is this a good camera for a newbie ?

The one you are looking at is a good camera, it would definitely work well for you but I am a Nikon person So here is my short answer. for digital I have a Nikon D40 and I love it. The D40 has a full manual mode, Flexible progam, aperature priority, shutter priority modes. These are the same modes on all DSLR. It also has several other programed modes for things like portrait, night, children etc. As a photographer improves and learnds to use metering better these additional modes seldom get used so they are usually found on the more amature cameras and seen as not needed on the professional cameras. I feel I have a fair amount of experience as a photographer and it performs well for me but I can give it to my 12 y/o grandson if set on program and he can get good usable pictures as well. His photography is improving as he is already learning to use many of the functions himself ( yes I'm a proud granpa) .

I also would not get caught up in the megapixel hype and instead look at the entire sensor issue. Look at the article I linked below The D40 will do everything a beginner to intermediate photographer needs at a great price. It comes with an 18-55 lens. It will let you use any other money to buy more accessories. And by the time you outgrow it cameras will have advanced to the point that most of what is on the market now would be obsolete. I bought a D300 last year and only had a it a few months when the D700 came out. The canon would also serve you well but I am a Nikon person so I suggest them. I have friends that are very happy with thier canon's and take great photos. You will have others that like Pentax and Olympus and they are not bad cameras but if they were in the same ballpark you would see many more professional photographers use them

In reply to the person suggestnig a superzoom point and shoot. A DSLR will have a larger sensor which will yeild better dynamic range, better color saturation, better geometric accuracy and lower noise. In addition the DSLR will give you better optics, the ability to change not only focal length but also lens speed., better control over your photos. The ability to shoot RAW and much much more

It is a rather mediocre build of a steel chassis, plastic mirror box, and plastic body.

It allows mirror lockup albeit by a program setting, so it isn't quickly accessible. Since most beginning photographers have no idea what mirror up can do for them, it may be a small point.

The view angle magnification is 1.6, a bit higher than other cameras in this price range. That means you'll have trouble getting an ultra-wide angle shot. A 20mm lens will show an image similar to that of a 32mm lens on a film camera.

Controls are not well placed with the exposure compensation control too close to the viewfinder.

It has many exposure modes which is typical of cameras marketed towards the beginner crowd who notice features more than durability.

It lacks spot metering. This alone would put me off even considering it.

The auto-focus seems to be quite far behind similarly priced Nikon cameras. In one review, "Live View Quick Mode" focus took about 2.5 seconds.

USB transfer rate was measured at 2.4MB/second, quite poor.

It features six JPG size choices which may be twice what most people will ever need.

White balance compensation in natural light was poor which means that softly-lit wedding shot without a flash will probably disappoint.

It was slightly inclined towards moire effects (staggered patterns or banding in a blue sky, for example).

It tended towards over-exposure in evaluative metering mode.

The viewing screen is a standard rather than a "Bright-View" type such as that in the Nikon D-60.

The main competition for this camera is the Nikon D-60 that has a more robust body build, better auto-focus, brighter viewfinder, more comfortable hand grip, and typically matched with an image-stabilizer lens. I suggest you stop in a camera shop that has both of these brands and try out the handling of each of them. If you are not comfortable using it, you will have trouble making your best photos, no matter how slick the electronics or lens might be.

It's a lot of money if you compare it to a super-zoom camera, like the Panasonic FZ-8 (look at them on eBay) they have a 12x optical zoom, so are the 35mm equivalent of 36mm to 430mm! Many modes, including full-manual. They have a great Lieca lens too.

Not a bad starting choice.

Plus you can start to buy extra lenses as your interest develops. These lenses can then be used in a higher specced Canon later.

worry-free digital camera one hundred and one: f - stops open or close the aperture to permit the quantity of light in based on the shutter speed. maximum cameras would be aperture-priority (set the aperture manually, it instruments the shutter speed) or shutter-priority (you elect the shutter speed, it instruments the aperture). the extra beneficial the extensive type (f16), the fewer mild is permit in (vivid sunlight). decrease (F2.8 - a million) is for low mild situations. maximum action picture is stretched around the interior returned of the digital camera, working from the roll to the "take in spool". as quickly as the action picture is used up, you ought to press the action picture launch and rewind to the unique spool. 35mm action picture is in a mild-evidence canister for ordinary dealing with. concerning the only cleansing you're able to do is the exterior case and the lens. clean lenses heavily and basically with lens paper. dirt on the interior demands professional cleansing. Zoom truthfully refers back to the pass of the lens in the direction of or from the action picture. 50mm is seen "wide-spread" focal length, 28mm "extensive" perspective, 105mm and up "telephoto".

sounds good to me

my suggestion

go to this link for help

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camera-buying-guid...