Camera suggestion

I was in a similar situation two years ago. I kept browsing camera specs and reading reviews, and in retrospect I had no frigging idea what I was looking for, so I learned a lot since then.

Because of this, I would recommend that you go for a budget option (as others said, basically anything will do), a used body with 1–2 lenses you are interested in, use it for a few years, then you will be in a much better position to make a decision and you will not be paying a premium for a new camera.

Personally, what I learned about my own preferences are the following:

  1. I value compactness of my kit above all. If the whole package is too large, it stays at home. It is better to have a small camera body with a pancake prime lens on me than trying to lug everything and getting frustrated — sure, I will miss a lot of shots, but if I bring a heavy kit it kills the joy of photography for me so I will not bring anything.

  2. Ergonomics matters. I want a lot of customizable dials and buttons and be able to mold the camera to my preferences, so I can find everything blindly.

  3. I love IBIS. Not bringing a tripod is so convenient, and I can always improvise something when needed.

  4. Camera bodies are way less important than lenses. (But if this is your first ILC, you will not know what lenses you will prefer — a chicken and egg problem best resolved by going budget).

  5. Wish I had weather sealing. My next kit will be weather sealed.

(But keep in mind that these are my preferences, yours could be very different.)

2 Likes