To be honest, there is no replacement for DSLR camera. The picture quality of Digital Single-Lens Reflex shooter will always remain unparalleled. I would also like to point out tough, for people with limited budget, it can become quite difficult to find even an entry level DSLR.

Thanks to the latest advancement in camera technology as well as high market competition in the market, many manufacturers have now launched affordable non-DSLR cameras that capture amazing images.

In this article, we have listed three such viable alternatives to a DSLR if the budget is low. Let us get down to it without wasting any more time.

Sony Cybershot DSC-H400 Camera

In the beginning, the Japanese brand Sony had faced great difficulty in acquiring a reputable place among photography enthusiasts. Over the years, the brand enhanced its technology and consistently improved its old products. As of now, Sony has become highly popular in the world of cameras.

A couple of years back, Sony released the Cybershot DSC-H400 camera. Many experts regard it as a DSLR-grade shooter. One can purchase it for an amount of 19,000 rupees.

Comfortable, Portable And Easy To Use: The design of the Cybershot DSC-H400 has greatly impressed me. Amateur photographers will love using this device. It perfectly fits into the hand of any size. The body of the camera weighs in at 628 grams and providing a good balance during the usage. Heavy body is good for people who have shaky hands.

The build quality of outer shell is impressive, and the black color matte finish on it feels appealing to the eyes. Sony has used durable materials in making this hot camera model.

Captures Decent Images: The Cybershot DSC-H400 belongs to a category of bridge cameras, which are famous for their zooming capability.

Focal length range of 24.5 – 1550mm (35mm equivalent) gives the user ability to capture objects located too far away.

Its collapsible lens is fixed mounted. This means customers will not be able to user other lenses.

Sony has equipped this bridge camera with a 1/2.3-inch sensor for capturing images in 20.1 megapixels. The quality of the images remains well in both bright and dark situations. Although the Sony cameras offer a wide ISO range of 80-3200, but the noise levels start increasing after ISO 1600.

The maximum allowed shutter speed of 30 seconds is great for shooting in ultra-low light situations. Further, video recording is limited to 720p only. This can have a negative effect on the sales of this device. 20.1-megapixel size is enough to record full HD as well UHD videos.

Superior Camera Control

During the usage, this camera feels just like a DSLR. All the controls remain easily accessible no matter at what angle you are holding it. A control dial on the top right gives the users access to various shooting modes. In addition to a 3-inch display on the back, the manufacturer has also featured an electronic viewfinder on the Cybershot DSC-H400.

Its battery lasts for around 150 minutes or 300 shots on a single charge. The device also supports SD card for storing images and movies.

Pro Features:

• Compact design
• Durable body
• User-friendly controls
• Impressive picture quality
• Eliminates red eye while using flash

Cons: No full HD recording

Verdict: I would highly recommend this camera to beginners. One can first try the simple and easy to understand controls of the Sony camera before purchasing a DSLR. It is also good for traveling. For videographers, however, it will prove to be a big disappointment.

Canon Powershot SX530 Camera

When it comes to photography, there are two categories of users: one is of professionals and the other is of amateurs (who just like to click pictures without aiming for a career in photography). While the people who belong to the first category can purchase a DSLR without a second thought, the latter ones only choose cameras that do not require any expertise during the usage.

For the people of the second category, there cannot be a better option than the Canon Powershot SX530. At just 18,495 rupees, this device gives a DSLR-like performance and offers a simple interface.

Great Brand, Great Design: Canon is one of the premium brands in the camera market. Almost every photography enthusiasts know about the quality this company offers on its products.

Solid body and comfortable design make this camera quite attractive to customers. The manufacturer has molded its outer shell to make the overall setup feel like an EOS series product. The Powershot SX530 is a medium size camera and is highly portable. You do not need a big pouch to carry it.

Impressive Image Quality

Just like the Sony Cybershot DSC-H400, this Canon camera also sports a 1/2.3-inch sensor but its picture quality is far more impressive.

This 16MP camera has slightly bigger individual pixels. It generates accurate colors and captures even the smallest details of a scene.

Up until ISO 800, everything remains fine but beyond that, white dots start to appear. One big disappointment with the Powershot SX530 is its maximum shutter speed is limited to 15 seconds only.

Full HD recording capability makes this Canon camera a better option in comparison to other alternatives in the market under the same price basket.

DIGIC 4+ processor helps in processing raw data at a very high speed. High buffer space allows users to shoot multiple images in burst mode without any problem. You also get full manual controls on this camera.

High Zoom Level: A collapsible lens on the Powershot SX530 lets the users zoom an object up to 50 times.

Unfortunately, there is no electronic viewfinder. Customers will have to rely on its 3-inch screen. This display is not much bright and becomes unreadable outdoors.

Better Connectivity Options: This bridge camera comes with a plethora of connectivity options. Users can connect it using Wi-Fi, microUSB, and NFC. The Canon camera also comes with a mini-HDMI port for streaming videos on television.

Pro Features:

• Supports full HD recording
• Offers 50X optical zoom
• Full manual controls are available
• Portable and durable

Cons: No viewfinder

Verdict: At this price point, I cannot recommend anything better. Canon has proved that it is the best brand when it comes to cameras in all price segments.

Nikon Coolpix P530

Every photography lover wants to capture great shots. Most bridge cameras lack on this front as they feature small sensors. In fact, Nikon understands this problem, which is why it had launched the Coolpix 530 camera. Available at 16,000 rupees, this camera is perfect for capturing sharp and detailed images.

Cool Design, Average Build: The Coolpix P530 comes in a plastic outer shell. Its build quality is not as good as I was expecting. Users will have to take extra care as a shortfall can result in serious damage. The design of the camera, on the other hand, is really great. Its thick grip provides a great platform for single-handed use. Plus, this remains lightweight because of the plastic body.

Drop In Sensor Resolution: The Coolpix 520 camera (earlier generation) had a 1/2.3-inch sensor and used to capture 18.1 MP images. This time around, Nikon has reduced the pixel count to 16.1 MP while the sensor size is still the same. This resolution drop trick helps in enhancing the image quality.

It manages to maintain crispiness even if the details are much small. Range of ISO levels is pretty wide i.e. 100-6400. Further, the optical zoom level of 42x is another attractive feature of this camera. In fact, you can capture up to 7 images per second in continuous shooting mode. Its lens is capable of focusing objects located as near as one cm.

Users will certainly enjoy the full HD movie recording feature of the Nikon camera. Nikon P530 is a great choice for making YouTube videos. Slow motion recording is available at lower resolutions.

Friendly Control Panel

I do not think any other bridge camera provides better controls than this one. You get three control dials: the first one is for changing the program mode, the second one is for navigating through the menu, and the last one is customizable.

Not to miss, inbuilt electronic viewfinder pops out from the rear and is good for focusing distant objects. Its 3-inch digital display sports 921,000 pixels and generates exactly what the sensor captures.

Pro Features:

• Mind blowing design
• Electronic viewfinder
• Wide ISO range
• Zoom lens
• Manual controls
• Slow motion recording at lower resolutions

Cons:

• Build is no that attractive
• No proximity sensor for automatically triggering the EVF

Verdict: In my opinion, the Nikon Powershot SX530 is a really attractive camera. Your money will not go waste. Customers would love taking pictures and recording videos with it.