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Ken, I've been an amature photographer many years. After owning several film type cameras I went digital 5 years ago. For home use I would recommend you stay within your budget and buy a good 3-4 mp camera. Most digitals nowadays will allow you to set the the f stop and/or shutter speed manually if you so desire. It's nice to brag now and again and if you buy a camera with more pixels resolution than thy friend, then you are one up on him. But in reallity for e-mail you want to keep the photos small (400x300 or less) so that the filesize isn't to large. For displaying on a computer screen you want to keep the images to screen size (600x450 or 800X600). MOST digitals in your price range ($400-$500) will take pics at up to 2,048 x 1,536. Take a look at the detail in the reflection of the eyeball in this photo (scroll down and right to center the eye). This photo was taken with a 2.1 mp camera, at 1600 x 1200 resolution, focal lenght of 6". http://images.fotopic.net/?id=3813661&outx=600&noresize=1&nostamp=1 I got 1st place at an amature photo contest for this pic. Pixels vs quality prints. 2-3 mp camera = 5x7 prints, 3-4 mp = 8x10, 4-5 mp = 11x14 and 6 mp or more will give you great wall posters. I too have been looking at camera reviews for the past 3 weeks. While I was on vacation some [censored] decided he needed my Olympus more than I. It wasn't so much the camera that I was upset about, it was the 179 photos with my grandson, that cannot be replaced, that got to me. IMHO you cannot beat the lens quality of a Canon! If you want quality photos stay with Canon or Olympus. After being a long time supporter of Olympus I've decided, after reading reviews, to buy a Canon this time. I have decided on the Canon Powershot S1 IS ( http://www.powershot.com/powershot2/s1is/index.html ) My reasoning, well, I don't need to do prints larger than 8x10, the f 2.8 lens is very good for low light shots, the 10x optical zoom is impressive (BTW, a digital zoom reduces the quality of your pic), shutter speed of up to 1/2000th of a second (the faster the shutter speed the better the "freeze" motion will be), and the focal length is 5.8" (this is how close you can get the camera to the subject and still focus). The down side, it doesn't support an external flash. No, I'm not a Canon salesperson nor affiliated with Canon in any way - just hooked on Canon's optics quality and their newly released (only started shipping last week) camera. The Powershot S1 IS mfr suggested retail is $599.95, the street price is $499.95. From "PhotoTakers" forum I've been told that B&H is the best on-line store to buy from. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ I have not purchased from B&H but it has the best reviews. Along with the purchase of the camera you'll need a bag or some way to store it so that it doesn't get full of dust, get rechargeable batteries and charger - digital cameras eat alkaline batteries very fast!, and a tripod for those long exposure, higher f stop, shots. In summary: Don't get all tied up on the Mega Pixel hype - unless you are a professional photographer, you'll be happy with a 3-4 mp camera. For zooming in on long distance shots, take into consideration the optical zoom X value (not the combined optical/digital value). Consider the availablility of after market lens filters, if you shoot under artifical lighting you'll need a filter to correct the color (for instance, fluorescent lights produce a "green light"). No matter what you buy, enjoy it!!
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