Auto modes mean that the camera takes care of the expert stuff, helping beginners to deliver fantastic photos.
• Beginners can deliver superb 18mp photos with background blur
• Shoot in tricky situations with precise autofocus and DIGIC 4+ Processing
• Scene Intelligent Auto and Creative Auto Mode puts the camera in control
• Canon’s Photo Companion App educates you as you shoot
• Connect and share on the go with Canon Camera Connect App
SHOP NOW• Beginners can deliver superb 18mp photos with background blur
• Shoot in tricky situations with precise autofocus and DIGIC 4+ Processing
• Scene Intelligent Auto and Creative Auto Mode puts the camera in control
• Canon’s Photo Companion App educates you as you shoot
• Connect and share on the go with Canon Camera Connect App
Best Budget Lenses
Any photographer would love to add an additional lens to their portfolio, making Canon budget camera lenses a great gift for a photographer. Our two "nifty fifty” prime lenses – the RF 50mm F1.8 lens and the EF 50mm F/1.8 lens - are great, cost-effective options that are extremely versatile, capturing everything from portraits and landscapes to street scenes and close-ups. Both have a fast maximum aperture of f/1.8 which has a number of benefits. One, it means that the lenses are great for low light photography, tackling low light environments without the need of a tripod. Secondly, these lenses allow for creativity, letting the photographer experiment with depth of field and bokeh. Both lenses use a quiet STM motor, letting you focus in silence, while their lightweight and compact design makes them well suited to shooting handheld.
Best Budget Camera Accessories
Enhance your Content with Microphones, Tripods and Ring Lights
A great budget photography gift is a budget camera accessory, such as a Canon microphone or tripod. These accessories allow for more versatile photography and can help you create better content.
Any content creator or videographer would benefit from the Stereo Microphone DM-E100, as the 120-degree stereo offers the sound quality needed for professional work. Alternatively, the JOBY GorillaPod 1K Tripod Plus Ballhead Kit is perfect for a vlogger. It stabilises your camera and offers 360-degree panning and 90-degree tilting, giving you extra versatility when filming content.
Some of our alternative products include the JOBY Beamo Ring Light 12”. This ring light lets you create emotive lighting conditions for vlogging, with up to 10 different light levels and three colour temperatures letting you set the mood. This makes it great for selfies and setting the scene for your YouTube or Twitch content. Finally, anyone with a range of photography equipment would benefit from a new camera bag. The Manfrotto Advanced Holster L III is the perfect choice for carrying your camera, tripod, lenses and more. The bag is designed to be comfortable, easy to carry, and protect your valuable equipment against the weather, knocks and scrapes.
Keep on Going with SD Cards and Batteries
Another must-have cheap gift for a photographer is a battery or SD card. The LP-E17 and LP-E6NH Battery Packs both let you get more from your camera. Great for taking on longer shoots, it means you always have a spare battery just in case your first battery runs out of charge. Another option is our SanDisk Memory Cards. We have plenty available, including the Extreme Pro-SDCX UHS-I C10 Memory Card, 64GB. Memory cards such as this one are designed for professional photographers and videographers, letting you transfer 4K video and high-resolution images for a fast, post-production workflow. With write up speeds of up to 90 MB/s, a good SD card is a must-have for any professional photographer. Another must-have for any photographer that makes a great budget photography gift is a battery or memory card. The LP-E17 and LP-E6NH Battery Pack’s are great for any photographer who wants to get more from their camera. Great for going off-road and for longer shoots, it means you always have a spare battery just in case your current ones runs out of charge. Another option is our wide range of SanDisk Memory Cards. We have plenty on offer, including the Extreme Pro SDCX UHS-I C10 Memory Card, 64GB. Memory cards such as this one are designed for professional photographers and videographers, letting you transfer 4K video and high resolution images for fast, post-production workflow. With impressive write up speeds of up to 90 MB/s, these SD Cards are a must gift for professional photographers.
Printers
Print Your Photos From Anywhere with an Instant Printer
A Canon instant printer makes a fantastic photography gift. Perfect for creatives, families and teenagers, you can take photos, edit, print and share photos of special moments. Our first option is the SELPHY QX20. Small enough to fit in your backpack or handbag, the QX20 will print small square images and photos. You can connect to your mobile devices via Wi-Fi and instantly print photos from wherever you are thanks to the wireless design.
Another popular option is the SELPHY CP1500. This instant printer is a little larger, and is best suited to sitting stylishly in your home. Perfect for home use, this instant printer will print smartphone or camera snaps in a range of sizes ranging from postcard and credit card sizes to mini square. Finally, if you want an all-in-one camera printer, the Zoemini S2 is perfect. Featuring a built-in 8mp sensor, the Zoemini S2 lets you snap and edit (using the LCD screen) and print ZINK™ sticky backed square photos all from one device. If you can't decide between the three instant printers mentioned here, take a look at our comparison chart below.
Another popular option is the SELPHY CP1500. This instant printer is a little larger, and is best suited to sitting stylishly in your home. Perfect for home use, this instant printer will print smartphone or camera snaps in a range of sizes ranging from postcard and credit card sizes to mini square. Finally, if you want an all-in-one camera printer, the Zoemini S2 is perfect. Featuring a built-in 8mp sensor, the Zoemini S2 lets you snap and edit (using the LCD screen) and print ZINK™ sticky backed square photos all from one device. If you can't decide between the three instant printers mentioned here, take a look at our comparison chart below.
| Zoemini S2 | SELPHY CP1500 | SELPHY QX20 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camera | Built-in camera and printer | Printer only | Printer only |
| Print Technology | ZINK™ Technology for casual prints | Dye sublimination for long-lasting, high-quality prints | Dye sublimination for long-lasting, high-quality print |
| Print Sizes (dimensions) | 2” x 3” | 100 x 148mm 54 x 86mm 54 x 86mm 54 x 54mm 22 x 17.3mm | 72 x 85mm 54 x 85mm |
| Print Sizes (type) | Peel and sticky back | Postcards, Credit Card Size, Credit Card Size Stickers, Square Stickers, Mini Stickers | Square images, square photos |
| Portability | Highly portable, compact, built-in battery, USB AC Adapter charging | More stationary, built-in battery, power adapter | Highly portable, compact, Wi-Fi, built in battery, USB-C Charging |
| Best use | Instant photo taking and printing | Home use and events where larger photos are needed | On-the-go, high quality photo printing |
Print from Home with our Budget Home Printers
Another great budget gift is a Canon printer. Our wide range includes something for everyone, including the Canon TS8750. This all-in-one inkjet printer is perfect for high-quality document and photo printing, scanning and copying. It is an affordable option for printing beautiful photos at home. Alternatively, the TS5350i gives you some versatility during printing. Compact and stylish, the borderless photo printing option gives you the ability to create stickers, greeting cards and photo prints. Finally, the Canon MG3650 is a vibrant, red printer that is budget-friendly and covers all your essential needs including printing, scanning and copying. As it is budget-friendly, it makes a great gift for families and students.
Creative Papers
If you still need more cheap photography gifts ideas, then photo paper is great for families too. Get photo paper either for your Zoemini or your photo printer with our full range of photo papers. Our range includes the GP-501 Glossy Photo Paper A4 for printing slick glossy prints of your favourite photos. Alternatively, check out our ZINK paper range, for printing creative prints from your Zoemini printer.
Canon Light & Speaker MI-A Aluminium Wireless Bluetooth Lamp
A new budget product that makes a perfect affordable gift for photographers is the Canon Light & Speaker ML-A Aluminum Wireless Bluetooth Lamp. It's an innovative speaker lamp, designed to put your environment firmly in your hands. For example, you can dim the lighting dependent on your mood and play music via the speaker. If you're in the mood to relax, turn the light down low. However, if you're entertaining and want some more light, you can turn up the light and play your favourite music. Connect via Bluetooth and enjoy high quality audio with its 10W speaker and enjoy battery hours of up to eight hours before it requires charging.
