I've come to the point in my life where I realized I would really like a nice digital camera.

I really don't know much about digital cameras, I know that I want an SLR, and one that can shoot good HD video. A lot of the cameras I've been looking at have tons of features that I simply don't know what they are.

I'm looking to spend ~$400-600 on it, if anyone knows some good models that would fit well, don't hesitate to speak up!

Also, right now I'm looking at the canon rebel, does anyone have any comments about that?

Unless you're a professional, get a good smartphone and a video camera since smartphones are not great video cameras yet. Still pics a fine with a high end smartphone.

Otherwise idk... haven't touched my digital camera in years.

Especially in bad light conditions.

I have a pretty good panasonic compact, if it's a really sunny day I would say it can match a good SLR in most respects, although I do miss having a manual zoom and focus, compacts are damn slow if you want a top quality picture. Once you take it indoors or on a cloudy day though, compacts are not up to scratch.

Awesome, thanks!

Also a question for MP count: a lot of the high quality ones have around 14-16 MP, but I've seen ones go as high as 20-26... can the human eye really see a difference once the pictures are such a high quality? Or does the high MP count help with a digital zoom?

Kinda depends... I know with compact cameras companies are going overkill trying to fit high resolutions on, and it doesn't really help the image quality (compact cameras have smaller apertures and thus smaller sensors, and trying to cram in high resolution onto a small sensor means it's hard to get a clear picture at full res anyway)

I'd say 16MP will be perfectly fine unless you are planning on blowing your pictures up huge.

In terms of the human eye being able to tell the difference... naturally it depends on the screen you are viewing the image on. On a standard HD screen for example (1920*1080) the image is only 2 MP, so there wouldn't be much difference if you viewed a 4MP photo next to a 16MP. But you would be able to zoom in to the 16MP image to almost 1/9th the area and it still wouldn't look pixelated

I agree on the nikon d3100.. it's a cheap and good entry level dslr.. better than the Canon EOS 1100d.. unless you are a professional photographer and have work which will be printed in magazines higher then 8 megapixels isn't necessarry..

ow and get a class 10 SD card... Do not get anthing slower cause it will mess up when you record video.. slower SD cards can't keep up with the data flow..

Don't get too caught up in MP counts. Photo sensors are one instance in which higher pixel density is not favorable.

In other words, for optimal light sensitivity and shooting in all lighting conditions and optimal image quality, the larger the sensor, the better the data (image).

Not coincidentally, this is why full frame DSLRs (35mm sensors the same size as a 35mm frame of film) with no crop factor cost significantly more than their cropped sensor counterparts.

That said, those who actually need full frame sensor DSLRs are a small niche market (typically pros or serious hobbyists who have thousands of dollars worth of lenses).

As for going with a DSLR, the primary reasons would include greater control over exposure, aperture and shutter speed (not neccessary if one always shoots in Program mode), and just as importantly, access to a wide array of different lenses to accommodate just about any shooting scenario and composition. If you're only going to use the kit lens that comes with the camera, you're not really making full use of the DSLR's functionality.

Lenses get expensive fast, not that some of the most useful and commonly used lenses aren't reasonably priced if you know what you're looking for.

So to recap: DSLR if mostly shot in program mode with one lens (kit lens that came with the camera) > not the best choice IMO. They're bulky, heavy and unless used properly, generally won't yield better pictures than a good quality point and shoot.

Add some fundamental knowledge of DSLR usage, lens selection, and suddenly the merits of the format become clear.

Consider looking into mirror less systems too. They offer lens interchangeability, high quality images, but without being hindered by a mechanical mirror system, making them much smaller and lighter with much faster full resolution shot capabilities.

Thank you so much for the info TWRoO!

Thanks everyone for the help!

Get a DSi. Takes great .3 MP pictures. Also has built in editing software and cheaper than most.