When I first decided that I wanted to become a photographer, I knew one of the most important things was choosing the right camera. There are several thousand different cameras. You can choose from from compact, SLR, to some of the top dogs such as Hasselblad! Of course if you're a new photographer like I was and you're to be considered amateur, not a hobbyist then there are several different ones I think you should take a look at. First and foremost Canon, Nikon, Fuji and Olympus are four of the very top camera brands you should be looking at if you're interested in photography. These cameras range from $100 on up to $900 depending on what brand you get. Canon and Nikon are of course two of the most popular camera brands, Fuji and Olympus come in second.

For my first camera, I decided to buy and Olympus SP-510 UZ, a lot of people said this wouldn't be the right camera for me simply because it was really jumping into the deep end without a life preserver! But I considered my options and figured this was the best camera for me at the time. I considered getting a Canon or Nikon, but wasn't ready to spend $600 or more for my first camera, heck i wasn't even sure I would be good at it! Obviously to my surprise, I actually was good at it and I'm hoping to buy a better one soon!

As said above, if you're interested in photography as a hobby, you probably wouldn't mind buying a compact camera for a few hundred dollars. These cameras are still great cameras but they lack quality in resolution, they also have less options, which might be good for beginner. However, if you're looking to find a more professional camera it's a good idea to look for SLR type cameras. Listed below are some of the best cameras, you can buy online:

Pentax K 20 D
Price $1100
Resolution 4672 x 3104.
Pixels 14.6 million.

Olympus E-520.
Price $600.
Resolution 3648 x 2736.
Pixels 10.0 million

Nikon D60.
Price $600.
Resolution 3872 x 2592.
Pixels 10.2 million.

Canon EOS 450D
Price $800
Resolution 4272 x 2848.
Pixels 12.2 million.

Now these are considered medium format cameras, but there are also large format cameras such as Hasselblad, Canon and Nikon. The prices on these can range from $2500 on up to $20,000. In my opinion these large format cameras are for professionals only, unless of course you have $20,000 to throw around!

If you're searching for cameras online have them be compact, or more professional you can search for topics relevant to digital cameras, digital photography, or buying cameras online. Good luck in your search!