Guys ans girls,this is important for me to know from you . Would you favor me

If you want used, you should try E-Bay or half.com. Or even Craigslist. I would also try Amazon because people can sell their used items on the same page that Amazon sells the new ones. Also, B&H Photo (I'm not sure of the web address you'll have to search it) has the best prices I've seen. I believe they also sell opened boxes and used items. You can get a pretty good camera now for under $230. Remember is the photographer, not always the camera. And don't forget to factor in a memory stick in your budget. I haven't gotten one recently, but I think the cost of these have gone down. But usually the one that the camera comes with isn't very big and doesn't hold enough pictures if you are serious about photography you know you will be taking a lot.

Hi there akumei1269, I've been in your shoes before - battling between wanting a good camera system and affordability. One suggestion that I can give would be to check for your local photography enthusiast forums. You might want to check this by googling "photography forum" + "your country". Usually, there would be a marketplace for users to buy and sell camera equipment. From my experience, there are people who buy the latest cameras, use them for a few months, then decide that it is not for them and sell them online via these forums. Depending on the duration of use, they can be up to a few hundred dollars off the retail price. What you get is a relatively new camera (as compared to other second hand cameras that has been around for years), a warranty that is still pretty much in effect and a model that is still new. Usually, the sellers would want to meet up to sell their equipment, so it saves you both cost of shipping and you are able to check the goods before deciding to purchase it. Of course, you need to tell the seller that you are a serious buyer but am not obligated to buy if the physical condition is not to your liking. Happy hunting!

Check out refirbished cameras. Many times you can get up to 50% off and an extended warenty. I bought a Canon Rebel XT with a lens and a 5 year warrenty for $450. After 7000shots it still takes great photos. You can check the comapny website, or other companies that specilize in Refurbished Cameras. Digital Liquidators and Referb Depot are two that I have used. Good Luck

Hi akumei1269. I have been researching digital cameras too. When I was at Fry's Electronics today looking for an adaptor to make my older digital camera work with my current computer, I went by the camera department too. Have you considered a Samsung camera? I'm including a link to the description of a samsung camera I looked at today for around $100. It's a 6 megapixel with 3-5x zoom and video movie capture. It's even got a decent sized preview screen at 2 1/2 inches. I also found several of these cameras on ebay. :)ebhttp://www.samsungcamera.com/product/pro_view.asp?prol_uid=2699&cat_uid=11

Best Zoom on a (semi) compact camera is the 12x zoom on the panasonic lumix. Also the lenses are made by leica - so top notch. Try clearance sales, and buying an older model camera rather than the latest and greatest. That combined with the other suggestions everyone has helped you with should do the trick.