I use both film-based and digital cameras. For my photography, I sometimes use film, and digitize the images with a film scanner. The film camera body is the manual, all-metal Nikon FM2 with which I use manual Nikkor lenses, all of which have fixed focal length for maximum quality. For digital capture I use both the Canon and the Nikon systems, with EOS digital DSLRs and EF lenses as well as Nikon DSLRs and Nikkor lenses. I strongly recommend SLR cameras and lenses above mirrorless. The reason is that SLR cameras have optical viewfinders, which give much longer battery life, superior resistance to low temperatures - and optics means the photographer gets a clearer and more detailed finder image than what is possible from electronic finders. - Regarding the quality of photographic equipment, there are only two classes of quality as is the case with other things: The best, and the rest. Fortunately, the best need not always be the most expensive. The lenses I use are very often primes (fixed focal length lenses). For beginners who want to save money I generally recommend to start with prime lenses because zooms are either inferior in quality or expensive. In my opinion prime lenses are a first choice whenever they fulfill the requirements at hand, but your mileage may of course vary. The lens is a crucial factor in image capture. The lens has an immediate and direct influence on the quality of the image, and the importance of high quality lenses almost cannot be overestimated or overstated.