Have a look at the Fuji S6000fd and the Canon S5IS for a start. The Fuji trades zoom for wide angle - it's quite good in low light too. The Canon has an image stabiliser, flip out screen and better video..

But maybe these are too big for you..

In which case, look at Canon G7, Panasonic LX2 and Ricoh GX-100..

All offer plenty of scope for creativity and have lots going for them. Depnds whether longer zoom or wider angle is more important to you..

Androohttp://Androo.smugmug.com..

A good one to learn on would be the Fuji 9100. It will be easily inside your budget meaning that you could buy accessories for it. It's styled like a DSLR but still has all the advantages of a top end enthusiast's small-sensor camera including live preview and flip out LCD. Importantly it does not have image stabilisation, normally that would be an advantage but you're not going to learn about shutter speeds and their relationship to ISO etc if everything is done for you..

If you want to go straight to a DSLR then it probably ought to be the Canon entry level model to learn with..

Also, don't get something too similar in form factor to that Sony you have or there will be fewer reasons to move on up.John.Please visit me at:http://www.pbase.com/johnfr/backtothebridgehttp://www.pbase.com/johnfr..

Hi.

Olympus auctions - (an EBay store) is selling new e-330 2 lens kits for $500-$600..

The lenses are excellent for kit lenses and the camera has a lot of features.Shipping is cheap - $6 by Purolator to north western Canada!.

Http://stores.ebay.ca/Olympus-Auctions.

This guy posts in the Olympus forum he shoots with a E-330..

Http://www.flickr.com/photos/acam.

I have a E-500 and an E-330. When I think the camera is holding me back I just have to look at pages like that to realize where the problem is..

Reviewhttp://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympuse330/.

The main criticism was the price. Now it is very cheap..

Jon Stony Plain Alberta..

Go into a store and handle a D40 with 18-55. See how that feels.Don't wait for the Nikon D-whatever, have fun now!http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_wijnands/..

As a couple of others have suggested, for that money you can get a DSLR which will allow you to expand by adding extra lenses etc. as your abilities grow. They will give you all you want in the way of full auto point-and-shoot style, full manual, and everything in between. The Pentax K100D, Nikon D40 and an Olympus (can't remember which one) fall within your budget, and come with decent lenses. All are good and the technical differences between them are less important than which one feels good in your hands..

If you have somne enthusiasm it makes sense to do this over a compact (no matter how good) because you will want some more lenses soon - a long telephoto if you are into sports or wildlife, a good wide angle if you are into landscapes/architecture, a wide-aperture prime if you want to do low-light work without a flash...Mike..

If you are as serious as you mention about photography I would not settle for anything less than a DSLR..

The creative control, the rapid response times, RAW mode, lens choices etc....

I tried the buy a nice P&S to develop my photography skills a few years back and ended up learning alot but in the end being frustrated by my camera's limitations and still buying a DLSR..

I would personally suggest looking at the following DSLRs (in no particular order)..

Pentax K100DSony A100Nikon D50Canon 350D or 400D aka Rebel Xt and Rebel XTIOlympus E300 or other E-series.

Look at the features of each and what lenses they have avaible and see what fits your needs. I would high recommend the D50 over the D40 or even the D80 if you can stretch your budget. The reason is the D40 does not offer auto focus on any existing Nikon mount prime lenses. I find fast prime lenses to be excellent and I personally think every kit should have at least a cheap 50 f1.8..

Olympus has some very dedicated followers and a very inexpensive system personally I am not a fan due to their limited lens selection but if they meet your needs it is hard to beat the entry price..

As for the rest I really wont comment on, read the reviews there are a ton available, shop around and go to a local camera shop and actually handle the camera before you buy it if possible to get an idea on if you like the ergonomics..

Mr. Fixitx..

DSLRs won't have video just so you know..

You may be surprised to find out what control you can have with your existing cameras if you put them into manual mode..

First thing I would suggest is you get this book, 'Understanding Exposure':http://www.amazon.com/...exec/obidos/asin/0817463003/ref=nosim/tirebouchon-20.

Then dust off the manual to your cameras, and figure out how to change the f-stop, shutter speed, and ISO manually, and go out and try things. One thing to note that they talk about in that book is background blur. The point and shoot cameras have a hard time creating background blur, because their sensors are small. I won't get in to the physics of it, why it happens isn't as important as knowing that it does happen. That, and I don't fully understand it myself. The advantage is that you can do nice landscape pictures with everything in focus..

That should keep you occupied for at least a month, or if you're like me, a couple days - before my curiosity gets the best of me...

Wow, what superb advice - thank you ALL for taking the trouble to reply, I REALLY appreciate it. I finally took the plunge, taking the various bits of advice in to account, and bought the Canon G7.....gulp, I hope I did the right thing..

Love it so far, but I'm only getting the feel of it. I'm sure when I abandon those Auto settings I'll be back here begging for help!.

Thank you again...

... I haven't used one but it has a fine reputation and is often recommended on this forum. Please post some results when you have some!Best wishesMike..