Camera

i use a Nikon D40 DSLR. I LOVE IT! best camera i have EVER owned. You can pick them up for a decent price off ebay or best buy.
HIGHLY RECOMENDED!

Hi E.,
I'm not sure about the camera, but I had to respond to you because I am a part time SAHM with a 16 month old daughter and an almost 3 year old son (December 5).
We should have a play date!
I live in Coconut Creek, are you close?
Have a great day.
C.

if you don't know much about cameras, and don't want the hassle of buying expensive lenses and switching them out, i would suggest a high end Canon Powershot. they're somewhere in the middle between your everyday point and shoot and a high end DSLR.

you can get one for about $250 new, or pay much less for a refurbished or used model.

here are some examples of what you can do with the cheapest one they offer: http://www.flickr.com/cameras/canon/powershot_sx110_is/

as a side note, it's not just your camera that's taking pictures! if you really want to take eye popping photographs, study photography! there are tons of websites full of tutorials for beginners. i recommend digital-photography-school.com

Sam's Club has an Olympia underwater, 10 MP camera for $150. It is a great picture and takes great underwater pictures. It is very small and very easy to use. I just got it for my mother and she is having a blast with it!

I agree with the posts, really any good brand name camera with enough pixels can produce a quality photograph, but the *real* way to get a good picture consistently is to know HOW to take the picture. I'm a professional photographer and I use Nikon, not for any other reason than I was taught on a manual Nikon camera. Canon is great too, but if you're looking for good pictures but NOT looking to go semi-pro and just to take pics of your own kids, there's no need to spend upwards of $500 on a pro level DSLR, grab a Nikon or Canon or Fuji point and shoot most of them have atleast 6 or 8 megapix and that's PLENTY to get great image quality. great luck! Have fun!

Cannon. You can pick a model to fit your price range.

We have a Nikon DX digital camera. It has manual or auto zoom, changeable lenses etc. But it's a little over $1000.

All Canon's are GREAT cameras and WELL worth the extra money. Check around on craigslist and maybe you can find a used one!

Canon's Rebel DSLR's are better than good. I've always used Canon and I have the XSI...probably too much "camera" for you if you are not familiar with all the extra stuff the camera is capable of doing, but you can get a good entry level rebel camera and have pictures to WOW over. Also, please consider how you have them printed. The quality of paper is also very important. I have used photoworks.com for a few years and another very good company for printing digital images is mpix.com. You can call Canon's 800 number and request product brochures for any of their products and they will be happy to send them to you. I did that and once I narrowed down what I wanted, I went to a store to "handle" the camera so I knew how it felt in my hands. DO NOT buy a camera without shopping around first. Best Buy is NOT always the best price. I've purchased my equipment from abesofmaine.com and adorama.com. Very reliable companies, fast shipping, and abesofmaine.com ship free and is also tax free. Very important considerations. Good luck searching and take your time and know what you want before you make your purchase.

Nikon point and shoots are not great. Canon are...

If you are looking for professional type pictures...then you will need to go to a digital SLR camera. Nikon or Canon are great in the slr category.

That being said...point and shoots can bring great results if you know how to use them. I suggest taking lessons from a local photographer or art center so that you can learn to take the shots you are looking for. Lighting and composition will be the key to get the shots you want.

I have profession Nikon SLR and a Canon Power Shot SRIS, I love both!!!

Good luck on your search!

Check www.cnet.com. They have excellent reviews on cameras. I myself have a fuji camera which makes awesome pictures. They are normally a bit more affordable then a nikon or canon.
Thanks
K.. www.lunababyproducts.com

Hi, I have a Nikon D60 DLSR, it is mid-high grade for the consumer quality(compared to the 300+ series for professionals).. It takes wonderful pictures and I wouldnt trade it for another brand. My mom has a D40 and it is cheaper in price and it takes great pictures as well.. There are many lenses you can get for both cameras. If you have any questions, let me know. We have bought numerous cameras from one company in the last few months and have nothing but great things to say. Prices are better than in stores as well!!!

T.

Like Kim, I have a Fuji (FinePix S700)... it takes GREAT photos.. and you have the option of adjusting lighting/shutter speed, etc, if you are into that sort of thing. I like the point and shoot myself... and the video. Mine cost about $200. I have owned Fuji before this camera also, and it too was a great value... no problems with the equipment whatsoever.

Almost forgot:
When you are digital camera shopping, always always compare the pixels and zooms. Know that a "digital zoom" is NOT the same as (nor NEARLY important as) the "optical zoom". You want MORE than 3 or 4x optical zoom, and you need to sort of look for it.. most of the cameras out there have a high "digital zoom" and lower "optical zoom". My Fuji has 10x OPTICAL zoom and only 4.8x Digital zoom. I wouldn't buy ANYTHING with less than an 8x OPTICAL zoom.

I have a Canon Digital rebel - this is great as it can work for a beginner on all automatic (Nikon does too) or you can start to do a lot more with it whenever you learn more. You can get a basic lens but also upgrade when you have more money or want something specific. The camera can really grow with your interest. I was amazed by the pics when I first got it. (samples at www.flickr.com/lmophoto). also, if you don't spend a ton, you can't take video and don't have a live shot to view, you have to look in the little window. You can get these used with extra lenses on Craigslist for about $500.00 and that will come with everything you need or spend a little more and get a nice lense, the 50mm prime lens takes great shots and is under $100. The lens can make a huge difference with this camera.

I have a canon Powershot, the newer ones aren't quite as fast but the image quality is great. I got one used on Craigslist for $200.00 but they run new at about $500.00. they are small, fit anywhere and very durable. I have been really happy and don't worry about handing the camera to my husband to take a picture. The SLR scares a lot of people. Takes great video and has a live image as you take the shot.

I also have an Olympic water camera. the Megapixels are higher but that really only is useful for making larger prints. The print quality is nice but not great out of the water. Under water it is incredible! The video is also really great under water but above water it is sub-par and it also doesn't transition well on video from out of the water to under water. A great camera as I only spent $120.00 on it on Ebay.

My did had a Fujifilm higher end point and shoot. The pictures were PHENOMENAL. and this is coming from someone who has an SLR. The response time is slow but the prints are so incredibly beautiful I am blown away. You can't change the lens but it does take video and has a live image. I couldn't believe the image quality on this and highly recommend it. It doesn't get great reviews but if you see some of the prints you will see how great it can be, used you can get them anywhere (they sell used regularly) for about $250.00 for a really high end model.

I don't like Kodak or any of the really highly marketed cameras, they have a very strong delay and the prints are just sub-par. I would stay away from Best Buy as well, you get ripped off on the price there and don't get the package you really need.

Hope that helps. good luck and remember to check out Craigslist for a good package deal as a lot of people will sell stuff prior to upgrading and you can really get a steal! B&H Photo sells used with a warranty as does Adorama. But you will get a better price than any of these (most of the time, be careful) on craigslist.