What Kind of Camera Should I Get?

I was originally going to make this a post with no pictures but since I like to take pictures, I figured I would add some. These were taken with my camera phone since it's kind of hard for a camera to take a picture of itself.

The reason for this post is because I am often asked what kind of camera a person should get. That usually starts with, "What kind of camera do you have?".
My trusty Canon 50D. This is actually my second digital SLR. I had a 40D for a while before this one but I didn't like the dust characteristics of it, so I upgraded. This one is quite a bit better.

To answer the first question: What kind of camera should I get? I usually ask a question of my own: What do you plan to do with your camera? That is a very important question and can save you quite a bit of money.

If you plan on taking just snapshots and don't ever intend to get serious about photography, one of the low to mid-range point and shoot cameras may be better for you. For the most part, the brand doesn't really matter but you might want to spring for higher resolution. Most of these have a decent enough zoom lens that if you want to do a little more you can.

If you want to get into sports and landscape photography but don't want to learn about all the bells and whistles, one of the higher end point and shoots with a high optical zoom is probably what you are looking for. When you get one of these, make sure it has a decent optical zoom because digital zoom is something you can do on the computer. One other advantage of these is that they usually have a manual mode with limited aperature and shutter speed settings, so if you want to learn a little more about these things, you can.

If you want to get more serious but still aren't sure, there are plenty of lower end Digital SLR's. For Canon these are the Rebels and Nikon had the DXX series. They have most of the bells and whistles but if you want to go beyond, be prepared to shell out some bucks on lenses.

This is my current set. The bigger lens is a Sigma 175 to 500mm lens but I realize that if I want to get more serious, I need to get one of the better lenses with higher aperature settings. The one next to it is a Canon 75 to 300. This one is not bad but there are better lenses out there. The thing in front is a bulb blower, it gets rid of most dust.

The baseball cap isn't a requisite but I like it. This is now M Hat IV. It is modelled after the style of Michigan hat that Bo wore. M Hat I was retired safely after serving me for close to 10 years. M Hats II and III are at the bottom of the Detroit River. Current M Hat accompanied out west and on my recent trip to the Big House.

So if you have any other questions, feel free to ask in the comments section.

Thank you.