People are using the term "bridge cameras". I'm not quite sure where that comes from as I've not seen that phrase anywhere else. There is also what is referred to in the industry as a Compact System Camera or CSC. These are products such as the Sony NEX or Nikon 1 cameras. They are a cross between a traditional point & shoot and a DSLR. The manufacturers make interchangeable lenses. There is always the stock or kit lens which is about 18-55mm. You can also purchase a wide angle lens and then a telephoto that is generally in the 55-200mm range. Just depends upon the manufacturer as to the actual end of the focal length. I am Nikon user, but really like the Sony NEX system. There are 3 different NEX cameras. Sony also makes an adapter for NEX which permits the user to also access the Alpha lenses.

With the CSC, the camera & kit lens, regardless of the model or manufacturer, are on the pricy side. You could get into a Nikon D3300 (a brand new release from Nikon), or a Canon T3i for about the same money. Fuji also has a CSC that has been fairly well reviewed.

We just keep mudding the water, but fear not! Remember, its all about having fun 8-)

I did a of pictures with the Kodak EasyShare Z8612 IS. She takes actually quite good pictures. It has Apurate mode, Shutter mode and a manual mode. They are easy accessible without having to go into any menu. It does not have so many function as a DSLR has, but a lot of them can be as beginner confusing and are not necessary. If you have the money to buy a SLR and the money to buy film rolls and a place to develop them, then do so other wise practice with the kodak. play with the different settings and try to shot as many picture as possible in manual mode. I still have the camera and like to use it ounce in a while even though I have a dslr camera. Here you can see picture that I took going the first time up to Mauna Kea (Hawaii) https://plus.google.com/photos/116164152477477099875/albums/5687632089923490225?authkey=CNucwOCf6sagVw