I have a Nikon D90 - which is the same as the D5000, but with a few more features. the D90 is more expensive though. The D5000 does not have a focus motor for lenses - so if you buy any lenses - they will need to have a focus motor in them. Those lenses are typically a bit more $$. I bought my D90 with the 18-105 mm lens. This will take pictures up close - and with a decent zoom - without changing lenses. The Tamron 18-270 is available with a Nikon focus motor for about $600 - it will work with the d5000. As far as the "Live View" goes - on either camera - it is not good! It is very slow and my experience has been poor pictures with it. I have used both the Rebel XTI and D90 live view. This goes for any DSLR The viewfinder on the D90 is quiet good - and I can actually make a MUCH better shot using that, compared to a screen on the back. It is not tiny at all. If you have never used a DSLR - it is quite different than the point & shoot, as far as using the viewfinder. I can use it easily with my glasses on also. Make sure you purchase a filter for your lens - no mater what lense you get. Many people new to DSLR don't do this. An inexpensive filter will protect your expensive lens. If you scratch your filter, just put a new one on! :) In comparing the D90/D5000 to the Rebel - it is a pretty even draw. I think the Nikon does a much better job in low light. If you are interested in video - the Nikon's will take great video. A Rebel T1i will also take video. You DO use the live view when you take video.

sundial, Thanks for your words. I would like a round dark wood table! ... dd50, thanks a lot for your comment, I liked the idea of it to look "fabulous"!!! ... marty8a, Yes, we have a little bit of an issue with the lighting. There is a fan with no light. the only lights are the ones by the FP. Thanks for your opinion. The sectional is a ROWE and I thought was in a great price. I wanted a Room & Board but it was almost 40% more by the time I pay delivery. .. ideefixe thanks for your comment. I will look into the shade/drapes material/color ... mariposa thank you, I was not too sure about the sofa. I wanted it to have more straight lines but it was difficult to find one without waiting more than 2 months. ... robynpa, I will ask my DH to do the mirror change. thank you!

I love your mantel...that smooth wood is beautiful with your rugged stone FP! I don't think it needs much; a few well-chosen candles might be good. Now - I know you didn't ask about the hearth or the panther or the floor, but here are a few ideas... I love the panther but would probably like it even more placed at an angle, possibly a little off-center...maybe 2/3 of the way across. It would look more natural to me. Even better...move it around every month or so -- it's already a mysterious looking piece, give it a little life by having it wander now and then. I like the idea of the bamboo vase (and I like that vase itself...could you find one for less at Marshall's or Home Goods?). Either on the hearth, or next to the hearth, kind of in the background. I can see some kind of big, oxblood vase or urn thingie on the floor to the left of the FP, set back a bit. Maybe with some kind of dried flower/stick things in it. (Sorry -- I know you didn't ask about anything on the floor, or even the hearth, so feel free to throw any or all of these ideas onto the discard pile!). C

Although I am currently only working as an advanced amateur shooting for my own purposes, way back in the late 60's while in the Air Force I was professionally trained as a "Still Photographic Specialist" and I worked as a professional photographer for a short time after I got out of the Air Force in 1972. I principally shoot Pentax invented the through the lens pentaprism viewfinder and they were the first company to make cameras with a built in light meter. At the time Nikon was makng the Nikon F, which is unquestionably one of the finest camera ever made, but the Nikon F did not have a built in light meter, Instead they had an optional viewfinder that had the light meter built into the viewfinder and with the optional viewfinder it was designated the Nikon F Photomic. Canon was still making some world class rangefinder cameas but they had not yet got into the SLR market. From 1966 until 2006 I had amassed a collection of 21 ranging from an 16mm fisheye to a full 1,000mm that weighs in at nearly 32lbs including the dedicated wooden tripod that came with it. Pentax lenses, so when I decided to upgrade to Digital I chose a Pentax camera because Pentax has reverse engineered their digitals so we can still use all of our lenses. Needless to say, I am fully comfortable with a totally manual camera, although I do appreciate the conveniences of modern technology. As a sideline, I have been teaching a free photography class at our local senior center for about a year, and as you might imagine I hear your question quite often. First off, let me make it perfectly clear. Just buying a professional camera will no more make you a better photographer than what buying a stethoscope would make you a nurse. Before you buy a camera you have to stop and think about what you intend to do with it. If all you need is a camera to take good high quality scenics and family album type photos then I would not recommend the expense of a true DSLR. Professoinal photographers need a DSLR because they need to select lenses for the type of photography they perform. By example, a news photographer needs a fast normal lens and generally a moderately long telephoto, whereas a sports or wildlife photographer needs super long telephoto lenses while a scenic photographer needs super wide angle and a portrait or fashion photographer needs normal and short tele lenses and a nature or forensic photographer would need macro lenses for super closeups, while a laboratory photographer might need a microscope adapter for their camera. While that Nikon D3100 package is a very good deal, you must keep in mind that it is an entry level DSLR and while it does have enough automation that you can basically take it out of the box and use it as a point & shoot while your learning, but if you decide to really get into serious photography within a year or so you will begin to see its limitations. Basically that camera has different modes, which means you can select Full Automatic mode, Portrait Mode, Scenic Mode, Sports mode, etcetera and the camera will make the necessary adjustments to meet the need of the mode selected. It should also have a manual mode so as you advance it will work with you. For a true beginner making the initial switch from basic Point & shoot to a more sophisticated camera I would advise you to consider what the industry now calls a "Bridge Camera". (In fact, I bought a bridge camera as a backup camera). Generally the bridge cameras have the same basic shape and size as a DSLR and many of the advanced control features but instead of interchangable lenses they have a super zoom lens and they cost much less. By example, Walmart carries a number of bridge cameras from Nikon, Canon, Fugi and Kodak. My personal choice was the Kodak Easyshare z981, which has 14mp resolution and a 26x zoom lens(equivalent to a 26 to 676mm zoom.) It has a 3" display on the back of the body and it will shot both stills and video,and it has all the modes that you will have on that Nikon. All for a mere $238 plus you will have to buy a memory card separately. Another great bridge camera is the Canon Powershot SX30-IS. It has a 35x optical zoom and sells for $350. One word of caution. 200 to 250mm is about the longest lens that you can successfully use as a hand held camera. I would strongly suggest if you buy a camera that exceeds 200mm or 8x you will need a tripod too. Having said all of that, no matter what camera you choose, in the beginning you will feel a bit awkward until you get the feel of it. If you run into situations you don't understand or you have photos that you would like constructive criticism I would invite you to post them in the photography forum and their are a number of very knowledgable ppl that will help you along as you learn.