@BlueStateBabe There are quite a few smaller cameras on the market, but DSLRs are going away.
Mirrorless cameras operate in a similar way as DSLRs, and have some advantages.
Examples of smaller mirrorless cameras I can think of:
Sony ZV-E10
Nikon Z50
Fuji X-T30
Pentax sill makes new DSLRs, but that company's long-term prospects are shaky at best.
@BlueStateBabe The dominant controls are the same on all good cameras (perhaps named slightly differently):
P for program, means automatic
A for setting the aperture
S for shutter speed
M for manual control
In A and S modes, the camera will try adjust the other controls to match your input.
On a digital camera, you also choose the ISO and white balance. (On a film camera those are controlled by the film.)
All the other bells and whistles are add-ons to these, and can be largely ignored.
@sumpnlikefaith This is very helpful. Thank you!
@sumpnlikefaith
This is good to know. I was getting a feeling that this was the direction of things, seeing some ads and online comments. The class I want to take is for DSLR, although truly, I don't think it should really matter.
I picked up a 20 ish year old professional Nikon, and it meets the DSLR criteria, but it has so many bells & whistles that I don't know where to start. Nothing at all like my original DSLR, nor like my Pentax MX (first SLR).