Selecting a new camera

Well, the D200 does everything a $5000 Nikon (a D2X, I suppose) does - for much less. :wink:
(That's why they nearly can't sell them anymore.)

Cool.

But there's always Ebay.

I have some , what most might consider, cheap crappy cameras as well.
What a lot of people truly believe is that, if they have a real expencive camera, then THAT will make them take good pictures.

And this is incorrect.

A good photographer takes good pictures no matter what is in their hands.
The camera does nothing but make that good picture clear, crisp, and add more megapixels.
Being able to TAKE, find and create those good pictures... is its own craft entirely.
And if your girls go through cameras quickly, I am willing to bet they are pretty good at it.

I am well aware of what you speak sw. I used to love photography and even spent quite a bit of time in darkrooms, then my Olympus OM-1 and all the accessories I'd accumulated was stolen and I lost interest.

QWell, yes and no: with some good lenses added to a good camera you certainly can make better photos than which cheaper one's.

I really don't think megapixels are so important - if you don't want posters of your pics, that is.

But if you want to "play" with DOF, focus somwhere else than in the center, use the possibilties of a (good) flashlight or even more than one, want to might night shots as well as multi-shots - in such a case a good camera (and good lenses) really make the good photos ...

I don't think you can err with either the Canon or Nikon. They both make great products. I own 3 nikon bodies (film) that I rarely use now. I just bought a Nikon D-40. It is the bottom of the Nikon SLR line, and I think it is a great camera for the money (about 600.00) I like the Nikon because they try to make future camera lines that will accept older lenses. I can still use some lenses from the film cameras on the D-40.

I am new to photography and my baby is a Canon film camera. Right now, I'm still struggling in taking good shots. I have been doing some research and I come upon a site that aggregates expert and user reviews for a wide variety of consumer electronic products. I reckon it is a good resource for informations especially if you are not decided on which particular product that you're going to purchase. It only covers a few categories but I think it is very helpful.