There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
Next step up from that is micro four thirds. It has a 4/3 sensor that is in some DSLRs, but as it eliminates the mirror and prism, allows the camera body and lenses to be smaller. You get interchangeable lenses and most of the benefits of a DSLR. The drawback are committing to the lenses that don't work on a DSLR if you know you will upgrade to one, the smaller sensor, and an electronic viewfinder (as opposed to optical). However, many DSLR users also have a micro four thirds for travel or other situations where the size is paramount. For a beginner, the Panasonic Lumix G85 or GX85 would be a good place to start.
Note that once you go interchangeable, most of the money you spend will go toward lenses.
You can go with an entry-level DSLR. That way, the lenses you have can be used on a full-frame if you decide to upgrade (assuming they're not the EF-S series). But you'll be committing to the brand you start with. Nikon has the better bodies right now but Canon has always had the better lenses. So I suggest taking a look at the Canon Rebel line. Canon EOS Rebel T7i is about $800 street right now, but it's the newest one. The previous iteration, Canon EOS Rebel T6i, is about $600.