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).
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).