I would suggest a M43 system ticks most of your boxes. The lenses are also small and relatively cheap whilst being known for sharpness.

But ultimately, whatever system you choose, it will all ultimately come down to glass.

Fuji has a very nice lineup of fast APS-C specific lenses. Canon has 6 for their RF-S line and their fastest is a f/3.5 but thats on a variable zoom lens. Thats where I went for kind of the same problem. Mirrorless, pretty good autofocus, fast lenses available, compact size and cheaper than going full frame.

Don't think too deeply into the camera for now, first decide what specifically you want. Sony is the best for video and has the best auto focus andvariety canon has a pleasing colour science(good for sunsets and portraits) and beginner intuitive design, fujifilm has that feel and straight out of camera performance. Then find a model within that company in your budget and make sure it has the little things you want (like in your case, durability and weather resistance) Now you want to spend more time and energy figuring out what lens you want, this should preferably cost more than the camera because it will influence how you shoot more than 6he camera. Find out whether you want a prime or zoom, wide or telephoto or how fast of an aperture. All cameras and lenses have tradeoffs so you should pick the tradeoffs that etfect you the least, for example my xs10s autofocus is pretty bad but im only shooting stills instead of action or video. For accessories, you dont really need anything that doesnt come with the camera already. Maybe straps, extra batteries and a bag.

Lenses are what do most of the heavy lifting, the body is important but it’s something you can upgrade later IF needed (big if).

Also, rugged? There are rugged cameras like the om systems tg 7, they are fine but not great. Otherwise weather sealed cameras and lenses are damn expensive. I would remove that requirement for now.

I cant really talk with much authority on which lens system to get. I use EF, which is a bit outdated but has a ton of great lenses that are easier to find used. However, i dont think I have much room to upgrade the camera body on the same lens system. Not that I feel the need to, the camera body is not whats holding me back.

Edit: sorry, i CAN upgrade the body with and still use EF lenses with an adapter.

Pretty much any mirrorless camera will do everything you want. Lenses though..

https://fstoppers.com/gear/10-modern-cameras-under-600-produce-professional-results-707655

A place to start if you don't want to spend stupid amounts of money.

The problem I see is the different types of photography you list have different needs in terms of lenses. A medium zoom with a constant f/2.8 will do some of what you want (perfect for landscapes and most types of vacation photography), but eventually you'll need a good prime (or two) for portraits, and if you're serious about wildlife then a good telephoto zoom.

Expect half that budget to be used on lenses. What do you want to shoot? Your family and friends or wildlife that is sitting 200 feet away from you?

For $1k, it's hard to beat a Z50II, especially refurbished. Top notch AF and subject detection. Though you'll be very camera-heavy and lens-light at that budget.

You should search this sub, this gets answered a few times a day.

I don't believe one exists.

Don't forget you'll need lenses too. Without knowing your preference I'll just recommend a good hybrid all rounder.

The GX85 is a fantastic all rounder, the 12-60 is a good kit lens to go with it. They are both weather sealed. And the 25mm f1.7 is a nifty fifty equivalent that's sharp, affordable, and a standard reconnection for every beginner.

https://www.mpb.com/en-us/product/panasonic-lumix-dmc-gx85/sku-3094563

https://www.mpb.com/en-us/product/panasonic-lumix-g-vario-12-60mm-f-3-5-5-6-asph-power-o-i-s/sku-3094416

https://www.mpb.com/en-us/product/panasonic-lumix-g-25mm-f-1-7-asph/sku-3055560

As someone who was in your position, Sony A6xxx series have been great for me. Buy the newest one you can afford while investing in a good lense. My recommendation is the sigma 18-50

Just a word of advice, don't think about how you're going to do it professionally in the beginning. You'll drive yourself crazy and set unrealistic expectations for yourself, your cameras and your work. Learn to enjoy it as a hobby. If you can't enjoy it as a hobby you won't be able to do it as a job.

Also set a firm budget for everything, body, lenses, accessories, everything.

Finally, avoid any private sellers unless you have plenty of experience and know what faults and defects to look for. I have had years of experience and I almost bought a lens with fungus off Facebook a few weeks ago. Place like MPB, KEH, B&H, Adorama or even your local camera stores will have way more reassurance for used kit. There are also lots of refurbished deals on camera websites.

MPB is legit. I’ve gotten used cameras and lenses from there.

Nikon Z isn’t on your list but has the shortest flange length, which means the most flexibility on lenses. They also have good native lenses.

Sony was the previous holder of flexibility on lens choice. 3rd parties almost always cater to this crowd. The bodies are fairly small for full frame. Somewhat older models like the a7iii can be relatively inexpensive. The really old gen’s have bad/no ibis.

Canon has good stuff these days, but I don’t like their lens ecosystem. I used to be an EF guy.

Fuji are pretty and a lot of people like them. I’d go with one of the first two FF options above for mount versatility. There are websites that will let you do size comparison of all bodies and lenses across manufacturers if that difference concerns you.

A7iii if you don't mind a chunkier body in exchange for better image quality and professional features. A6400 if you prioritize portability. Both available at very reasonable prices used. Also consider the Fujifilm X-T30 II or the Canon R50 or R5 (similar tradeoff to the A6400 vs. A7iii, respectively). All will be very serviceable cameras for a beginner at a reasonable price, and you'll be able to grow into them very well.

If you’re interested in a used Olympus omd em5 mkiii, I’m probably selling mine soon, with accessories (extra batteries, chargers, etc)

Different kind of jobs though. I am an electronics technician but I don't exactly mess around with Arduino for fun.

But with photography, hmmmm, at least personally if I didn't enjoy the process of taking photos I wouldn't be able to do any paid gigs

Just get the xt3, for the price it just works.

Check your local pawnshops for mirrorless cameras. I have been able to find the Z30 w/ 2 lens outfit and a Z50 w/ kit lens for really good prices.

Z50ii with the 16-50 kit lens. Add the 24mm f/1.7 lenses if you need better low-light performance, and the 50-250mm if it wants to photograph farther away things.

Go with the z50ii will give you room to grow. Grab some Viltrox full frame prime lenses , (used if you can) They are cheap and good quality. if you decide to go full down the road they will be compatible.

> Beginner-friendly interface

With Nikon cameras, this really isn't a thing. A high end enthusiast camera like a Z6iii has the same ability to put it in "auto" and let the camera do everything as a Z30 does. The Z30 simply lacks some of the customization and controls to allow you more flexibility if you want it.

The D3500 apparently had a sort of guided mode that was beginner oriented, but I don't believe any Z cameras have this. From what I understand, Canon also has sort of a guided/beginner interface in some of their lower price cameras.

That's not to say a Nikon is a bad choice, rather any Z (except the Z8 and Z9) will have the ability for you to do almost nothing other than frame the scene and hit the shutter button. The Z50 and Z50ii have a built-in flash if that is relevant. Though unlike on the DSLR's, I don't think the camera can choose when to pop it, you have to do it.

I guess it depends on what beginner friendly means, but the Zfc doesn't strike me as that, w/ the dedicated dials that you can't totally ignore (though you may be able to set them in a specific position where after that you can ignore them).

Cheap and compact? Used Panasonic GM-1.

You might want to have a look at the Olympus E-PL line, or Panasonic's GX camera series - they're both very compact. The GX bodies have a rangefinder style (read: off-center) viewfinder.

Another alternative more similar to the X-T1 would be Olympus' E-M10 mark II and E-M5 mark II.

Any of these, you can find on KEH or MPB for quite reasonable prices usually. Fuji bodies have gotten quite inflated on the used market over the last years of social media hype by comparison.

Sony Mirrorless A6000 is not bad and very versatile in your price range. The eye tracking, movement tracking is good. Fairly simple to work with and the kit lens is good enough for most casual work. Though you may want to pick up an extra lens or two.

xt1/2 by fuji got me started

If you can expand your budget just a bit, I'd consider a used X-T20/X-E2 ($400) with the XC 35mm. The XC 35mm is $200 new ($150ish used) and is very good glass, just has a plastic body.

Agree on this one, it's been such a fun camera to use with amazing shots!

A used Panasonic GX80/85. Great all-rounder.

Panasonic g85 used on eBay. I got mine for 475 with a lens and it's an awesome camera.

I see you said you're thinking about getting the g7, definitely get the g85. It comes with a better kit lens, has sensor stabilization, is built better, has a sharper sensor, and a lot of little upgrades that definitely make it worth it. The sensor stabilization on this camera is top notch dude. I think that makes it worth it over every other camera mentioned.

The 1080 30/60 fps recording has good auto focus, 4k is kinda slow so I would manual focus when doing 4k.

Also there's the best variety of lens options from cheap to expensive with this camera. The lenses are also pretty small compared to other camera systems.

I got the Panasonic G7 which I still use! And with your budget you could add a bunch of lenses too :) always recommend this little one. It’s amazing

Buy used for your first camera. After you use it a bunch you may realize you have different wants/needs from your gear. And you'll have saved yourself some cash that you can now spend on what you really want.

For aps-c vs full frame, for your use case, it won't really matter at this stage. Yes full frame is "better" but when you're learning, you're better off focusing on composition ad other basics. Not to mention investing in good lenses, which are the real money sink in this hobby/profession.

But for actual product recs: any of the big manufacturers have good used mirrorless options these days. I personally like Fujifilm and Nikon for their handling and colors.

And with a budget of $2k, I wouldn't spend much more that $1200 on a body. Gotta save for a lens or two. A used Nikon Z6 in pristine condition can be had around $1200 USD these days. Similar story with Fuji's X-T3 and X-T4.

Get a used camera that allows you to manually control you aperture, iso, shutter speed, and exposure.

I would recommend a Fujifilm XT2 or XT3 (used)

Then pick up two primes (third party . meike or rokonin). A 23mm or 35mm and a 50mm or 80mm.

Learn about controling light and motion and composition.

You don't need the best, but manually learning the basics and the why, with practice, you will be come a good photographer.

The camera doesn't make a good photographer. A person who understands controling light and motion, and composition makes a good photographer.

Just my 2 cents.

Just wanted to quickly say, do not be afraid of old gear. I still regularly use my Canon 7D from 2009 on professional shoots and clients are still thrilled with the results. You can get a 7D on eBay for about $300 US for the body only and a good lens for about the same. if it's good enough for me, a full time professional with a studio charging over $1000 a day to shoot with it, it is definitely enough for a beginner 😁

I second this, maybe not the A7 series because lenses are usually north or 1k themselves but I do have an A7RII myself. I personally think mirrorless is the way to go. A6400 is a solid choice.

What's a good beginner lens? I have an old Sony A7 (mark 1) with Sony 55/1,8 and then a cheap Rokinon 24/2,8. Good enough to start with? IDK what I even want pictures off but it'll probably be my kids and random leaves on the ground,

I shoot Sony now but started with a Fujifilm X-T1. I adapted vintage glass to it. With manual controls over the exposure triangle it was like learning photography on an SLR without the cost of developing film.

I am now moving into Sony Full Frame Mirrorless. If Fuji offered full frame I'd be sticking with them.

I shoot with Olympus. I like that it is super light so I can easily carry it around when I go to work or shopping - it fits any bag I am using.

I have read that M43 has reached the capabilities of the technology in terms of resolution and sensitivity, but they have really nice lenses that are also not expensive.

Personally I don't think there's anything wrong with the technology limits right now. I have a one-meter (3 feet) print I took on a 16 megapixel M43 camera. It is more than enough. I also never shoot over 6400 iso and even my older Oly (EP-L5) was good enough for it. I just bought a newer one as I was missing some features, like menu customization and a viewfinder.

Wow. That's an amazing price for the E-M10, even if a generation older.

I would get the Oly just because of IBIS. It's super easy to use all sorts of adapted lenses, many truly excellent, on a M43, especially with IBIS and especially since the Oly's have very good focus peaking. So you hardly notice the lack of AF on adapted lenses for lots of shooting like landscape, macro, night, etc.

A feature comparison: https://cameradecision.com/compare/Sony-Alpha-a6000-vs-Olympus-OM-D-E-M10-II

Both are great cameras. The advantage of the Olympus is that it has a great in body stabilization, which is helpful to take handheld photos at lowlight or at night, while the Sony has a bigger sensor, meaning that it captures more light.

Fuji X-T1 is also a great first mirrorless camera but I may be biased as it was my first. Love that camera to death and still use it frequently even though I've "upgraded" and have multiple cameras on hand. There are a few floating around photomarket as we speak!