I'm not very adept at photography so I needed a camera that could pretty much do the thinking for me. I ended up getting a Canon Rebel XT (now 3-4 years old), and an EF 24-70 1:2.8 L lens. I've been very pleased with the overall quality of the pictures it produces....especially when you consider that I have absolutey no photographic skills. I just point the thing and push the button.

Linda

Hi Chris, I have a Canon PowerShot A620. Overall, I've been happy with it. It's a point and shoot type, which I like under most circumstances because it is so easy to use. It also has extra features for portraits, landscapes, etc...and it takes excellent macro shots. But it doesn't have a very powerful optical zoom...only 4x...which makes photographing birds very difficult. When I get a new camera, I'll make sure it has at least a 10x zoom.
Good luck!
Kathy

I also use a Canon PowerShot, don't know the specific number off hand. Love it, it's easy to sue and takes great pictures. My old Canon PowerShot died last Spring, so I went and bought another one.

Canon lover here too.... I bought a new Canon PowerShot S5 IS last fall and just love it compared to my old A520.

Sharon

OK, I have a Canon PowerShot A700 for "take it along, grab a picture if it happens" type of photography. For dead serious, "my picture really, really has to look as alive as my daylily" I have a Sony DSLR A200. Being fanatical, I just got PhotoShop Elements 7 to do justice to the Sony. We will see how it goes! The DSLR takes the best photos of flowers, with no color distortion and wonderful presentation. Love the little one, but the big one rocks!

Another vote for the Canon S5 IS which was my replacement for a Nikon Coolpix 4500. However, I would have loved to have been able to afford the Nikon D series (D40 or D60). I don't think you can go wrong with those.

I love my Nikon D70. It's older though. I don't know what the current model is, but I think the Nikon D series is excellent. The flower setting and landscape setting are super for photographing daylilies.

Debra

I took most of my earlier pics with my old Olympus D550, and was pleased with it, especially since it came with it's own software (Camedia Master), that I used to add text to the photos. It is also light weight, and small enough to stuff in my pocket. The down side is that it was totally programmed, and I couldn't manually change the settings. It had only 2.8X optical zoom, but 10X digital zoom (which sometimes turned out too grainy.)

I wanted to expand my photography to include better looking landscapes, sunsets, shots of the moon, and better macros, so I bought a Canon EOS Rebel XSi w/12 mega pixels.
The more resolution you have, the easier it is to crop photos w/o losing picture quality. This camera is wonderful, but I have much to learn about using all its features.

Julie

I have a Canon S5 IS and absolutely love it. It has a macro and super-macro mode, and manual and auto settings. I also have a Canon A650 IS and it is great too. Both of these have the flip out and rotate LCD display which I love. The S5 has 8mp and the A650 has 12mp which is wonderful for cropping without losing resolution.

Not sure what your budget looks like, but if it were me and I could spend more, I would get a nice SLR like one of the Nikon "D" series or Canon Rebel XT. I think the colors are more true in the SLRs. I just about went stir-crazy looking for mine with all the options. Happy hunting!

I've had a Canon PowerShot A400 for almost 3 years. All I do is snap the picture. I've been very pleased with most of the pictures, and if I wasn't, the fault was usually mine. Not the camera's. Some of my "blues" and "purples" were not completely accurate to my eye though. Yellows, pinks, whites, and oranges were perfect though. It might have depended on the time of day I took the picture.

When we started going through rechargable batteries too quickly, we bought a Canon PowerShot SD770 IS Digital ELPH. Bought this one on Black Friday and have not used it very much yet. As soon as something turns green and starts growing here, I will give it a try. I expect good things from it.

I really like the software that both cameras use. ZoomBrowser EX allows me to easily insert text, store my pictures with dates, and tweek colors if I feel I need to.

Linda

I guess I'm the "oddball" here Chris. Seems most folks have Canons. :)
I use a Fuji FinePix S700 and absolutely love the clarity and color I get from it for my dl shots. The macro capabilities are phenominal and it has a great zoom capability also.
Good luck camera shopping. :)
Jan

I also have a Fuji Finepix S3100. It takes great pictures easily. My daughter has a much more expensive model, she is the photograper in the family and only uses Fuji cameras. She takes awesome pictures and many times has been accused of trying to print copyrighted pictures. I have posted a picture below to show her capabilities and also to show my youngest G grandbaby LOL.

Dot

Alexandra 10 mos
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Alexandra and Matthew Halloween, doesn't she take great pictures
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She does, Dot!

Chris, maybe send an email to Brooke...her husband is very knowledgeable and did a presentation at Lilyhemmer year before last. Because of his presentation, I got a new camera! After hearing it, my husband insisted I should have one (who was I to refuse??).

I sill have my Canon A620 (which I thought was fine enough) but did get a Canon Rebel xti last May (I think there's an even newer one out now) and am now exploring the wonderful world of lenses. What a lot there is to learn!

I think Brooke's husband recommended either Canon or Nikon...but, ask him (or her) to be sure...he will give you lots of technical information.

It's a whole new world! I'm in the market for another lens, possibly two (which will bring my total to five...who knew about these things)...and then, so I'm told...I should be able to take anything and everything (famous last words).

Jump in! Oh yes, maybe Julie C. will see this and post. She takes most excellent pictures and has been giving presentations on taking photos (I think she just did one at a Winter Meeting...the one Lee Pickles is famous for..I forget which region (sorry))...anyway, she would also be a very good source.

One final thing...I ordered my camera online...which is fine...but bought two of my lenses at a camera store. I think I would recommend that...at least go to the store and pick someone's brains who is into cameras. And, know what questions to ask! I got great lenses, based on what I thought I needed...but I now know...a year later...better what I need...and it's a different lens! I just didn't know. Anyway, the opportunity to hold the cameras and play around a bit with them beats a picture, I think.

Good luck! And...yippee!

Thanks, everyone. Your input has been terrific!

Silly me, my husband offered to buy me a new camera for Christmas; unfortunately, I was in my non-daylily-mode (two months out of the year), so I declined. After pricing cameras, I realize I should have taken him up on it.

The "Alphabet Soup" posts have gotten me geared up to taking photos again. There are lots of great photographers in this group!

Thanks again for all your suggestions -- Chris

P.S. And yes, Dot, I agree!