Best Camera for Blogging & Mirrorless Camera Buying Guide

So your trusty camera broke and you have a trip coming up. Now you have a million questions. How are you going to get the photos that you need for your blog? What about your Instagram pictures? Do you need a digital camera with WiFi? Should you move from DLSR to a mirrorless camera? Or from a point and shoot to a mirrorless? A WIFI camera? What’s the best mirrorless camera to get? What camera is the best for taking that perfect Instagram pic? Is there a good small wifi camera? If you are like me, then you want the best camera for blogging but don’t want to get too bogged down with all of the technical details. Look no further. You’ll find all that you need to know in this Best Camera for Blogging & Mirrorless Camera Buying Guide. 

This article may contain affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on the link, I may receive a small commission. It doesn’t cost you any extra. The opinions on products are my own.

Best Mirrorless Camera for Travel:

Giving Up my Nikon DLSR

I had a Nikon D60 DSLR camera for 9 years and on a trip to Hong Kong last year, the shutter release gave up the ghost and refused to work anymore. I took the camera to an authorized dealer who told me to chuck the camera. Upon return to the US, I sought second opinions from other Nikon dealers. They all had the same response – get a new camera.

I was heartbroken. I loved my Nikon. The picture quality was fantastic. But, I was beginning to grow weary of the weight of the camera and all the lenses.

I spent over 30 years in the business of color and images – as a printer I was an expert in using CMYK dots to convey RGB pixels, and their limitations. You can say I am qualified to look at colors aesthetically and with a professional eye. And it doesn’t hurt to have an interest in photography. I love being behind the lens, capturing different subjects and then sharing with the world the beauty and sometimes messages I see.

Quality images matter to me.

I set out to investigate my next perfect camera.

Best Mirrorless Camera for Beginners:

Best Camera for Blogging — Mirrorless or DSLR Cameras?

The first question that I had to decide was whether or not to get a mirrorless camera. I read articles, including the best mirrorless camera 2019. I went to all the photographers that I know and met with some professional photographers. I looked at a mirrorless camera for beginners. I looked at the professional mirrorless cameras. And, I compared all of this to having a DSLR.

Here are the basics. When you take a picture with a DLSR, you look through a viewfinder but you don’t actually see the image. You see a reflection of the image from a mirror within the body. When you press down the shutter release, the mirror flips up, the shutter opens and the image sensor captures the image.

Reggie with her Mirrorless Camera in Singapore

With a mirrorless camera, there is no mirror. The light passes through the lens and right onto the image sensor. On the less expensive mirrorless camera, you see images on the electronic viewfinder on the back of the camera—what you see is what you get. If you are used to DSLR, then you’ll want to get a mirrorless camera with an optical viewfinder (more on this later).

Both DSLR and Mirrorless cameras use interchangeable lenses. That was important to me. I usually carry two lenses on my trips as I want to be able to take wide-angle photographs and zoom in with a telephoto lens.

Characteristics of DSLR vs Mirrorless

Why You Should Buy a Wifi Enabled Camera

For bloggers, one of the reasons to go mirrorless is that they are wifi enabled cameras. This means that it is a camera with built-in wifi. You can send your photos up to the cloud whenever you are connected to wifi. No more worries about losing all of your photos for Instagram if you lose or damage the SD card. Or having to carry your laptop for backing up photos. Some DLSR cameras are also wifi enabled, but older and less expensive models tend not to have that capability.

Best Mirrorless Cameras Under $600:

Mirrorless Camera Comparisons

Once I settled on buying a mirrorless camera, my top considerations were cost, quality, weight, and ease of use.

Cost

Since this was my 1st mirrorless camera purchase, my budget was $1000 for body and lenses. You can spend thousands of dollars on a mirrorless camera but if you end up not liking it, that money is wasted. I opted to try out a good midrange model for the next few years.

Picture Quality

Picture quality is the most important criteria. As you remember, I was in printing and I wanted the best and most accurate quality image that I could get.

Weight

Since there is no mirror component in the camera, most mirrorless cameras are not only lighter but slimmer than DSLRs. The fit of the camera in your hands is an important consideration. If the camera is too light, then camera shake can become an issue. If it is too heavy, then it doesn’t help to switch from a DSLR.

Ease of use

Ease of Use and the ability to transition from DSLR to mirrorless quickly is important. I did not want to have a steep learning curve which is why I initially looked at the Nikons. After that, I looked at a number of models to see how easy they were to operate. Most of the mirrorless cameras are wifi enabled so you can easily transfer the images onto your smartphone and onto your Instagram account.

See some of our photos from San Pedro de Atacama or Africa.

Best Mirrorless camera for Travel Blogging:

Narrowing the Field down to Fuji, Sony, Canon, Fuji and Olympus

Having been used to Nikon cameras, I was disappointed to learn Nikon did not make entry-level mirrorless models. Their mirrorless camera body starts at $1800. Nikon also entered the mirrorless market a little late. After researching dozens of cameras, I narrowed it down to Sony, Canon, Fuji and Olympus.

Mirrorless Camera Comparison Chart

Brand	Sony	Olympus	Canon	Fuji
Model	A6000	OM-D E-M10	EOS M-50	X-T100
Continuous shooting speed (frames per second)	11fps	8fps	10fps	6fps
Resolution (Megapixels)	24.3	16	24.1	24.2
ISO	100-25600	200-25600	100-25600	200-12800
Weight (oz)	12	18.2	17.1	20.6
Battery life (shots)	360	320	235	430
Video	HD	4K	4K	HD
Wifi enabled	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Touchscreen	3″ LCD	3″ LCD	3″ LCD	3″ LCD
Cost	$$	$$	$$	$$
Ideal user	Beginner/Intermediate	Beginner/Intermediate	Beginner/Intermediate	Beginner/Intermediate
Where to Buy	Sony Alpha A6000	Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II with 14-42mm lens	Canon EOS M50 Wi-Fi Camera & 15-45mm Lens	Fujifilm X-T100 Mirrorless Digital Camera

I eliminated the Olympus due to the smaller resolution and slowest frames per second (for shooting moving objects).

The Fuji cameras have very good sensors and the images are bright and colorful. It was the heaviest of the cameras but it is very complicated to learn to use.

Best Mirrorless Camera for Beginners:

The Canon was easy to use with very good picture quality. The touchscreen also was easy to navigate. Overall I liked how the camera felt in my hands.

After much decision, I chose the Canon EOS M60. Canon is one of the world’s best camera manufacturers. The camera is user-friendly and produces excellent quality pictures. Canon lenses and bodies are generally more affordable compared to other well-known brands. In addition, Canon bodies are compatible with third party lenses. Finally, I wanted a simple camera without too many knobs and buttons.

I bought the body with an 18mm – 150mm STM  Canon lens instead of the standard kit which has an 18-55mm lens. The other standard lens offering is 55mm-200mm. I decided on the all-in-one long zoom (18-150mm) so I only needed to carry 1 lens.

Mirrorless Camera Lenses

Once you have settled on your camera body, you now have to decide on lenses.

Most camera makers make proprietary mounts for their lenses although there are 3rd party lens manufacturers. You can also use SLR lenses on a mirrorless as long as you can get the correct adaptor mount for the lens.

I would recommend a basic 18-50mm lens for a beginner – again, this will depend on what your shooting needs are.

Before buying your camera, make sure it is able to take 3rd party lenses so your choices are not limited to the camera makers.

Thinking About Going Mirrorless? Have a Question or Comment? Please Leave it Below

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