When you buy a digital SLR you're purchasing more than just a camera. You're also locking yourself into a good number of accessories that you can take with you to your next camera body—assuming you stick with the same brand. Generally speaking, the lenses, flash, and other accessories that you buy for Nikon's entry-level model can be used with its top-end model—and the same is true for Canon, Pentax, and Sony. The cameras below all come in at less than $1,000 and most can be purchased with a bundled lens. You can dip your toes in the water with a model that's closer to $500, or dive in a little bit deeper with a pricier one.

Besides the camera's build, feel, and basic features, you also need to consider what lenses you'll want. If you don't see yourself ever buying more than the 55-300mm telezoom to complement the included 18-55mm, don't fret—every manufacturer has you covered. But if you see yourself adding a good number of lenses down the road, you should take a look at what is available before you choose a camp. Canon and Nikon offer the largest number of lenses, many of which are also compatible with pro full frame models, but you'll have to pay extra for lenses with optical stabilization.

Sony and Pentax both make cameras with in-body stabilization, so any lens you attach is stabilized. Sony's lens lineup isn't as vast as Canon and Nikon, but you can use older Minolta Maxxum autofocus lenses with Sony Alpha cameras. Pentax is light on the number of zoom lenses available, but has more compact fixed focal-length lenses than you can shake a stick at—and offers full compatibility with every K-mount lens the company has manufactured since 1975.

The cameras in this roundup all feature APS-C image sensors. This format is a bit smaller than 35mm film, so old-school shooters looking to move to digital should understand that the 18-55mm lens that is bundled with each camera produces a field of view that's roughly equivalent to a 28-80 zoom on film. Canon, Nikon, and Sony all make high-end full-frame bodies—but they'll set you back at least $1,900 even before you add a lens. If you see yourself moving to full-frame eventually, make sure that any additional lenses you buy cover that format—they'll work fine on your entry-level SLR. Nikon and Sony will let you use APS-C lenses on full-frame bodies in a special crop mode, but it sacrifices a good deal of image resolution. Canon's EF-S lens lineup works only with APS-C bodies; those lenses won't even mount to a full-frame Canon body.

Another variable to consider is the viewfinder, which is what you use to frame your shots. Entry level digital SLRs use pentamirror viewfinders almost exclusively; they're lighter than the pentaprisms found in more expensive cameras, but aren't as large or bright. Pentax is an exception here—its K-500 and K-50 SLRs use the same solid glass pentaprism that you'll find in its top-end K-3 camera; the K-50 even sports a weather-sealing system.

Sony uses electronic viewfinders in its current crop of SLRs. Less expensive models use LCD finders, but its Alpha 65 uses a stunning high-resolution OLED display that's extremely sharp. If you're happy with an electronic viewfinder, you may also want to weigh the option of getting a smaller compact interchangeable lens camera like Micro Four Thirds models from Panasonic and Olympus, and those in the Sony E-mount, Samsung NX, and Fuji X systems.

For more tips on choosing the right digital SLR, check out our buying guide. And if you've recently entered the SLR world and are looking to upgrade your kit lens, take a look at our roundup of the best lenses—every SLR system is represented. You can also look at every camera and lens that we've reviewed in our Digital Cameras Product Guide.

FEATURED IN THIS ROUNDUP