Sony a200 vs. sony a900 vs. canon d50 vs. nikon d3000, whats best?

The A-900 is full frame which means it's $3000, and you need a great lens, $1000 each. Otherwise you've got a $3000 Holga. The other ones are all APS, all fine/great. But more or less the same. I think the D50 is also about $2000. The D3000 is your best bet. About $500. I think the budget is going to make your choice for you. Got to really narrow it down here. Look at what you have to spend. See what each company in general has and can do. Know what you want to do. Play with everything at a camera store, see what you like. Canons perform great, but I hate the menu, Olympus can be noisy but they're like feathers.. ie, works for me. A few suggestions would be Canon XS, NIkon D3000, Olympus E-420. ($500). Next level, Canon XSI, NikonD5000, Olympus E-520 ($600). Next level, Canon T1i, Nikon D90, Olympus E-620, ($750). Next level, Canon 50D, Nikon D300, Olympus E-30. ($1000). Next level, Canon 5D, Nikon D3, Olympus E-3, ($1500-8000). Pentax, Sony and Panasonic are fine too. Theses are your current class brackets by relative price and features.

Keep the Sony A200 and buy better lenses. The A200 with a good lens will take better pictures than you will ever be capable of producing. Generally the photographer is what makes a good picture, then the lens and then the camera body. Buying a better camera will not produce better pictures.

No reason to spend more than $425 to $550. Either a 10MP or 12MP (MP means mega pixel) will do just fine. I have 3 cameras that I would take a look at. Below, I listed some links, the first link listed below is to a web page that lists the 3 DSLR cameras I am recommending. This list will let you compare features and specs, also it has links to reviews of the cameras, the reviews include sample images from the cameras. Also I included some links to some dealers so that you can try and get the best price. Some dealers have some nice extras, free shipping is very common, and sometimes they are offering a free memory card and/or camera bag. Sometimes you have to click in the “add to cart” button to see the actual price. Here are some models that I think are well worth researching: Nikon D3000 10MP DSLR Digital Camera with 18-55mm VR Lens - $449 EOS Rebel XS 10MP DSLR Digital Camera Kit (Black) with 18-55mm IS Lens - $449 Pentax K-x 12MP DSLR with 18-55mm Zoom (has HD Video also) - $550 Pick a price range, some features you know you want, and even consider which camera feels good in your hand as a factor. Plenty of great cameras, get one you like and start learning the principles of photography and you will be on your way to making some great images. If you want to stay under $500 then go Nikon or Canon but, I think the Pentax could be of special interest, since it can do HD video and has excellent quality at higher ISO settings which can be useful in low light places and helping get the picture. These features, especially the HD video, on a Nikon or Canon will cost you $100 to $200 more. If you have any questions and if you think I can be of help then please do contact me. Hope this helps. Good luck. Mark marksablow.com

The A900 is the best on that list by far, and for the $3,000 price tag for the body alone, it should be! Momma is right, listen to her.

Have you seen the Canon Rebel T1i? I would take it over any of those; you get a lot of features for the money including full HD video. I'm about to buy one and WalMart has the best price I've seen on it: http://www.walmart.com/Eos-Digital-Rebel-T1I/ip/11039754 I think it's online-only if you want to buy it from there, but you can use WalMart gift cards for easy web shopping.