GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Patience, alecia....It's bedtime for most of the old farts.
Thanks for giving us more info to help you with.
My bedtime too, as it's midnight.

For portraits and landscape I recommend a DSLR.
Lenses are things you invest in.
I'm still using a few of my Nikon lenses from the early 90's.
Good lenses can easily cost more than the body.
Camera bodies get updated avery 3 years or so, though I sometimes use my 7-year-old 10 megapixel Nikon D200, along with other, newer bodies.

As I said earlier: Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Sony.
All good in the right hands.

I'm going to bed.
I'm sure there will be more responses when I get up.
Some will be really good, others... well, what can I say, it's the internet.

Erik_H Loc: Denham Springs, Louisiana

That's funny!!

tnste Loc: New Westminster, BC

I recently upgraded from a Canon Xti to a Canon 7d; huge upgrade but worth it. The Canon 7d is a very robust, well built camera and I love it; an excellent camera in every respect.

bull drink water Loc: pontiac mi.

go up to the top of this page and click on search, then type in "best camera for? name the kind of pics you want to take.you might get some good sugestions.

bull drink water Loc: pontiac mi.

for alot less than that, you can get a nice camera and 2 or 3 lenses that will take the best of pictures.

morris cowley Loc: australia

When I started I bought an Nikon Coolpix S6100 and have had it the past 18 months. Takes great photos, cost $175.00 and the experience in learning the art of good photos has been a great learning curve. Had I bought a more expensive camera and had to spend months learning how to use it instead of taking pictures I would not have had such fun. This is my experience, others may have different advice. When I have the urge to up-grade no doubt I will have a better understanding of the camera I need.

krispix Loc: London - UK

Hi Alecia,
I don't suppose you offended anyone. And if you did, so what!

This is a common question from beginners and seems perfectly valid to them, but for us old foggies it's tear-your-hair-out time.
It's like, "What's a good car to buy?" or "What's nice in a sandwich?" We need heaps more information to make a value judgement.

OK, you've given us a budget and an idea of what you want to shoot. That's a great start.

By 'people' I assume you mean family shots, or do you mean portraiture? For that you need what might be termed a 'Short Telephoto' lens - on a crop-sensor camera (which would fit your budget) you'll want something around 75-80mm.

Landscapes are bit trickier. The common mistake most beginners make is to assume you'll want a wide-angle, and the wider the better. Not so. Yes, there are time when you will want something wide, but often you'll want to get in a bit tighter.

So, recommendations?

Within your budget you will get a nice DSLR with a good quality well ranged zoom lens which should keep you happy for a while (Photography is a never ending expense!). You should also get a good quality tripod and a cable release.

Whether you go for Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax etc. is irrelevant. They will all produce excellent quality images. We need to go a bit deeper. Nikon and Canon are the market leaders and as a consequence you'll find a huge range of lenses and accessories wherever you go, on that basis alone I would suggest you think on those lines. Go to a camera store and check out what they have, see what feels comfortable in your hands.

Don't be tempted to spend your whole budget. At this stage an entry-level camera might be quite adequate. Camera technology is constantly changing and the pressure to upgrade is relentless, so the body is relatively unimportant to begin with. The lenses and tripod, on the other hand, you can expect to be around for a long time, so money invested in them is important and, in my view, you should give more consideration to them than the camera body.

Zoom Lens. Something like a good 18-200mm will be plenty to be getting on with (you'll hanker for further lenses later!). A good carbon-fibre tripod (Manfrotto, Gitzo etc.) may seem like an extravangence, but you'll quickly fall in love with the light-weight studyness. These two items alone will swallow up about half your budget. I don't know Canon, being a Nikon man, but a good starting point would be the Nikon D3200 body, or if you're prepared to spend the rest of your budget, the new D5200 (due in the States in early January) looks amazing.

You will need a few other low-cost items. A memory card or two. Make sure they are Class 10. A cleaning kit (only a few $) and a cable release. Even the Nikon one is less than $50, but you can get others like Hama which work fine, for about $10 or so.

That should be enough to get you going. You can add to your system later as the need arises.

When you get your new camera just remember the two rules of camera ownership.
1. Read the instruction book from cover to cover.
2. Read it again!

Good luck

Hando Rei Loc: Long Island New York

Agree with all that has been said. It is difficult to determine what is best for anyone. The best for me is what I can afford. Degree of experience will also determine if you need or want a bridge camera or a more professional one . Need much more info to help you !

Joseph38 Loc: Chiang Mai, Thailand

I have a D5100 and love it.

MTG44 Loc: Corryton, Tennessee

I have a Canon 7D with L series lens. Love them.

LouT Loc: Maryland

Another thing to consider is what your friends have. Friends answer a lot of questions and solve problems easily.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

I'd need more info for an opinion, but start with Canon, G series for high end point and shoot, If I could only have one camera, That's it, Bob.

heyjoe Loc: cincinnati ohio

i would go with the Canon 7d 24-105 L lens if i only had 2000 to spend if you like Nikon d7000 with there best lens

Hector Loc: Victoria Harbour Ont

well good timing for buying now
Nikon and Canon have specials on for body and lens kits(one or two lens) for under your price point

go out and play with stores demos ( go more than once)

see which feels good in your hands and which you can navagate easiest function wise ie change iso etc

once you have picked one dont forget to get your new best freind
The tripod :)

Teacher Loc: Alabama

I recommend a Nikon D7000 for about $900 body only then buy a Nikon 28-300 lens for a grand. You are within your budget and have all the camera and lens you need.