Best Camera for Bloggers: How to Choose the Right One

We all know how much great photos matter when it comes to blogging. But how do you choose the best camera for bloggers when there’s an overwhelming number of options on the market? A camera isn’t exactly a cheap investment, and the last thing you want is to be kicking yourself a month later for making the wrong choice. So which one should you buy?

Disclaimer: I don’t consider myself an expert and I certainly don’t have all the answers. This guide is based on my own months-long research. I’ve deliberately avoided photography jargon and tried to explain everything in a way that anyone can understand.

Why I Left the DSLR World Behind

My Canon 6D was a love affair — I was completely happy with it, which is exactly why I was terrified of making a mistake when choosing a new camera. I didn’t want to downgrade. You might be thinking — well, then why did you want a different one?

I had an entire drawer full of accessories for my Canon, including multiple lenses and a set of flashes. But the moment we started travelling, I realised it wasn’t the most practical setup — my camera with all the gear weighed several kilos!

Even when I travelled light with just the camera body and one lens, my shoulders still ached from carrying it around, and I knew the time had come for a change (I nearly cried about it, honestly). The Canon 6D is a legend among photographers, and its newer version is truly brilliant — but for travelling, for lugging around every single day as a petite woman, it’s a legendary nightmare.

DSLRs take gorgeous photos, and there will always be bloggers and travel creators who swear nothing can replace them. I used to be one of those people, so I don’t blame them. But for bloggers today, the clear choice should be a mirrorless camera or a high-end compact. And as I’ll show you at the end of this article, you can even take stunning photos with just your phone.

How to Choose a Good Camera for Everyday Shooting

I’ll tell you straight away — there’s no single best camera that works for every blogger. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. However, if you ask yourself the following questions, you can get much closer to finding the ideal camera for you.

How Will You Use Your Camera?

• Camera weight

If you want a camera for everyday shooting, weight will be one of your main criteria. You definitely don’t want to haul something around the city or on your travels that turns your bag into a dumbbell. However, if you blog about cooking or beauty, weight might not be as big a concern.

• Do you need interchangeable lenses?

This is a question only you can answer. A camera with interchangeable lenses has obvious advantages — you can get a lens that takes stunning portraits, a telephoto lens for wildlife, or a wide-angle lens for landscapes. They say the lens matters more than the body. And there’s a lot of truth in that. But extra lenses add weight, and a quality lens is an investment of hundreds to thousands of pounds.

Quick tip: if you decide to buy a camera with interchangeable lenses, in 90% of cases it’s better to buy just the body and choose your lens separately. Why? The kit lens that comes bundled with the body is usually the worst thing you can put on your camera. If you don’t plan on investing in lenses, you’re better off getting a camera with a fixed lens, like the Canon G7X or Fujifilm X100F.

If you’re getting a camera that supports interchangeable lenses, research the availability and prices of accessories for each brand. An equally good lens from one brand can cost three times as much as from another. I recommend checking second-hand marketplaces too — for example, Canon accessories are much easier to find used than Sony gear.

Camera Recommendations Without Interchangeable Lenses

Fujifilm X100F – around £700 / €800

If I were going for a fixed-lens camera, this would probably be my pick with its 35mm lens. It’s an absolute gem for photography, especially if you focus on lifestyle and street photography.

CANON PowerShot G7 X Mark II – around £400 / €450

This camera is brilliant for video, but it also takes perfect photos without you needing to put in much effort.

Popular Cameras with Interchangeable Lenses Among Bloggers

1) For Beginners

• Nikon D3500 – around £370 / €420
• Fujifilm X-F10 – around £280 / €320
• Sony A5100 – around £280 / €320
• Sony Alpha A6000 – around £340 / €390
• Olympus E-M10 – around £480 / €550

2) For Those Who Want More from Their Camera

• Fujifilm X-E3 – around £650 / €740
• Canon EOS 80D – around £810 / €920

3) When Budget Is No Object

• Sony Alpha a7S II – around £2,000 / €2,250
• Sony Alpha a9 – around £3,100 / €3,500 (Lucky’s dream camera :))

Which Lenses Should You Look At?

Prime lenses (the ones that can’t zoom) have a fixed maximum aperture and focal length, which results in sharper, higher-quality, and more professional-looking photos.

1) Portrait Lens

Most people start with a 50mm f/1.8 — this lens creates gorgeous portraits with beautifully blurred backgrounds. You might run into trouble when photographing larger groups or landscapes, though, because you simply can’t fit everything in the frame without backing up quite far. This lens is ideal for portraits.

2) Street and Fashion Photography Lens

Another popular choice is the 35mm f/2. It’s perfect for beautiful lifestyle shots and street photography.

3) Landscape Lens

If you want to focus on landscapes, you’ll probably reach for a wide-angle lens. This could be a zoom, for example a 16-35mm, or one of the prime wide-angle options — such as a 16mm or 28mm. These are rough guides, as each brand offers slightly different focal lengths. The lower the number, the more you can fit into the frame. However, the lowest numbers also bring the most distortion. Personally, I shot landscapes at 28mm because 16mm was just too distorted for my taste.

Will You Be Filming with Your Camera?

If you’re planning to use one camera for both photos and video, your options might narrow down. Ask yourself: will you be filming from a tripod, capturing moving shots, or will you want to film yourself handheld?

If you only film from a tripod — for example, if you’re a beauty blogger — pretty much any camera will do.

But if you want to film without a tripod, you’ll want to look into image stabilisation. And if you want to film yourself while walking, a camera with a flip-out screen would be incredibly useful.

The king among bloggers’ video cameras is the CANON PowerShot G7 X Mark II, which often surprises users with not only great video but also impressive photos. We know people who bought it for filming and ended up ditching their DSLR altogether, using it for photos as well.

Another excellent choice is the affordable and compact mirrorless Sony Alpha A5100, which experts consider a guarantee of “optimal performance”. Plus, it’s the smallest and lightest camera with interchangeable Sony E-mount lenses and a built-in flash in the world.

Another camera that’s well-suited for all types of video is the Canon EOS 200D.

How Does the Camera Handle?

You might think you’ll get used to any controls, and yes, that’s true. You can even reassign buttons on some cameras. But it can simply happen that despite your best efforts, a camera just doesn’t feel right in your hands.

Take Advantage of the 14-Day Return Period

If you buy a camera online, you’re legally entitled to return it within 14 days without giving a reason (this doesn’t apply to in-store purchases). If you find that the controls just don’t work for you, returning it is straightforward. Of course, you can always pop into a shop first to get a feel for the camera (which is worth doing if you have the time), but trust me — most issues only become apparent once you’re at home with it.

Can You Take Great Photos with a Phone?

Absolutely! Modern smartphones take incredible photos these days. Whether you’re using the latest iPhone or a flagship Android device, you can achieve stunning results. The photos below were all taken with a phone. Beautiful photos aren’t just about the camera anymore — they’re also about editing. You can read about how to edit photos like a pro in Lightroom here.

Don’t Buy from Dodgy Online Shops Just to Save a Few Quid

After some bad experiences, I decided to include this section in the article. Like everyone else, I hunt for the best prices online and order wherever it’s cheapest. But not when it comes to tech. It’s too big an investment, so I only buy from trustworthy retailers where I know returns and warranties won’t be a hassle, and where I’m confident the shop will still exist next year.

I absolutely despise drawn-out warranty claims, and after terrible experiences with small online shops, I no longer take the risk. For that same reason, I don’t buy electronics from anywhere I can’t easily reach if something goes wrong.

For UK-based readers, sticking with reputable retailers like Amazon, John Lewis, Currys, or specialist camera shops like MPB (for second-hand) and Wex Photo Video is the safest bet. These retailers offer solid return policies and reliable customer service. John Lewis, for instance, offers a generous 2-year warranty on electronics.

I’d again recommend ordering online so you have the option of returning within the 14-day cooling-off period if the camera doesn’t suit you. If you want to try before you buy, most high street camera shops will let you handle the gear in store — it’s always worth a visit if you have the time.

What Else Might Interest You

Don’t forget to check out how to use Lightroom presets for easy photo editing, how to start a blog, or how much influencers actually earn.