my answers to the which camera should I buy

[j4u4l4y]

Budget

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible.
About $500, maybe a little more

Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?
Something that is not too bulky but I'm not picky if it's good quality

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?
6-8

* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify)
I would need help in this area. I'm not sure?

* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
9

Do you care for manual controls?
no

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?
family functions/candids/fun

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
yes

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
indoor/ outdoor

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
yes

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?
no

Are there particular models you already have in mind?
no

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
no

[bascom]

Read this buyer's guide for tips and see the section on Zoom and Focal Length: http://dcresource.com/buyersguide/shopping_tips.shtml

Are you a beginner? It sounds like you just need a basic point and shoot and that can be gotten for a lot less than $500. Some good ones are Canon A540, A610, A700, Casio Z120, Fuji F10, Pentax M10, Sony P200 and W50.

[j4u4l4y]

Hello,
Yes, I'm new to the digital world but not to photography. I have a 35mm SLR camera right now but I feel so out of date w/ it. I recently purchased a small digital, 5 mega pixal but it's just not the same.

Any suggestions. I was looking at the Canon Rebel. Is that a good choice?

[Militaris]

The canon rebel is a good camera, All dSLR cameras take good photos and provide heaps of control. But they are expensive, and quality lenses increase the price even more.

dSLR for around $500 include the Nikon D50 or the pentax *ist DL / Samsung Digimax GX-1L. Older models can also be found discounted or 2nd hand.