Don't rule out the Canon Digital Rebel series
Hey gang--
For what it's worth, I'm tossing in my opinion on cameras. I am an associate editor for a smalltown paper in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan and we use Canon's Digital Rebel 6.3 megapixel variety.
Canon has already upgraded that twice and now have over 10 megapixel cameras. Having to work in a very rural area means that I do everything at the paper. That includes photo assignments running from high school sports to outdoor work to...you name it!
The Rebel is fantastic for all of the above. It's also great for capturing everything from the great fall colors we have up here to stopping a good snowmobile shot as quick as 4,000th's of a second. You can set your ASA from 100 (bright outdoor light) to 1,600 (very, very overcast and not much light).
Since you have a lot of pixels to work with, you don't have to be zoomed in tight on a shot. You can crop your favorites later and still have enough meat left to get good 5x7's and 8x10's--unless your subject is a pin prick on the page with lots of wasted space around it.
The Rebel is currently the most popular digital SLR in America. That means it has a few things going for it. Plenty of parts--additional lenses, batteries, chargers, etc. are all over ebay and prices aren't bad at all.
Because the 10+ megapixel is Canon's latest offering, really good deals on the 6.3 are out there. In fact, we just got a complete camera (28-55 lens, charger, battery and CF card) for under $400.
On the 6.3, a 1 gig card will get you around 300 full-sized pix and a fully-charged battery (lithium-ion) will last all day on the trails and/or boonies
! Although I have a couple of lenses for the camera, I almost exclusively use the stock 28-55 mm.
It's not a true wide angle but not far from it. The old, mechanical SLR's came stock with a 50 mm lense...WYSIWYG (whatever is in the frame is what you're going to get) so the 55 is a little bit of a zoom.
Whatever camera you decide on, try to stay away from "digital zooms". Optical zoom is THE way to go. With digital, you are relying on the camera processor to interpret what is in the frame and enlarge it accordingly. Almost every time, you get a fuzzier pic because the camera is guessing what's there and enlarging it.
That's why you see a 6.0 megapixel camera with only a 1 or 2x optical and a 10x digital going for such low prices. Another thing about the cheaper cameras is that they run on 4 double or triple A batteries. Digitals love to eat batteries like my MountainMax eats gas--very quickly. With a quality camera, you will get a rechargable lithium-ion flavor. They charge quickly and don't develop "memories" like the older nickel-cadium varieties.
Just as important is choosing a photo manipulation program. Personally, I use Photoshop. Version 5 and up will do miracles on your gems. It is an extremely powerful program and will take a while to learn to use to its full capabilities.
Any of them will allow you to adjust color, contrast, crop etc. Photoshop's newest offering--CS2, is the Cadillac of them all. I suggest you pick one with more than just basic stuff and spend the off-season (this summer) playing with it.
Hope this helps a little. If anyone has questions, I'll be happy to try and assist!
