Digital SLR Buying Guide

My advice for buying a camera is the same as most electronics, decide how much money you are willing/able to spend and then try to fit the best possible gear into that price range.

Here's some recommendations for good SLR cameras for beginner and intermediate users.

I would recommend buying from either Adorama or B&H, the two biggest retailers in the country. Conveniently they are both located here in New York. I would recommend going to the store to purchase a camera so that you can see and feel the equipment and also ask questions to the salespeople before buying. If you are intimidated by large, crowded stores B&H can be a bit crazy and overwhelming--Adorama has just as much stuff but the store itself is less intimidating. But one of the advantages of B&H is that there is more equipment to look at on the floor since their retail space is larger.

Both Adorama and B&H offer their own student discount programs so you might want to check those out/enroll online before going to the store.

A good starter DSLR I often recommend is the Canon Rebel - which has taken many forms over the years, one of the newer versions is the T6 which is selling for $450 at Adorama (and same price at B&H but the Adorama version comes with a few more accessories including a camera bag). If you can afford this price (it will be slightly cheaper with student discount) this is the one I recommend getting.

If you are looking for something more affordable, Adorama is selling a refurbished version of the Nikon D3300 for $350, which is similar to the rebel and Adorama tests all their refurbished equipment.

If you need to go even cheaper consider buying used. I think Adorama has more options for used equipment than B&H but BE AWARE of Adorama's used equipment rating system. I would recommend not buying anything below "V" rating for camera bodies and "E-" or better for lenses.

Right now Adorama has at least one used Canon Rebel T3 body for $139 which you can pair with the Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens for $64. As with buying anything used there is a small amount of risk involved but Adorama tests all their used gear and the T3 is still a very good camera and will give you plenty of options for this course and beyond.