Good bang for the buck digital camera? Got a recommendation?

[Ivy has Twin Boys!]

Hubbie wants a new digital camera and it is up to me to get it. Our old one is a dinosaur, holds about 9 pictures (hp photosmart 320).

What is good bang for the buck? Looking to take pics of the family. Will post on facebook and print to give to relatives. Must be good for 8 x 10's, easy to use, can be used inside and out, holds lots of pictures, good quality photos, fairly durable, easy to take around, has zoom and a flash.

[Jim A]

Let me agree with, when it came to digital cameras anything by HP is just awful!

I own and recommend the Rebel XS by Canon. It's an SLR and does superb photos and the camera is built solid. That, however, doesn't mean (goes for any camera) that you can just toss it hear and there. These devices aren't meant for that. The XS is running about $500 these days with a kit lens at 18-55mm.

The number of photos it takes depends on the size of SDHC card you install. In my case I use the
4gb cards for about 1,000. But, don't store them there. These cards easily fail. You should upload after every shoot, back up your photos and then format the card in the camera. This will keep your
card "healthy" for a good amount of time.

Here's a look at some of the stuff I've been getting with my Canon. Good Luck.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimsphotostuff/

[JR]

A Nikon D40 should fit the bill . I picked up one off cragslist. you can find them for $250-300. most d40 are consumer cameras and lightly use fewer shutter clicks, most people are upgrading to 12mp. thinking they with get better pictures. a D40 with good lens F2.8 or better. will be more capable then D90 with a cheap kit lens. if you cant find one the D5000 or D90 would be the next setup. good luck

[Mark]

You can get a Sony A230 DSLR with a 18-55mm lens for $399 and that includes free USA shipping. (check the 1st link below).

Option 2 is a Nikon D3000 10MP DSLR Digital Camera with 18-55mm VR Lens for $460 and that includes free USA shipping. (check the 2nd link below).

I also added some other seller websites so you can look for the best deals.

Hope this helps.

Mark