Entry Level SLR

http://dslrfinder.com/

Consumer Reports (Not an endorsement) may be of help:

Digital cameras (1) Digital picture frames (1) SLR lenses (1)

I'd go to a camera shop and talk to one of the whiz kids that work there.

Good Luck.

http://entry-level-dslr-camera-review.toptenreviews.com/

Canon Rebel T3i

786 reviews five star rating....

Thanks for the help everyone!

I took this with a kodak EasyShare dx 4530,,,,5 mega pixel point and shoot....about 10 years old, still works great...

Nice shot!

There is a lot to be said for the simplicity of a point & shoot. They are easy to operate and give very good image quality.

Just for fun... here is a shot of my dog taken with a 36 mp camera...

Now here is her eye cropped from that photo. If you look at the eye you will see the camera shooter's silhouette. :-)

Someone told me you didn't need more than 5 mp unless you wanted to blow up the picture for detail...That the file size was more manageable, and if you take a lot of photos then storage space could become an issue....

That is pretty much true. If all you do is post to the web 5 mp is probably enough, 12 is better.

If you are making larger prints, then 12mp is a minimum for A4 and you need about 3 to 4 times that for 24" by 18" at 300 dpi.

However, having more mp does allow you the liberty of cropping your image if you find your initial composure is not what you wanted.

If you really want big prints then there is nothing like an 8" by 10" film view camera. :-)

I purchased a Canon EOS 1100D which is an entry level DSLR and I'm over the moon with it! It also didn't cost an arm and a leg! It's easy to use, has HD video, all the setting you can throw a stick at and it has plenty of software available!

Along with what all the others said above, if you are new to photography, the investment of a few dollars in an introductory photography course at your local community college or community adult education program will help you understand your camera and how to use it much more effectively.

People, it's a gift.

Right. The question is if it is the right gift.

Maybe a camera and a class?

In terms of image quality, build quality and features all entry level SLRs are very close. None are outstandingly good, bad or different, and a new user might not know what features they might need or want until they have actually used an SLR for a while. Go for the best deal, you can't go wrong. The only thing worth considering which might affect selection is the availability, quality and price of lenses, which does vary by make more than the cameras themselves. But you need to know beforehand what sort of lenses you might want. If you (or the recipient) are not considering other lenses then go for a fixed-lense SLR anyway, which is simpler and cheaper.

I have a Sony A200 DSLR that I love, it is a couple of years old now, but has image stabilization and takes great pix. It was a good price. The newer Sonys seem to have a good review also.

I bought a FujiFilm HS-10 DSLR last year for a great price (about 1/2 price of the MSRP) just before the company came out with the new HS-20. I love it, especially the 30X zoom function. It's very easy to use too and is loaded with features that even the Nikon DSLR's didn't have a year ago.

Okay, this is coming from a guy who owns no less than 14 Nikons, 3 Nikkomats, & 5 Pentax 35mm SLR film cameras and over 100 Nikon lenses of all types. Yeppers, I'm an old film photog and still shoot film religiously. I only wish that Kodak would come back with their old standard Kodachrome!!!!

Check out the HS-10, as you can probably purchase one in Ebay for around $200 now vs. the HS-20 which is still up around $600. I highly recommend it if you're not into buying a GodZillion removable lenses like you'll need for the Nikons. If you go the Nikon or Canon route, be prepared to pay many times for the lenses what you had paid for the camera body alone.

Thanks for all the advice! After considering the price and how much time it will take to learn how to use a DSLR, I opted for a point and shoot. Hopefully it will fit all of her needs.