Camera shopping : )

I have a nikon D3100 which last year cost me about $650 with no extra lenses! If you do go with DSLR, you will become addicted and love it!! Lenses will kick your *kitten* in price but most of them come with some sort of zoom lens!

If you are looking for a DSLR, any of the entry-level camera kits will be great and suit your budget. I have a 5D Mark II, 5D, 7D, and Rebel T2i. The T2i's image quality is right on par with my 7D although it's much smaller and has less features. Sensor quality on the basic DSLR kits is amazing these days. You can do quite a bit of great imaging with them.

Nikon has a great selection of cameras and lenses as well, though I'm not as familiar with them as Canon equipment.

If you want a good point and shoot, the Canon G12 is AMAZING. I have one as my travel camera, and it's absolutely wonderful. It has a lot of the features of a DSLR but is smaller in size and doesn't allow for lenses to be interchanged.

What do you guys think of this one??

http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=CNPSSX30IS&omid=113&ref=dealtime&

I think you are able to change lenses right? I don't understand alot of camera talk!

You can't change lenses on that one, but it's versatile. I bought the previous model of that camera for my grandfather for Christmas last year, and it's quite nice.

Sounds like a really nice point n' shoot camera would be a good choice for you unless you really want to start learning about photography as a serious hobby. DSLR cameras (interchangeable lenses) will give better image quality, overall, but require a lot more work to use properly. You get a little more versatility with a good point and shoot.

Panasonic LX5 (I think that's the current model) or a Canon G11 are great point and shoot options.

If you are looking for a DSLR, any of the entry-level camera kits will be great and suit your budget. I have a 5D Mark II, 5D, 7D, and Rebel T2i. The T2i's image quality is right on par with my 7D although it's much smaller and has less features. Sensor quality on the basic DSLR kits is amazing these days. You can do quite a bit of great imaging with them.

Camera envy! I have a Canon 40D and would love at least one extra body, let alone 3! Have you seen the 1D X in the news, looks amazing.

For $500 you'd probably better getting a top of the range point and shoot rather than a bottom of the range SLR.

A friend of mine has the Canon G11 and its great, I've used it a bit and it takes very nice shots and can keep it simple or add all the manual controls a DSLR offers.

I'm probably going to pickup a 1D X as soon as I can. It's the camera I've been waiting for for years.