I need some advice on cameras?

I'm just beginning to look into photography, but i don't want to buy just a digital camera.
my friends has a Nikon D40, i really like how her pictures come out, so i was going to look into for myself
if you have any advice on digital cameras compared to SLR's i would appreciate it

DSLRs are heavier and bulkier, which means you may not want to or be able to bring it everywhere you go. Many concert venues also do not allow you to bring DSLRs in, and it attracts a lot of attention as well in public places, which means you won't be able to shoot very discretely.

If you are willing to learn about photography and how DSLRs work (not just leaving it on auto mode all the time), then getting one is a worthwhile investment. If you are expecting the camera itself to automatically be giving you better pictures, then you won't be using a DSLR to its potential. If you get a DSLR camera, I highly recommend that you take a photography course that covers the basics of exposure, composition, and lighting so that you may enjoy using your camera more.

New DSLRs start at $500 and gets more expensive from there. There's a wide range of DSLRs to choose from today, such as the Nikon D3000, Nikon D3100, Nikon D5000, Canon Xs, Canon T1i, Canon T2i, and Pentax K-x. All have similar image quality and features, so it all mostly comes down to which one feels the easiest to use.

Have fun and good luck.

*oint and shoot cameras have tiny sensors inside whereas digital SLRs have a bigger sensor (still smaller than film cameras) and this makes a lot of difference. I have owned a nice canon s50 for a long time and moved to nikon d40 which by the way takes very good pictures and light also. Ultimately it is the photographer and the lenses which make good photo graphs. You have to play and tweak the different settings in the camera to find out as to how the camera works. You have a good chance of learning from a digital camera as it costs nothing other than the equipment. Now i have a nikon d80 with four lenses and i'm happy.