01The three things that actually decide this
1. The lens system, not the body
The body you buy is a two-to-five year decision. The mount you buy into is a ten-year one, because that is where the money goes. Before you commit, price the two or three lenses you would realistically want in eighteen months on each mount you are considering. Sony E has the widest third-party support and the deepest used market. Canon RF has excellent first-party glass and, historically, tight restrictions on third parties. Micro Four Thirds has the cheapest quality telephoto reach of any system by a wide margin. Fujifilm X has the best small primes. Those differences will outlive whichever body you pick.
2. Used, unless you have a reason
Cameras lose roughly half their value in the first two years and then flatten out. A two-generation-old body in good condition will out-shoot a brand new entry-level one at the same price, usually by a wide margin, and the difference goes into glass. Check shutter count on DSLRs (anything under 50,000 on a semi-pro body is barely used), look at the sensor with a loupe, and buy from a dealer with a returns window if the saving over a private sale is small.
3. The genre you actually shoot, not the one you imagine
Almost everyone overestimates how much wildlife and sport they will do, and underestimates how much of their shooting is family, travel and things happening indoors in bad light. Be honest in the quiz. A 20fps body you carry twice a year is worse than a compact one you carry every week.
02What the quiz does not know
It scores specifications, and specifications leave out the two things that decide whether you keep using a camera: how it feels in your hand and how its menus are laid out. Autofocus behaviour on a real moving subject is also a genuine generational difference that no published figure captures. Use the result to narrow to two or three, then go and hold them. If a shop is not practical, rent for a weekend; it costs less than the mistake.
03Frequently asked questions
Used, almost always, for a first serious body. Cameras depreciate hard in the first two years, and a well-kept body two generations old beats a new entry-level one for the same money. Check shutter count on DSLRs and buy with a returns window where you can.
Lens, past a certain point. Bodies improve every two years and lose value fast; good glass holds value for a decade and does far more for how an image looks. An older body with a fast prime beats a new body with a kit zoom.
It scores all 174 bodies against your answers on sensor area, pixel pitch, resolution, burst speed, stabilisation, size class and an indicative used price band. Sensor geometry and pixel figures are computed from first principles, not copied from marketing pages.
Far less than photographers argue about it. What matters is the lens system, because that is where the money and the lock-in are. Pick the mount with the lenses you want at prices you can pay, then pick a body on it.