- Camera makers for a first camera
- Nine camera makers and their families
- Four families, four different first cameras
- Instant cameras: pick the film size first
- Film and toy cameras
- Pocket digital and interchangeable-lens bodies
- What to ask yourself before you buy a first camera
- My advice on picking a first camera
- Frequently asked questions
The best camera for beginners depends on what you want from it. Pick an instant camera if you want a print in your hand, a film or toy camera if you want the film look, a pocket digital compact if you'd rather stay digital, or an entry body if you want lenses you can change. Nine makers follow, in no particular order.
Your phone already takes photos, so a first dedicated camera has to give you something it doesn't. For some people that's a print they can stick on the fridge, for others it's film, a zoom or a lens they can swap.
This list covers nine camera makers, using only what each maker's own website says, read on 1 Nov 2026 (as of Nov 2026). It's alphabetical and in no particular order. Picture and zoom numbers are the makers' own, so they aren't repeated here: it's about which family of camera each maker sells, so you can match it to what you want.
Camera makers for a first camera
| Tool | Type | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Fujifilm instax | Instant cameras and printers | Instant cameras by film size |
| Kodak PIXPRO | Digital cameras | Friendly Zoom compacts |
| Lomography | Film, toy and instant cameras | Film and toy cameras |
| Minolta Digital | instapix cameras, camcorders and dash cams | instapix instant cameras |
| Nikon | Mirrorless, DSLR and superzoom cameras | Bodies grouped by type |
| OM System | Cameras for birding, wildlife and travel | OM and PEN models |
| Pentax | A digital SLR, the PENTAX K-70 | A single digital SLR page |
| Polaroid | Instant cameras and film | Instant cameras by model |
| Yashica | Retro digital, film and night vision cameras | Retro and DigiFilm cameras |
Nine camera makers and their families
Fujifilm instax
Best for: Choosing an instant format first, mini, SQUARE or WIDE, then an analog or hybrid camera, or the no-film instax Pal 2.
Kodak PIXPRO
Best for: Starting with its Friendly Zoom range, which includes the C1, listed beside Astro Zoom, Action Sport and 360 VR cameras.
Lomography
Best for: Film and toy cameras such as the Diana and Simple Use range, with 35 mm, 120 and 110 film in the same shop.
Minolta Digital
Best for: Its instapix instant camera line, listed beside digital cameras by model number.
Nikon
Best for: Picking a body type from its camera menu: mirrorless, DSLR or superzoom.
OM System
Best for: Looking at the OM-3 and the new OM SYSTEM PEN, in a range that also lists Tough TG cameras.
Pentax
Best for: The PENTAX K-70 page, a digital SLR its maker describes as having a compact body.
Polaroid
Best for: Choosing among the Now, Now+, Flip, I-2, Go and Mod instant cameras.
Yashica
Best for: Retro digital and film cameras, such as the Y16 Pocket Camera.
Four families, four different first cameras
Here's the split that's easy to overlook. A first camera falls into one of four families: instant cameras that print as you shoot, film and toy cameras, pocket digital compacts, and interchangeable-lens bodies. The right one depends on whether you want a print in your hand, a film look, or a lens you can change, and the makers on this list each sit mainly in one family.
- Instant: each camera takes its own film, such as mini, SQUARE or WIDE on one maker's page.
- Film and toy: you shoot on film, and one shop here sells kit to develop and scan at home.
- Pocket digital: a compact that keeps everything digital.
- Interchangeable-lens: mirrorless or DSLR bodies, where the lens comes off.
Instant cameras: pick the film size first
On the instant side, the film comes before the camera. Fujifilm instax lists each camera family with its own film: mini, such as the instax mini 13, SQUARE, such as the instax SQUARE SQ40, and WIDE, such as the instax WIDE 400. It lists analog and hybrid cameras, and it also sells the instax Pal 2, listed as no film, plus mini, SQUARE and WIDE printers.
Polaroid's line-up runs from the Now and Now+ to the Flip, I-2, Go and Mod, and Minolta Digital sells an instapix instant camera line beside its digital cameras. Check which film a camera takes before you buy it, because that's what you'll keep buying.
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Film and toy cameras
Lomography's camera shop speaks to people new to the analogue world as well as film pros. Its menu lists the Diana and Simple Use ranges, 110 cameras and instant cameras, with 35 mm, 120 and 110 film and a Develop & Scan at Home section in the same shop. Yashica sells film cameras too, beside retro digital models and what it calls digital film simulation cameras, if you like the look but want to stay digital.
Pocket digital and interchangeable-lens bodies
For a digital compact, Kodak PIXPRO's menu splits its cameras into Friendly Zoom, Astro Zoom, Action Sport and 360 VR ranges, and the C1 sits in the Friendly Zoom range. If you want to change lenses, Nikon's camera menu lists mirrorless, DSLR and superzoom cameras, with mirrorless lenses and DSLR lenses in their own groups.
OM System's camera page names the OM-3 and the new OM SYSTEM PEN, and its menu also lists Tough TG cameras. The PENTAX K-70 has its own page as a digital SLR with a compact body, in the maker's words.
What to ask yourself before you buy a first camera
- Do I want a print in my hand straight away?
- Would I enjoy shooting film and getting it developed?
- Would I rather keep everything digital and share from my phone?
- Do I want to change lenses later, or keep one camera simple?
- Which film or memory card does the camera take?
- Will I carry it in a pocket or in a bag?
Do you make cameras? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My advice on picking a first camera
Start with what you want to end up with, not with the camera. If you want prints to hand round or stick on a wall, choose an instant camera and check its film size first. If you love the film look and don't mind waiting for developing, a film or toy camera is the fun route. If you'd rather keep everything digital, a pocket compact is the simple start. And if you think you'll want to swap lenses, look at an entry mirrorless or DSLR body. Treat every picture and zoom number as the maker's own claim.
When you've got photos you love, my list of the best photo printing services will help you get them on paper, and these AI photo editors are handy for tidying up the digital ones.
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Frequently asked questions
What types of camera are on this list?
Four families: instant cameras that print as you shoot, film and toy cameras, pocket digital compacts, and interchangeable-lens bodies such as mirrorless and DSLR cameras.
Do instant cameras need special film?
On one instant maker's page, each camera family is listed with its own film, mini, SQUARE or WIDE, and one model is listed as no film. Check the film a camera takes before you buy it.
Can I print photos from a digital camera on an instant printer?
One instant maker here sells mini, SQUARE and WIDE printers and has a page about creating prints from your digital camera or computer. Check the printer's page for what it connects to.
Which of these makers sell film cameras?
One sells the Diana, Simple Use and 110 cameras alongside 35 mm, 120 and 110 film, and another lists film cameras beside retro digital models.
Which of these makers sell cameras with interchangeable lenses?
One maker's menu lists mirrorless and DSLR cameras with mirrorless and DSLR lenses, another lists OM and PEN cameras, and a third has a page for the PENTAX K-70 digital SLR.
Do any of these makers sell camcorders or other gear?
Yes. One lists camcorders, dash cams, digital optics and smart photo frames beside its cameras, another sells camcorders and night vision cameras, and a third sells binoculars and rangefinders.
