The answer — one pick, priced
Get the
Canon EOS R50
Cheapest current-gen body
The cheapest current-gen body with real subject-tracking AF — 8 sources call it the entry pick, and its guided Auto mode suits first-timers stepping up from phones.
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Fit ledger — need → measured evidence
■ The catch — co-equal billing, always
It's the beginner body, and you may outgrow it. One control dial, no IBIS, and its 4K is cropped — the day you want fast sports bursts or in-body stabilization you're shopping again. Its price also crept from ~$480 to ~$680.
Dealbreaker? The Canon R10 adds 23 fps and uncropped 4K for ~$320 more ↓
■ Every product has a catch. Verdicts that hide it are how bad buys happen.
Runners-up — if your needs differ
Adjacent verdicts — same method
Traps — this verdict avoids
The list-price mirage
Several "under $1,000" favorites now list far higher — the Sony a6700 at ~$1,498 and Nikon Z5 II at ~$1,697 — and only slip under the line on a promo or used. We price against the real current street number, not the label.
Body price isn't system price
The body is a fraction of what you spend. Kit lenses add $100-$300, and a full-frame 24-70mm f/2.8 runs $1,500-$2,300 vs $600-$900 for the APS-C equivalent. A cheaper body with better glass out-shoots a pricier body on a kit lens.
No IBIS on most of them
In-body stabilization is missing on 5 of these bodies — the Canon R10, R50, Nikon Z50 II, Fujifilm X-M5 and Sony ZV-E10 II all lean on lens stabilization, which matters most for handheld video.
Provenance — 8 sources, dated
Winners are picked before affiliate payouts are checked, from the full research dossier at knowledgelib.io. Prices, stock and listings are re-verified monthly by an automated pipeline. Some links earn us a commission — it never changes the pick, and we say so here rather than in a footer you'd never read.