Best Low Cost Semi-Professional DSLR Cameras

If you’re ready to dive a little deeper into photography you’ve probably considered buying a Semi-Professional DLSR. That can be challenging since you don’t want to spend a bunch of money on the wrong camera.

Our list gives you some of the best low cost Semi-Professional DSLR cameras. These are great selections for the photography enthusiast on a budget or someone starting up a photography business!

Why you should buy an older DSLR camera

This post specifically focuses on older model DSLRs. Why?

While these cameras don’t have the newest technology available they are by no means outdated.

As an example, there are many people still using film cameras. Yes, the kind where you have to wait and develop the negatives! While it’s a specific kind of niche, those using film cameras are just as capable at capture amazing shots.

That’s the beauty of photography, the concepts and basics are timeless. Ansel Adams didn’t need a brand new digital camera to capture the beauty of nature. Even though there is a lot of great new technology out there, many camera models past about 2014 or 2015 are still widely used digital cameras today.

So functionality wise these are great still. Secondly, these are really low cost!

As with most things electronic, when an older model is replaced by a new more expensive one, the earlier version is cheaper.

In addition to a new version of these older model best-sellers, you can also find used versions if you want to save even more.

Buying an older model camera or finding a used one is a great option for someone starting up a photography business and a lower cost option for photographers getting more serious about the hobby. Then after you are comfortable with what you like or don’t like in a camera you’ll have a better idea of what you might want if you’re ready to buy a newer camera.

Megapixels – All cameras on our list are between 20 and 24 megapixels, making them perfect for all sorts of photography. Unless you print extremely large or crop your images, you don’t have to worry about megapixels since more than 10 is enough for anything online.

AF Points – The more there are, the more precise you can be when focusing on your subject. Cross-type AF points are also more accurate in low light conditions, so if you often shoot moving subjects at indoors, look for a camera that offers the most. The Canon EOS 80D has all 45 points cross-type!

ISO Range – The higher the ISO range, the brighter images you can get in low light. Unfortunately, the higher you go the more noise appears, and full frame cameras (such as the Canon EOS 6D) are better at handling noise than APS-C. Luckily, most cameras today can go pretty far before quality becomes an issue.

FPS – Stands for frames per second. Anything over 5 is great for action, but 7-10 is where the real action starts. This is awesome for sports or wildlife (animals running).

Canon EOS 80D – The 24 megapixel Canon 80D is an excellent choice for photographers looking for a more serious camera good for all types of photography, especially for action and wildlife. It features 45-point all cross-type AF point system with 7fps and an ISO that expands up to 25,600.

You’ll be able to capture fast subjects even in darker conditions. Along with many other excellent features, the 80D also uses Dual Pixel AF technology for extremely accurate and smooth auto focus in videos.

You can buy it at Amazon or read more reviews here.

Nikon D7200 – The D7200 is 80D’s main competitor. It also uses a 24MP sensor and offers 6fps in burst mode, but comes with a higher maximum ISO of 102,400 (that’s 2 extra stops). With 51 AF points (but only 15 are cross-type) it’s also perfect for sports and wildlife, it has excellent build quality and it’ll last a bit longer (1,100 shots vs 960 on 80D).

If you’re also interested in recording videos, the D7200 might not be ideal for you as there’s no way to control the aperture, and Full HD at 60i is only available in 1.3x crop mode.

You can buy it at Amazon or read more reviews here.

Canon EOS 7D Mark II – If you’re looking for the fastest and most advanced Canon APS-C camera, you’ll love the 7D II. With 10fps and 65 all-cross type AF system this is an absolute monster for wildlife and sports even in darker conditions where most cameras struggle.

The ISO goes up to 51,200 and is still usable there for images on the internet, there’s Dual Pixel AF for videos just like in the 80D.

You can buy it at Amazon or read more reviews here.

 Nikon D500 – Hands down the best APS-C/DX camera on the market right now, but also the most expensive (worth every dollar if you’re looking for professional image and build quality). Its low light performance is excellent and it allows you to go up to 1,640,000, far higher than any DSLR above.

The D500 comes with 4K video recording at 30fps, a 3.2″ articulating LCD screen and 2 memory card slots (1 XDQ and 1 SD). Compared to the 7D Mark II, its battery life is almost twice as long (1240 vs 670 shots)!

You can buy it at Amazon or read more reviews here.

Canon EOS 6D – The first full frame DSLR on this list is the 6D, an affordable model from 2012. Its aimed at studio, portrait, landscape and street photographers, but can obviously be used for anything, as it comes with 20 megapixels, ISO max. 102,400 and 4.5fps.

Where full frame cameras shine is image quality and noise results, as their sensors and pixels are much bigger and can process the captured light much better, resulting in cleaner images, especially when using high sensitivities.

You can buy it at Amazon or read more reviews here.

Nikon D600 – Nikon’s full frame equivalent to the 6D above, but better in many aspects. 4 more megapixels, 39 vs 9AF points and 6 vs 4.5fps in burst mode. It’s aimed at professional photographers, but the price and build compared to more expensive models put it in the semi-professional category.

It also comes with a CF + SD memory card slot, a slightly bigger LCD screen and a 100% viewfinder coverage compared to 97% on the 6D.

You can buy it at Amazon or read more reviews here.