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Hoopz:
I'm considering getting my wife a new camera for her birthday.  I need help please figuring out if I need to go with a budget DSLR camera or a higher end digital point and shoot style.  It's basically for pics of the kids so something that is easy for her to use and takes fairly nice pics (relatively quickly) . 

My budget is between $200-300.  Any suggestions on what to look for or what to avoid?

Thanks.

Jammin0:
I am a fan of the DSLR cameras for speed and options.  The nice thing is that they all have automatic features too so that if you don't know how else to shoot and don't want to mess around with the settings too much, you can do everything that a point and shoot camera can do.  The only real difference is size and cost and of course that they can do a whole lot more. 

Are you looking to buy new or used?  If you want a new camera then you won't find a dslr for that price.  I've owned a Canon Digital Rebel XT and they are pretty nice and in your price range used.  An older Nikon would be nice too.

methodical:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ has great prices, and if you're anywhere near Manhattan, their store is amazing.

drventure:
I'm no digital camera expert, so take that into consideration.

However, I've taken photos with a number of different makes and Canon, for whatever reason, seems to take more "filmlike" pictures than the other makes I've tried (Panasonic, Sony, Nikon, Olympus).

I used a powershot s40 for years (point and shoot with some degree of options). My dad has a Canon a650 and it takes great photos. Plus, the a650 uses 4 plain ol' AA batteries (and can go for months on a set to boot). You can get them around 160 on ebay, but they are a little older and a little lower resolution.

For , my next camera, if I can swing it at all, whatever it is will use plain ol batteries and not some ridiculously overpriced rechargeable proprietary pack.

Finally, unless you're looking to do large format stuff or a lot of custom exposure stuff, a point and shoot is probably the better alternative if for no other reason than it's not +near+ as bulky as a DSLR. But some people don't mind the bulk, so there's that.

shmokes:
Why the ---fudgesicle--- would anyone be recommending a DSLR for your purpose or price range. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. If you can go all the way up to $300, have a look at the Canon s90. You won't do better for digital point and shoot, which is clearly what you are after, despite what the fanatics will have you think.

If you want to go beyond that in terms of picture quality check out the Sony Nex cameras. The new Nex 5 looks amazing. Well, the Nex 7 does too, but the Nex 5 strikes me as the sweet spot for price/quality.

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