Buyer's Guides

Aimed at sophisticated shooters who don't mind spending a bit more on a small camera (instead of using their smart phone), the five best premium compact cameras in this buying guide have large sensors and robust feature sets that deliver outstanding performance and superior image control.

You want a cutting-edge mirrorless camera system, but you don't want to pay bleeding edge prices for it? The good news is there are many excellent mirrorless cameras you can buy without busting your budget. In the following guide, we pick our seven favorite mirrorless cameras for under $1000.

Yes, we’re posting our annual favorite cameras and lenses awards of 2018 with only a day left in January 2019, but that just means determining the best photo gear for last year was harder than usual. And it was, especially with the raft of exciting new full frame mirrorless cameras that hit the market in the second half of last year.

When it comes to purchasing a first camera for new photographers, you can seek recommendations from a friend, or members of a camera club (if you belong to one), or the person behind the counter at your favorite store. You can even consult reviews from blogs and YouTube. You can also choose not to do any of these things.

Well, the birds are queuing up in the backyard and you know what that means. Three calling birds, four French hens and two turtle doves—or is it four calling birds? They won’t stand still so it’s hard to count. And no one knows where in hell the partridge went. She was last seen talking to a couple turkeys who were all paranoid about some big feast that’s supposed to be happening soon. Anyway, you do know what this means, right? Time for our intrepid list of holiday photo gifts that cost less than $100.

Tripods come in many sizes, from tabletop models to heavy-duty camera stands designed for studio use. Because of the variety of types, styles, and even colors, there’s rarely a one-size-fits-all tripod for most photographers. And, like eating potato chips, you can’t have just one.

“Never have I found the limits of the photographic potential. Every horizon, upon being reached, reveals another beckoning in the distance.”—W. Eugene Smith