Are you one of those artists who loves to take pictures at gigs, behind-the-scenes, or maybe just your daily life? Perhaps, photography is your side hustle and your current camera just isn’t cutting it. Maybe the photographer on your team is in need of a new camera and you want to help out!

Researching quality cameras that won’t break your bank can be a tedious task. 

We’ve put together the most affordable cameras for artists with the help of our own photographer/videographer!

Canon Rebel T6

The Canon Rebel T6  is Canon’s entry level DSLR, digital single-lens camera. It’s a step up from a smart phone camera and a point-and -shoot. The T6 offers Wi-Fi, for easy photo sharing, and a faster processor. To harness the real power of the T6, we suggest purchasing additional lenses and gear.

The T6 is great for shooting performances, interviews, and just photography in general.

If you’re interested in the T6, take a trip to your local Best Buy or Target to test it out. If you’re sold on the T6, Amazon offers a wide variety of bundle packages with everything from SD Memory Cards to an extra lens!

Sony A6000

2The Sony A6000 is a part of Sony’s mirrorless lineup that offers ‘Detail Reproduction Technology’, which has a more subtle and sophisticated sharpening system. The A6000 is a great photography and video tool with a lot of power.

Here are a few of the main features:

  • 24.3 MP Exmor™ APS HD CMOS image sensor
  • Hybrid AF System with 25 contrast-detect and 179 phase-detect focus points
  • Full HD movie shooting up to 1080p @ 60 fps
  • Battery life for up to 420 images
  • Tiltable 3″ LCD with 921K dots
  • OLED viewfinder with 1,440K dots
  • Intelligent Scene Recognition and Face Detection
  • Electronic First Curtain shutter
  • Up to 11 fps continuous shooting at full 24.3 MP resolution
  • Peaking AF display for precise manual focusing
  • WiFi with NFC Capability

For artists, the A6000 is great for on the road footage. It’s small and very portable, unlike the T6. You can purchase the A6000 here.

Smart phone

Not being able to afford one of the cameras above shouldn’t stop you from taking dope photographs or videos. A lot of smart phones these days have amazing built-in cameras.

Any model of the iPhone after the 6+ is great for photography. If you’re an Android user, the Samsung S8 is also good for photography. Both of these options are portable and the quality will surprise you. Be sure to set your camera settings to record in the highest video setting.

Taking great photos or videos doesn’t only depend on the type of camera that you’re using. When shooting videos, use the golden rule – KISS (keep it simple silly). Plan your shots before you actually take them. Learning the software shortcut keys on whatever editing platform you plan on using will help you to save time.

Hitfilm Express is a truly remarkable free video editor that delivers amazing results. You’ll need to invest time into learning the platform to get in touch with it’s potential.

Here are some pros and cons of Hitfilm Express:

Pros

  • Truly professional-grade software
  • Great selection of online tutorials
  • Highly extendable (for a fee)

Cons

  • Odd download process
  • High system requirements
  • Steep learning curve

Check out the pros and cons between the free version and paid here.

We hope that one of these camera options will be the perfect fit for your photography and videography needs! If you have a tried and true camera, comment below with why you love it. 

Start delivering your videos!