which DSLR camera to buy?

Your price range is a little bit low for DSLR's but it is not impossible to get a good one in this price range. The best bet would be to select a slightly older model that is being replaced this year or a "refurbished" camera from one of the name brands below.

Good brands, in alphabetic order (and excluding Leica because it is way out of the price range, Konica/Minolta which has gone out of the camera business, and Sony which IMO has customer service and distribution issues) are: Canon, FUJI, Kodak, Nikon, OLYMPUS & PENTAX.

The three that are in UPPERCASE are the ones that I find generally offer the most for the amount spent.

For reviews of various DSLR camera models check out Steves Digicams (see link, below).

I found refurbished Nikon D40's at Adorama (see link, below) for between 400-500. I have had good service when dealing with them.

With that budget you have the Canon EOS t3 and Nikon d3100, both higher than $400. Personally I would go with the D3100 as it gives you much more for the price, but any DSLR will be alright!

Here's a DSLR Buying Guide - http://www.smashingcamera.com/which-dslr-camera-to...

You probably won't get the best advice where anyone can ask so I advise you to read websites ;)

Try www.bhphotovideo.com they have reviews, demos, new and used equipment, great prices and a complete Professional. I ahve been a happy customer for over 25 years.

PS: The Nikon D40x is in the same class as the Canon XTi, they are over $1000 with a lens, I know because I just got one about 2 months ago. XTI with Tamron 18-250 f/3.5 Macro zoom was over $1500

Give B&H photo a try, they have so much to offer in any price range.

Nikon D40x body only is the only one that can fit your budget, but again, it's only for the body, so you'll need to spend some money on lenses. You have to be careful with the older Nikkor lenses, because not all will work with the D40x (at least for autofocusing). The D40x does not have the internal focus motor, so you're limited to the AF-S and AF-I lenses.

Why not get a used D70? They are great cameras and you can pretty much use any lens with it.

Hey yo: A long-time researcher on camera: I would recommend getting The Canon Rebel T3, Canon Rebel T3i, Canon Rebel T5i. Canon 60D, Canon 70D Canon Rebel SLI is another good choice. Nikon 7000. I wouldn't recommend buying any camera you listed. Check out Consumerreport's pub on electric at a local book there are good deals on Amazon.

the Pentax K100 D is the perfect choice for you. There are about a million lenses that will fit it and it has image stabilization built in. If I were starting out again, it's the camera I would choose. It's 6.2 mp but it still makes a great 16x20 if you needed to. See it here.

http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Pentax%20K100D%20Digit...

canon xt