8mp rebel xt is just over $500 at circuit city. doh thats about $200 more than i was planning to spend. but it looks so good.

here are some options...

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Canon...oductDetail.do

http://www.bestpricecameras.com/prod...?prodid=557834

looking around, i see a lot without the lens. what lens would you recommend if i bought just the body?

for general use just go and get like a 18-55mm lense or something similar. Thats a good lense thats for general purpose kind of stuff. If you want to move into more professional quality type stuff, start looking into the fixed lenses and the lenses made of better glass. But to learn on, definetly stick to a 18-55mm or somethin similar. If you go with a newer canon lense try to get something with the image stabilizer.

damn ive been looking and that stuff adds up quick. i might just get my canon sd850 is for now and let you pros do the good shots. id love to have quality pics like that but i dont think im ready for the investment in time or $.

Well anything for cameras, canon to me, is tops. Canon has the best made image processor and works really well with photoshop plus point and shoots are getting better and better, but if your really into it one day invest in a dSLR, they're great.

how hard are the adjustments to make on the rebel dan? basically i want the simplicity of a point and shoot with the quality of the dslr. are there basic/auto settings i can just leave it on and use to get pics like yours? are do you tweak yours more to change it around? like i said, im not trying to be a pro but i would love to have pics of that quality since im always shooting at meets.

ok more ?s cause im a research *****...

1. do you have to use photoshop to clean them up? im not looking to brand my pics and since im lazy, i dont want to have to always touch them up.

2. what size are your pics on your pc? i need to make sure im not sucking up my memory or ill have to change some things around.

3. your photobucket resizes them automatically right? i love having my own album and the new beta uploaded is perfect for saving a bunch of pics at once.

4. like i asked before, id like to avoid having to always change settings every time so can i just leave it on auto?

5. circuit city has the 18-55mm lens in a kit, what lens did you use in your pics? id like to know that if im spending $600, im getting similar quality to what your pics show.

thanks and im sure ill come up with more stuff lol.

i just realized something, i dont think slr's take videos do they??

Lyndon, for your needs, stick with a good Canon compact camera with image stabiliazation. The DSLR's take great pics but they are much bulkier and more expensive.

lol i know i dont NEED a dslr, i just WANT it.

ill think about it over the next couple of weeks before the jax meet. things should be moving ahead on my condo shortly so that will also give me an idea about my finances. then again, the girl is changing around my priorities as well so we'll see.

1. You dont have to really, its up to you. I do occasionally if i see that the picture needs it, like a lil bit of contrast here and there.

2. the pics are huge somewhere around the 3000+ x 2000+ area.

3. No it doesnt, i have to resize them myself.

4. Yes there is an auto setting, i just choose not to use it.

5. very few pics i used the 18-55mm lense because i have my 50mm fixed lense (non adjustable, non adjustable lenses have better quality)

Gilley is correct though, it is bulky as hell. If you like a small camera that you can bring anywhere and not have to baby sit alot then i'd stick with a point and shoot, But if you dont mind having a bigger camera then its not bad. I just bring mine along on special occasions where i feel like i'm gonna really use it.

nice pics dan

canon sd850 it is. thanks for the advice guys.

Ave your money for an engagement ring.

slow down cowboy. new wheels comes way before that at least.

haha, smart choice! If you're gonna go FI, better get that now too...once you're married, the mod budget takes a big @ss hit