Beginner camera recommendations

[resiny]

I know there's material on this all over the internet, but it's hard to separate the good advice from the not-so-good, and a lot of what I've found is pretty dated.

A few years ago I bought a Kodak EasyShare Z612. An ok camera all in all, but it had one important thing: manual controls--far more than most PAS cameras seem to. That and the 12x optical zoom were enough to get me hooked on photography.

I have, however, gotten pretty frustrated with the camera's limitations, and I'm now in position to be able to afford an entry-level DSLR. But I simply have no idea what to get.

My budget is a pretty firm $700 limit. My primary interest is landscape photography. Video is of no interest to me.

Which cameras/kits/camera + lens combos should I be looking at in that range?

I live in a rural area, so Craigslist isn't an option (ebay is, but I do get a little bit antsy ordering from strangers).

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[shutterbugsdesign]

Hi resiny! I would suggest getting Nikon especially if you're mostly going to shoot outdoors. Nikon cameras are known for having a great camera body. Base on your budget, you can either get the d3000 or d5000 kit, those are the latest entry level cameras from them..they have videos though. If you can spend a little extra on the lens I suggest you get Tokina wide lenses, 12-24 or the 11-16mm, perfect for landscape.
You can check out this site Advanced Search and try searching for the camera body and lens that you want so you can see sample images taken.

a little advise when purchasing online on ebay, always check the number of comments and feedbacks!

Goodluck! =)

[Lipoly]

Canon XSi:
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Digital-Camera-18-55mm-3-5-5-6/dp/B0012YA85A/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1279042827&sr =1-1"]Amazon.com: Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black): Electronics[/ame]


Nikon D5000 (one I ended up with):
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D5000-18-55mm-3-5-5-6G-Vari-angle/dp/B00267S7TQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1279042808&sr =8-1"]Amazon.com: Nikon D5000 12.3 MP DX Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens and 2.7-inch Vari-angle LCD: Electronics[/ame]


Pentax K-x:
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Pentax-K-x-2-7-inch-18-55mm-Black/dp/B002OEBTC8/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1279042937&sr =1-1"]Amazon.com: Pentax K-x 12.4 MP Digital SLR with 2.7-inch LCD and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL Lens…[/ame]


Given I ended up w/the D5000 its plain to see the one that appealed to me the most, but I'm confident all of 'em take great pictures. As with any decent camera, the weakest link is always the person behind the lens, not the camera.

[shutterbugsdesign]

As with any decent camera, the weakest link is always the person behind the lens, not the camera.

right on!