Looking for good starter equipment

Hey guys, as of right now, I've been taking my pictures with a point and shoot Olympus Stylus 710. I want to make the move to the dSLR arena, but I have no idea what I'm looking for in a good camera, or what brands would be considered the "good" ones when it comes to these types of camera's. I don't want to spend a ton of money, around 500 maybe, for a camera and a good starter lens. Again, I'm looking for something I can tinker around with and learn how to use but also be able to take things to the next level. Any input would help.

Thanks.

3 Comments

Comment by Richard S. on April 19, 2008 at 1:09am: I would recommend a Canon Rebel, The new one might be a little out of your price range but the older ones are excellent cameras as well. You should look at the
Rebel XTi, It is a very powerful and affordable DSLR.

Comment by Imanwel MS on April 19, 2008 at 3:23am: Nikon D40!

But then I'm biased for Nikon, I'm a Nikon shooter myself. But starting out, D40 is basically like a point and shoot as much as a DSLR. I loved the D40 very much.

Comment by Ryan on August 10, 2008 at 6:04pm: Its been a while, but I have bought my first dslr. I went with a Nikon D60. Have had a few days to play around with it and absolutely love it. I still need work on my photography skills, but I think I'm getting there. I'm also still working on playing with all the settings to see what they do. So far I'm very happy with my purchase!!