Rebel T3/1100D

Canon’s entry-level camera, the T3, is my standard recommendation for everyone’s first camera. Even if you have a budget of thousands of dollars, I’d rather you spend more of your budget on lenses, flashes, tripods, and software. The T3 gets the job done, but it does have a couple of weaknesses:

• Limited buttons require you to look at the screen to make common adjustments, such as adding exposure compensation. This can slow you down by a few seconds, but isn’t a problem for most photographers.
• Video is limited to 720p, whereas all other Canon cameras record 1080p.
• The autofocusing system makes it frustrating to photograph moving subjects.