I'm thinking of buying entry level DSLR Nikon D3500. I haven't used DSLR before, so I'm not sure if it is a good decision to buy DSLR. I would like to know if with this camera I can shoot portraits with blured background such as on the new smartphones with two cameras. Another thing I want to know if buying DSLR is good for beginners in photography and amateur photographers and is it worth the money.

I'm new in this community, so I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question.
['https://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/108713', 'https://photo.stackexchange.com', 'https://photo.stackexchange.com/users/85164/']
**It's not the camera, it's the lens.**

If you want a cheap and good option for shooting portrait pictures, you should definitely purchase in addition to a DSLR, a 50mm f/1.8 "nifty fifty" lens. Do expect to spend $100-$200 for the lens.

50mm is about optimal for portraits, because the relatively long 50mm focal length on crop sensor cameras is long enough to obtain blurred background while being short enough that the distance to the subject need not be excessive.

At 50mm, the kit zoom probably has f/5.6 aperture. A nifty fifty has f/1.8 aperture, which is more than 3x the difference. Three times the background blur with a nifty fifty.

Even an expensive (and heavy and large!) zoom (17-55mm f/2.8, $700-$1000) cannot match a nifty fifty (50mm f/1.8, $100-$200).

Also, the f/1.8 aperture is useful in low light no flash situations: the f/1.8 collects 9.68x the amount of light than the f/5.6 (@50mm) zoom.
I had an entry level for years (Canon 550D) and I have taken really good shots on it. Although lenses are important, I would like to enumerate a few other factors (sorted from the most important to the less important) that will influence on your results

1. **The subject**: This is by far the most important of all. Your cellphone can make a much better picture than your camera if you point it to the right subject. I have wasted a lot of time taking pictures of not so interesting subjects and thinking about saving money to buy a better camera until I finally discovered that it is a much better investment to spend that money on short travels to parks with view-sights and animals, or neighborhoods with cute streets and interesting people, etc etc.
2. **Light and weather conditions**: Remember the park I said you should go? If you really want good results, you should check the forecast, go really early in the morning or maybe after rains, it depends on what you want, but this the right conditions will add the right "life" to your photos
3. **The lenses**: You may be in the right place but maybe the right light you want is something that just doesn't occur naturally. Or maybe you want to be much closer to some animal, or to take a much wider picture. For this, you have the lenses. An f/4 outside in a clear day can make really good pictures, but an f/2.8 will let you work under more severe light conditions. However, an f/4 is much lighter than an f/2.8 and this may allow you to make longer journeys. An 70-200mm will make you fell amazed on how much close you can get to some subjects and a 16mm will let you make excellent wide photos. And good lens are forever. They will always do their job and you can sell them well if in good condition. They are an instant change in possibilities: you change the lens, everything changes
4. **How you use your camera and lenses**: You have to know your equipment. To know where are the button, the limitations, which possibilities do you have and so on. After upgrading for a better camera, you will feel for a while that you were more capable with your old camera until you get to know your new one
5. **The camera**: Finally, the camera. In my experience, a better camera gives you a better ISO, better shutter, more durable components, more functionalities, more photos per second, etc. Not necessarily a better sensor, for example. The better camera will make it easier for you to go further, but if you don't have what I told you above, there will be not a lot of difference in your results.

Best thing I can recommend in order to achieve maturity as a photographer so you finally feel that your entry level camera is limiting you is to go outside and take pictures. Just go out for it every weekend and you will start to understand the places, the lights, your equipment. After that, the day will come where you will know exactly why you need a better camera and what camera you need. And you will probably keep the entry level, because they are good anyway.