Bonnie, I am not the most knowledgable person about cameras but I work in a store that sells them so I know a few things. A 10 megapixel camera will give you lots of flexiblilty for enlargements and photo editing. For instance, you'll be able to crop out a portion of a picture and enlarge it and still have really good picture quality. Make sure the zoom is "optical" zoom and not "digital" zoom, most cameras now will be. Optical zoom gives you the best picture quality. I like cameras that have a viewfinder. If you do not have a viewfinder and have to depend on the screen only you may find you have glare issues outdoors and it may be hard to see the image you are actually capturing. Consider what kind of batteries it uses. You will find a lot of differences. If it is rechargable, check how it charges. I bought one for my daughter thinking the box included an AC charger and found out it charged through the computer with a USB cable. I ended up buying the AC charger separately. I use a camera that takes AA batteries and that is what I personally prefer. Make sure you get a memory card. The one that comes with the camera will only hold a few pictures. The good news is that most types of memory cards have come way down in price. This is a great time to shop for cameras because most places have them on sale now. I hesitate to recommend a particular brand, I'll leave that to someone else but I checked out one of the new Nikons the other day and was really impressed with the screen clarity. Mine is a Canon Powershot and I really like it, very user friendly. Hope this has helped a little. Mechele

I'm a bit puzzled as to why this 2 1/2 year old thread has popped up again, but I do appreciate all the photography expertise that everyone has shared. PM2, there's a second thread that came after this one if you'd like more info, linked below. I ended up getting a Nikon Coolpix P600 which has a 60x zoom (a bit longer than the 50x Cannon which I also checked out) which I like for long shots of critters in the field. I followed Jane's advice to go and hold a bunch of cameras and try them out, and found both the Canon and the Nikon comfortable, though the Nikon is a bit larger. The Nikon is also slower processing images to get ready for another shot than the Cannon, I think. I am still just beginning to learn to use it, largely using it on the standard landscape setting, though I have started checking out the different options and menus. I most often use it to take photos of critters and scenes we've spotted when we were inside since that's where it's easily available, though I also take it with me when I am going outside specifically to take photos. As Steve said above, "I also use my iPhone a lot because it's in my pocket, and it is often said that the best camera is the one you have with you." It doesn't do a great job on distance or small birds, but it has good color and is great to keep in my pocket to catch some of the surprises I see in the garden. I also use it for many of my landscape shots since it's with me and available when I'm working outside. The few times I've taken the Nikon out while I work in the garden, I've either lost track of where I've set it down, or found it in the way, so I usually just stuff the phone in my pocket when I am doing more than wandering around taking photos. In the birds and mobile features #12 thread, I've posted photos taken with both cameras: Sat, Nov 22, 14 at 9:05 - iPhone Sat, Nov 22, 14 at 9:19 - Nikon Dec 3, 14 at 18:04 - Nikon Thu, Dec 4, 14 at 7:59 - Nikon In the summer, more of the photos were phone photos since I was more likely to be out working during warm weather. Here is a link that might be useful: the second camera question thread

Here is one problem, if it takes rechargable batteries and you can't buy them new anymore, then it will be a waste of money. Older batteries are phased out, so check on batteries first. My new camera takes AA so I don't have to worry about it.

In case it's helpful, here's our experience: we sold our house first, so had cash in the bank. We then bought our project outright--no mortgage. Asbestos is taken VERY seriously in these parts and can add a lot of cost; the city won't issue a building permit here without the asbestos test first! We had a particular design/build firm in mind before we bought, so we organized for them to see the house the day we took possession. We had a designer see the house after our offer was accepted so that we could start working on a design. Our house wasn't a tear-down, just a full-gut reno, but if the house is known as a tear-down, I would definitely have an architect do a consult it you at the site before you buy, to give you some sense of the budget/complexity. Now that we need some financing, by far the easiest thing has been to get a line of credit based off the value of the land. If we wanted a construction loan, that became complicated. But luckily the amount e need is less than 50% of the tax assessed value of the land, so the bank is hay to give us the credit, which is then super-simple. Once the reno is complete, we have the option of rolling the LOC into a mortgage, and we can maintain the LOC. Advice: find out from the city at the asbestos requirements are and make a test a condition of sale if it looks like the disposal will add significant costs. Meet with your lenders to find out the best option to finance the venture. Figure out your budget. Then bring your design firm on board and have a strict discussion about what you can accomplish within your budget. Our firm was not great at this part; I wish we had pushed more so our budget increases weren't such a surprise later on. Hindsight! At that point, I would decide whether to take on the project. At least in a perfect world that's how things would have gone! I don't have any regrets, exactly, but we are paying a LOT more to do this reno than it would have cost us to buy some of the houses that we considered but decided were too expensive. If that's why you're considering the tear down, be cautious.