Looking for some advice on a good camera for a beginner?

I've decided I want to buy a good digital camera. I'd like to take a few photography courses just to be able to take better pictures (not to become a professional). The types of pictures I would be taking are mostly of people or buildings/scenery. For example my boyfriend and I are going to Disney World next month so I would be taking pictures of him and other friends as well as taking a lot of pictures of the various sights. The most important thing for me is the clarity of the picture. I hate when I take pictures that are blurry or look really pixelated like I took the photo in a basement in the 70s or something. I just want my pictures to look like they're HD quality. I know that to achieve that I not only need a good camera but also need to be a better photographer so I will work on that but I would love some advice on what kind of camera would make that easier for me. I'd also prefer a camera that's not extremely heavy. My budget is between $600-$900 and I think I would prefer Nikon or Canon but I'm open to all suggestions. I really appreciate any help you can offer, thanks so much!

Megan, do I have the perfect camera for you. The Nikon D5100. First, it is very small for a DSLR, but still packs all the advanced features that most amateurs will ever need. It uses the same 16mp sensor as the more advanced, more expensive, and much bigger D7000.It has 16 scene modes to help beginners with aperture and exposure settings. You can even set it to auto scene, where the camera chooses the correct scene mode based on what it meters. For shooting pics of friends, it has face recognition to make sure the faces are exposed correctly. Then, once you've mastered the auto settings, the D5100 has the flexibility to go full manual. The best part is that with your budget of $900, you can buy the camera and all the accessories (filters, camera bag, etc) that you'll need. The D5100 sells on Amazon.com with an excellent 18-55 kit lens for only $650.

Nikon d60 or nikon d90. You can c them on nikon.com

I shoot Canon cameras and only recommend what I own and know. Any model in the Canon Rebel series will do very nicely… From $550 to $1, 250.

HD is a video / television term and has nothing to do with still photos. Any sensor above 10mp will give you excellent quality but no still photo is HD - that's a misconception among some.

You seem to have your "ducks in a row" as far as photography is concerned. It really is all about the photographer and not the gear. Oh yes the gear can be impressive, very high priced, look cool and all that but if the person behind all that gear has no clue about what they're actually doing the gear really doesn't mean much.

Any dslr camera will do what you want… I just happen to prefer Canon. But unless you do the courses you're talking about or perhaps have a knowledgeable friend willing to spend time imparting their knowledge, and you are willing to work to learn a dslr won't make much difference.

So bottom line. Dslr cameras are intended for serious photography not snapping. If you're serious and really want to learn, go for the dslr of your choice.

I have a Nikon D3100, and it works very well. It has really high quality photos and the lens it comes with is perfect for your uses. It's fairly easy to use, one beginner class would teach you the basics. When I got it, I was a beginner, and was able to take fantastic pictures with it, even though I didn't know how to use it. One class taught me even more, and opened up so many more options; taking pictures in dark places, etc. If you're planning on taking a class, I think you should definitely get the Nikon D3100. Even without a class, you'd be able to get the type of pictures you want.

Pictures taken in the 70's are as clear and as good looking as pictures taken today. Prints may have suffered from fading (blame chemistry on that) and sharpness may be less (no anti-shake technology invented yet before) but overall, they're no different from what we get today.

http://keerok-photography.blogspot.com/2012/09/whats-good-camera.html