DSL or compact for beginner-pls help!!

[namers]

Hey photo enthusiasts out there!
I am really excited to buy a decent camera and start taking some beautiful photos, but I don't know which camera to buy :- / planning to spend about $600 and have been reading reviews and forums but I'm still unsure. I'd like something like a DSL, but something I can learn to use gradually, not too technical that I get scared off, but enough to learn about taking good pictures and enough to allow me to develop my photography skills!! A friend recommended the G12, which people seem to like and is maybe ok for an newby? Any suggestions would be gratefully received!! Many thanks,

Naomi

[Barbara V]

The camera I have (Nikon D3000) is a decent entry level DSLR, and can be gotten (with kit lenses) for about $500. You can keep it on automatic for as long as you're comfortable with, until you gradually get to know more about exposure. JMHO.

[RichardTaylor]

+1 on the entry level DSLRs
They can actually be easier to use than some compact cameras.
Decent viewfinder (very difficult to see a lcd display in bright sunshine) some and controls (you don't have to go into menus quite so much).
Far more responsive (minimal shutter lag).
You can grow into them and it may be the only camera you need to buy for a very long time.

Downside, compared to a compact, is they are physically larger and may cost more if you don't want to take your photography further.

[Thunder_o_b]

Before you decide on a camera, decide where you want to be with your photography in 5 years. Bodies come and go, but lenses will stay with you. Buy the wrong gear now and it will cost you later.

If you have no interest in the specialized forms ie. macro or birding, and will have no need to change lenses then one of the better PS cameras (like the Canon power shot G12) might be the way to go.

[tlake55]

If you have ANY thoughts of continuing in photography, even if it's just pictures of family and trips or vacations...I HIGHLY recomend an entry level dSLR. A couple years ago I had a small point-and-shoot film camera and was loving taking pictures so I decided to upgrade to digital...I wasn't sure where my photography hobby was going so I decided to stay with a point-and-shoot but went with a higher end camera (Canon SX10 IS...$400). Within 2 years I found I had outgrown it...I found the manual modes not to have enough options, the speed was quite slow, and forget about taking any low-light pictures without a flash. So anyway, I would be dollars ahead if I had put that $400 toward a dSLR (even I could have only got a body and saved for a lens or two). That's my 2 cents