17 Best DSLR Cameras Under $1000

The world is recovering from a pandemic and people will be stepping out of the house more and more. The traveler or enthusiast in you will want to step out too and you’ll want to capture those moments and sceneries in the best way possible and capture the best moments with your new DSLR camera. This is why I decided to create a list of the best 17 DSLR cameras under $1000.

To capture your best moments, you’ll need the best DSLR camera possible, but your ‘best’ DSLR camera also needs to be in your budget. Not only does your budget matter, but you’ll also have different criteria for choosing your best DSLR camera.

So, we’re bringing you this list of the 17 Best DSLR cameras under $1000.

What are the eligibility criteria for selecting the best DSLR cameras under $1000?

The criteria for choosing the best DSLR cameras under $1000 for you include:

  • Rating on Amazon
  • Usability and quality
  • Number of reviews

This shows that the performance of the camera is loved by the customers and it also has a high popularity.

What are the criteria to rank the best DSLR cameras under $1000?

We decided to rank the best DSLR cameras for you using the following criteria:

  1. Ratings (maximum weightage)
  2. Number of reviews
  3. Camera Specifications

After analyzing all the data collected, we used a ranking mechanism to rank the best DSLR cameras for you.

List of the 17 best DSLR Cameras under $1000 for You

Here is the list of best 17 DSLR cameras under $1000 for you.

1. Canon EOS Rebel T7i

Rating & Reviews: 4.8⭐ and 397 Reviews

Price: $799

Specifications:

  • Megapixels: 24.2mp
  • Sensor Size: APS-C
  • Inbox Lens focal length: 18-55mm

Pros:

  • Dual Pixel AF
  • LCD touchscreen
  • Good build quality & lightweight

Cons:

  • No major cons

It’s one of the most liked and best-rated cameras.

It has features like high-speed continuous shooting at up to 60 fps and it weighs approximately 1877 ounces.

With an optical viewfinder to see exactly what you’ll capture, as well as 45-point cross-type AF for accurate results, dual pixel CMOS AF with phase detection, and more, the EOS Rebel T7i is one of the most advanced EOS rebels yet.

2. Canon EOS Rebel T7

Rating & Reviews: 4.8 ⭐ and 177 Reviews

Price: $459

Specifications:

  • Megapixels: 24.1mp
  • Sensor Size: APS-C
  • Inbox Lens focal length: 18-55mm

Pros:

  • WiFi & NFC
  • Full HD video
  • Full kit included in the package

Cons:

  • Good for beginners
  • 3 fps continuous shooting

The EOS Rebel T7’s large 24.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor is great for beginners and hobby photographers.

Its Bluetooth, WiFi, and NFC provide good connectivity.

This package also has accessories from Ritz.

3. Canon EOS REBEL SL3

Rating & Reviews: 4.8⭐ and 110 Reviews

Price: $649

Specifications:

  • Megapixels: 24.1mp
  • Sensor Size: APS-C
  • Inbox Lens focal length: 18-55mm

Pros:

  • WiFi & NFC
  • 4K video recording
  • Vari Angle LCD

Cons:

  • No 1080p at 24 fps

It’s a perfect camera for someone looking to get into hobby photography.

It’s also very lightweight and does the job perfectly, although it’s not recommended for professional photographers.

4. Pentax KP 24.32

Rating & Reviews: 4.9 ⭐ and 62 Reviews

Price: $863.90

Specifications:

  • Megapixels: 24.32mp
  • Sensor Size: APS-C
  • Inbox Lens focal length: DA 35mm F2.4

Pros:

  • 5-axis shake reduction
  • CMOS sensor
  • Dustproof and waterproof
  • Pixel shift resolution

 Cons:

  • No accurate AF

It’s a camera that takes fantastic photos, is durable, easy to use, it’s fairly priced, and it has a nice size.

It’s also dustproof and waterproof which makes it a good option in the range.

5. Canon EOS Rebel T6

Rating & Reviews: 4.9 ⭐ and 37 Reviews

Price: $529

Specifications:

  • Megapixels: 18mp
  • Sensor Size: APS-C
  • Inbox Lens focal length: Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens

Pros:

  • 9-point AF
  • DIGIC 4+ image processor
  • Extended ISO 12800

Cons:

  • No major cons

Comprising of a versatile set of imaging capabilities along with support for a connected workflow, the EOS Rebel T6 from Canon is a compact, sleek DSLR featuring an 18MP APS-C CMOS sensor and a DIGIC 4+ image processor.

Combined, these two technologies offer rich image quality with reduced noise, along with a sensitivity range of ISO 100-6400 that can be further expanded to ISO 12800 to suit low and difficult lighting conditions.

6. Nikon D3400

Rating & Reviews: 4.6 ⭐ 1910 Reviews

Price: $596.95

Specifications:

  • Megapixels: 24.2mp
  • Sensor Size: APS-C
  • Inbox Lens focal length: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens

Pros:

  • 5 fps continuous shooting speed
  • Bluetooth SnapBridge
  • Extended ISO 12800

Cons:

  • No optical low pass filter

It takes flawless low-light photos with its native ISO range from 100–25,600.

It has the “speed to freeze time” feature and it uses Expeed 4 image processing.

You can always be connected to a smartphone with Nikon SnapBridge connectivity.

7. Nikon D3200

Rating & Reviews: 4.7 ⭐ and 1686 Reviews

Price: $589.95

Specifications:

  • Megapixels: 24.2mp
  • Sensor Size: APS-C
  • Inbox Lens focal length: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens

Pros:

  • 4fps continuous shooting speed
  • Extended ISO 12800
  • WiFi

Cons:

  • Auto Focus issues

The D3200’s compact size and the price makes it a powerful package.

It’s easy to use the HD-SLR and it has serious Nikon power: a 24.2 MP DX-format CMOS sensor that excels in any light, EXPEED 3 image-processing for fast operation and creative in-camera effects, Full HD (1080p) video recording, in-camera tutorials and much more.

8. Nikon D5300

Rating & Reviews: 4.5 ⭐ and 817 Reviews

Price: $634

Specifications:

  • Megapixels: 24.2mp
  • Sensor Size: APS-C
  • Inbox Lens focal length: 18-55mm

Pros:

  • 5 fps continuous shooting speed
  • ISO boost 25600
  • Manual focus included

Cons:

  • No image stabilization

The Nikon D5300 Digital SLR Camera has a 24.2-megapixel resolution that is achieved with the Nikon DX-format CMOS sensor.

Nikon’s EXPEED 4 image-processing engine gives your pictures and movies exquisite color.

Additional features: ISO sensitivity range of 100 to 12800, built-in pop-up flash, remote shooting function, built-in GPS, 39 focus points, 5 fps continuous shooting, nine special effects, Scene Auto Selector and more!

9. Nikon D5600

Rating & Reviews: 4.6 ⭐627 Reviews

Price: $796.95

Specifications:

  • Megapixels: 24.2mp
  • Sensor Size: APS-C
  • Inbox Lens focal length: 18-55mm & 70-300mm

Pros:

  • 2 inches 1.037m dot VARI angle touchscreen
  • Full HD 1080p video recording at 60 fps
  • SnapBridge Bluetooth and WiFi with NFC
  • Expeed 4 image processor

Cons:

  • Auto Focus Issues

The camera is accompanied by an impressive lens and its battery lasts 970 shots per charge.

Nikon also includes cloud storage Nikon Image Space for its users.

It has 39 autofocus points and a good responsive touch screen.

The camera can shoot at 5 fps and in low light at ISO level 25,600.

10. Canon EOS 2000D

Rating & Reviews: 4.7 ⭐ and 608 Reviews

Price: $360.64

Specifications:

  • Megapixels: 24.1mp
  • Sensor Size: APS-C
  • Inbox Lens focal length: 18-55mm

Pros:

  • Full HD 1080p video recording at 30 fps
  • WiFi & NFC
  • DIGIC 4+ image processor

Cons:

  • Have to use propriety flash only
  • Not good for portraits but does landscape pretty well

With the EOS 2000D and its 24.1 megapixels, you can easily capture first-class photos in DSLR quality and full HD videos in cinema style even in difficult lighting conditions.

Instantly share and operate the camera remotely with WiFi, NFC and the Canon Camera Connect app.

11. Canon EOS Rebel SL1

Rating & Reviews: 4.6⭐ and 577 Reviews

Price: $699

Specifications:

  • Megapixels: 18mp
  • Sensor Size: APS-C
  • Inbox Lens focal length: 18-55mm

Pros:

  • Hybrid CMOS AF II
  • EF & EF-S lens compatible
  • DIGIC 5 image processor

Cons:

  • No flip screen feature

The camera has a small body and is lightweight.

It’s power-packed with good features.

Capable of shooting up to 4 fps for 7 consecutive photos, the Canon EOS Rebel SL1 also has full HD mode for videos. It’s also accompanied by a 3-inch touchscreen, optical viewfinder with 0.87X magnification, Hybrid CMOS AF, and scene-intelligent auto mode.

12. Panasonic Lumix G7

Rating & Reviews: 4.6 ⭐ and 516 Reviews

Price: $897.99

Specifications:

  • Megapixels: 16mp
  • Sensor Size: APS-C
  • Inbox Lens focal length: 14-140mm

Pros:

  • 4K Ultra HD modes
  • OLED live viewfinder
  • Silent shooting

Cons:

  • Autofocus tracking
  • Low light performance

The Panasonic G7 is the sixth camera in their G series line, and I have to say they have finally nailed it.

This camera sits right in the sweet spot of performance, size, and price.

It’s considered a mid-level camera but can do just about anything the higher end models can.

The 16-megapixel sensor has been refined and provides good high iso performance.

Plus RAW files are easy to work with. The headline feature, 4K video, is top-notch although you have limited manual controls for video recording.

Speaking of controls, this camera bristles with dials, levers, and buttons.

The handling is top-notch, everything falls into place and all functions are within easy reach for fast access.

13. Canon EOS Rebel SL2

Rating & Reviews: 4.7 ⭐ and 464 Reviews

Price: $699

Specifications:

  • Megapixels: 24.2mp
  • Sensor Size: APS-C
  • Inbox Lens focal length: 18-55mm

Pros:

  • Full HD 60fps recording
  • Optical viewfinder
  • WiFi & NFC
  • DIGIC 7 Image processor

Cons:

  • No IR remote support
  • The app interface is not great

Canon’s compact EOS Rebel SL2 provides versatile built-in Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, plus key camera features like a newly-developed 24.2 megapixel APS-C Canon CMOS image sensor paired with Canon’s DIGIC 7 image processor, resulting in Rebel-series firsts such as Dual Pixel CMOS AF for smooth and accurate autofocus and a high-resolution touchscreen monitor that supports both Touch AF and Touch Shutter release functionality.

14. Canon EOS Rebel T5i

Rating & Reviews: 4.5 ⭐ 437 Reviews

Price: $799

Specifications:

  • Megapixels: 18mp
  • Sensor Size: APS-C
  • Inbox Lens focal length: 18-55mm

Pros:

  • Optical viewfinder
  • Hybrid CMOS AF System
  • DIGIC 5 image processor
  • 9-point AF system
  • Vari-angle Touchscreen 3.0-inch Clear View LCD monitor II

Cons:

  • AF not accurate

The incredible image quality and performance starts with an 18.0 Megapixel CMOS (APS-C) sensor and Canon’s superb DIGIC 5 Image Processor.

Combined with an extensive ISO range of 100–12800 (expandable to 25600 in H mode), the EOS Rebel T5i boasts crisp, detailed images, even in low-light situations.

Continuous shooting speed of up to 5 fps allows for fast action capture.

9 cross-type AF focus points help ensure crisp focus throughout the frame, and the Hybrid CMOS AF system enables speedy and accurate autofocus when shooting in Live View mode.

In addition, the camera is compatible with Canon STM lenses for smooth, quiet AF performance.

15. Canon EOS Rebel T6i

Rating & Reviews: 4.5 ⭐ 354 Reviews

Price: $797

Specifications:

  • Megapixels: 24.2mp
  • Sensor Size: APS-C
  • Inbox Lens focal length: 18-55mm

Pros:

  • 19-point AF
  • Hybrid CMOS AF III System
  • WiFi & NFC

Cons:

  • WiFi function on phone disrupts some functions

This is a great camera for amateurs and beginners.

It offers good functionality for its price.

You can use its EOS Utility Webcam software to turn the camera into a webcam.

Its high-speed continuous shooting allows up to 50 fps and its ISO is expandable to H: 25600. It also has a DIGIC 6 image processor.

16. Canon EOS Rebel T5

Rating & Reviews: 4.6 ⭐ and 337 Reviews

Price: $474

Specifications:

  • Megapixels: 18mp
  • Sensor Size: APS-C
  • Inbox Lens focal length: 18-55mm + 75-300mm

Pros:

  • Continuous shooting up to 3 fps
  • Scene Intelligent Auto Mode
  • Creative filters
  • Built-in flash and feature guide

Cons:

  • Minor issues in Autofocus

The Canon EOS Rebel T5 SLR camera with the EF-S 18-55mm IS II standard zoom lens and the 75-300mm telephoto zoom lens is perfect for families, budding photo enthusiasts, and first-time SLR users alike.

The EOS Rebel T5 makes it easy to capture movies and photos that are nothing short of dazzling. It features a powerful 18 megapixel CMOS image sensor and DIGIC 4 image processor for easy recording of HD video and high-resolution photos, and it has a huge 3-inch LCD screen for Live View recording and review.

17. Canon EOS 4000D

Rating & Reviews: 4.5 ⭐ and 225 Reviews

Price: $339

Specifications:

  • Megapixels: 18mp
  • Sensor Size: APS-C
  • Inbox Lens focal length: 18-55mm

Pros:

  • DIGIC 4+ Image Processor
  • 8 cm (2.7″) TFT LCD, approx. 230 K dots
  • Full HD 1080p Video Recording at 30fps
  • 9-point autofocus,
  • Up to 3 fps Shooting and ISO 12800
  • Built-In WiFi, Scene Intelligent Auto

Cons:

  • Minor issues in autofocus

Just frame and shoot for great results with Scene Intelligent Auto.

Enjoy guided Live View shooting with Creative Auto mode and add unique finishes with Creative Filters. Shoot with confidence and capture the moment just as you remember it with precise autofocus, 3.0 fps, and DIGIC 4+. Easily frame your shots with the optical viewfinder and see the results on a 2.7 inch LCD screen.

These are the 17 best DLSR cameras under $1000. I am sure that they will serve your purpose.

Like shooting photos on your phone?

If you like to shoot photos on your phone, then you should read our list of the best 25 free photo editing apps.

How can you edit photos?

I am very soon going to a list of software that you can use to edit photos. So, watch this space.

If you need to hire me to edit your photos, you can certainly do it. Click on the below button to contact me.

DAY 23 – THE CAMERA RAW FILTER IN PHOTOSHOP: PART 2

Welcome back, folks! Today, we’re going on more details in Camera RAW in Photoshop. This tutorial in the continuation of my past tutorial on Camera RAW in Photoshop – Part I. Last time, I covered Basic, Tone Curve, and Detail tabs. In this tutorial, I’ll cover HSL, Split Toning, Lens Correction, and Camera Calibration.

You’re not going to use the tabs frequently that we’re going to learn today. Whenever I open Camera RAW, I use Basic and Noise 70% of the time and rest of the tabs 30% of the time.

So, let’s begin with the tutorial.

1.jpg

Step 1: HSL and Grayscale in Camera RAW

HSL stands for Hue, Saturation, and Luminance. I think that there is no real estate available in Photoshop interface so Adobe decided to go with the short form.

In this tab, you can change the Hue, Saturation, and Luminance of an image or convert an image to Grayscale (Black and White).

First off, I’ll show you how to convert an image to Grayscale. All you need to do is to click on “Convert to Grayscale”.

2.jpg

Now that you know how to convert an image to Grayscale in Camera RAW, time to learn HSL. If you look at the below screenshot, you’ll find three tabs which are Hue, Saturation, and Luminance.

3.jpg

Let’s understand each of them one by one.

  1. Hue: Hue is the color in your image. It changes your color. Look at the first slider which is Red. If you drag all the way to left, all red present in your image will become Pink. If you drag is all the way to the right, the red in your image will convert to Orange.
  2. Saturation: Saturation is the intensity, or richness, of that color. Switch to the second tab. Now if you drag the Red to the left, the Red will become gray. If you drag the Red to the right, it’ll become more saturated any may be unpleasing to the eyes.
  3. Luminance: Luminance controls the brightness value. Switch to the third tab. If you drag it to the left, Red will get darker and then to Black. If you slide it to the right, Red to turn lighter and then to White.

Step 2: Split Toning in Camera RAW

Split Toning is the easiest way to give a very colorful effect to your photos.

Split toning involves tinting the shadows of an image in one color and the highlights in another color. Although mostly applied to black and white images, this method can quite successfully be used on color images.

In the image, I kept the image colored and applied Split Toning.

4.jpg

It has three sections which are Highlights, Balance, and Shadows.

In the Highlights section, if you change the Hue slider, the highlights of the image will have a hue of that color.

The same goes with the Shadows slider.

Note: You must drag the Saturation first at least to 10 before you slide the Hue slider. This is because, if Saturation is 0 then you won’t see any difference if you drag the Hue slider.

In the Balance slider, you can set the balance between highlights and shadows. I have set it to 35% which means that whatever is less than 35% brighter than the absolute mid point, will be considered as the highlight.

Step 3: Lens Correction in Camera RAW

This tab is used to correct all the defects that a lens add.

5.jpg

Let me explain each slider one by one.

  1. Distortion Amount: Even lenses worth of $2,000 distorts the image. They make the image blobbed in the middle which disturbs the lining of the images. Use this slider to remove the blobbiness.
  2. Defringe: In some images, you see either a purple or green line around the edges of things in your image. Generally, these lines are noticeable only when you zoom in the image. This defringe slider helps you to remove it.
  3. Vignette: You already know what a vignette it. It’s the black or white circular shape which fades into its background without a definite border. You can either add or remove vignette using this slider. Drag it to the right to remove and drag it to the left to add.

Step 4: Effects in Camera RAW

Adobe named this panel as Effects but I personally don’t believe that you can create any nice looking effects from this panel.

6

First is Dehaze. It does what its name suggests. This slider helps to remove or add the haze in the image. Photoshop is not a magical tool so let’s not expect any magical return when using this slider. 🙂

Grain adds grain in the images. You may want to use it if you’re a wedding photographer. Most wedding photographers intentionally add grains to make the images beautiful.

You are wondering that why is Vignette also here even if you saw it in the previous panel. Both will give the same result as long as your image is not cropped. I’d like you to do a task. Close Camera RAW and crop an image. While cropping, make sure that you don’t turn on “Delete Cropped Pixels”. Once done, again open Camera RAW and try the two sliders. You’ll see the different results. I leave it to you to figure out why did you see different results.

Step 5: Camera Calibration in Camera RAW

In this tab, you can define the process in Camera RAW.

7.jpg

The process version is the Camera Raw technology that Photoshop uses to adjust and render photos. The latest version in 2012.

This is the place where you calibrate the RGB (Red, Green, and Blue) of the image. You probably don’t want to change it because it is really tough for a beginner’s eyes to detect the miscalibration in R, G, and B.

That’s all, folks!

Let’s meet next week. Make sure you watch other tutorials on 30 Days to Learn Photoshop series.