I'll have to elaborate on my point-and-shoot recommendation. .. I've found the camera that takes the best pictures is the one I actually have with me :-)
I have a Nikon DSLR with 8 or so lenses, flash, extension rings - even a bellows. I never bring it any where. Why? Because its a royal PIA! Heavy, cumbersome and a hassle. My super zoom Canon is small, light weight, easy to use, and takes great photos. The only short coming really is the increased grain you'll see in low light conditions. But even then, the new super zooms have gotten very good at dealing with this. Matter of fact, I would be willing to bet you couldn't see the difference between a good super zoom and a DSLR unless 1.) You were shooting in very low light conditions or 2.) you were blowing your prints up to something over 8x10. Since for me 99% of my images are displayed digitally rather than large prints, thats not a consideration for me. But if I'm going to be out hiking around I know I won't carry 25 pounds of camera gear around with me - especially for the generally imperceptible difference in quality. And fumbling around with different lenses leads to more missed shots. I think like so many things, cameras are a personal choice. Whats best for you depends on what you want to accomplish. But if $400 will buy you a new camera that will do 99% of what you'll likely use it for ( compared to much more for a DSLR and comparable lenses), you might want to check them out - see if they fit your goals. ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
