St ate of the art

Three stunning snappers that make the step up from phone photography easier and more rewarding than ever

Take a step up from snapping pics on your phone with our tricked- out trio of next-level cameras

These days it seems a decent camera phone can capture almost anything with impressive ease and clarity. The casual shooters out there probably find a phone camera caters for every photographic need, but if you start to get experimental with more artistic and creative photography, a phone’s compromises can soon get restrictive.

Wafer-thin phone design is great for portability, but a dedicated camera will invariably have a comfier, more ergonomic form with buttons and dials that make it much easier to take control over shooting settings to inject your individual photographic style. A larger camera body also makes room for a bigger image sensor, and with that comes superior picture quality, especially when shooting in low light. Then there’s arguably the primary benefit of upgrading from a camera phone to an ILC (interchangeable lens camera): the ability to fit different lenses optimised for particular settings, lighting conditions and subjects. Even with multiple built-in lenses and the magic of software trickery, a smartphone still can’t reach this level of versatility and optical quality.

You can spend a fortune on a camera and lenses, but we’ve been realistic and selected a trio of entry-level models that are still bristling with features and can grow with your developing skill. They cost similar money and each comes bundled with a versatile wide-angle zoom lens. However, there isn’t really a loser here. All make a great upgrade over a camera phone, so choosing your ideal match comes down to what you value most from a camera.