What’s the best, simple SLR camera?

I know hardly anything about picture taking, but want to have a camera that takes better pictures than our regular digital point and shoot. I don’t want anything terribly fancy or complicated … but obviously good quality. I got a COOLPIX nikon P80 (not slr) and am terribly disappointed; the pics look grainy and I don’t like the color. I can still return, but don’t know which SLR to get. Any suggestions?!

True, the P80 sucks. But I’ll tell you straight out. There are MANY compact digital cameras out there for under $300 or so that will take every bit as good of a pic as many – if not most of the entry to mid-range priced DSLR’s. And you have to remember that a DSLR is a major pain in the butt to carry around with yu. You’ve got this big camera and a somewhat heavy lens weighing you down everywhere you go. Sure, there are all these fancy gadgets and buttons that do essentially the same thing as most P&S cams do, they just do it a bit better – but not by much unless you are talking about spending literally thousands of dollars on a body and good glass. Why bother when a lightweight, easy to use compact cam that fits neatly in the pocket of your shirt will do just fine in most cases? I know others will disagree with me. But most of the time when you get a bad pic, or out of focus pic, 99% of the time it is NOT the camera that is causing that. It is the photographer at fault in most cases. You can go out and spend $3,000 on a cam setup. But that doesn’t mean squat unless you know how to use it, and use it well. Check out these sites for rviews of both compact P&S, and DSLR cams. Take your time and read them carefully. And look at some of the sample pics. You’ll be surprised at how many P&S cams do every bit as good of a job as many DSLR’s at a much lesser cost. And lots more convenience too. You really want to lug a 2 pound or more cam around your neck at a family picnic, or out at the park? That gets old – fast.

http://www.dpreview.com

http://www.stevesdigicams.com

Nikon COOLPIX P80 Digital Camera

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