I wanted to go digital anyway, and naturally I'd now like to get some
pics of my boat posted! I'm looking to spend about $500 on the base
unit and would like the option of adding lenses later.


Scout, at that price point you really have one choice, but it's a good
one. The Nikon D50 sells for about 579.00 for the body. It's Nikon's
entry level camera, but image quality is basically on par with ANY of
the lineup all the way up to the D2X. More expensive bodies offer
faster operation and tougher build. With a reasonable lens, such as the
Nikkor 18-55DX, add another 100 dollars. If you want to shoot indoors
with better results, no built in flash in the world will do a good job,
so add the Nikon SB600 flash for another 200 dollars. I know we're well
above the 500 mark with this, but it's the way to go (if possible).
If you decide to spend more, the new D80 (999.00) (which I just bought)
is a nice step up along with the D200 (1699.00) (Which Mooron seems to
be happy with). Canon also makes a very good range of DSLR's, but most
agree that the ergonomics and durability are not on the same level as
Nikon. Nikon also has better lenses, such as the amazing (but hard to
get!) Nikon 18-200 VR AF-S (749.00).
Make sure you buy from a real dealer, and not one of the MANY real
looking websites with too-good-to-be-true prices. Ritz Camera,
Buydig.com and B&H Photo are all pretty good.
Good luck,


RB
35s5
NY