I'm thinking of getting a new camera, i've been told to get an SLR camera, what do they mean?

Single Lens Reflex meaning the image you see in the view finder is coming from the cameras lens not a separate opening

The single-lens reflex (SLR) is a type of camera that uses an automatic mirror system placed between the lens and the film plane to focus and project the image seen through the lens, through a matte focusing screen which then diffuses the light, allowing it entrance into the roof pentaprism where the light is reflected and then directed to the photographer's eye. Most SLRs use a roof pentaprism or penta-mirror to channel the light to the eyepiece, but there are other finder viewing capabilities, such as the waist-level finder, the interchangeable sports finders used on the Canon F1, F1n and new F1; the Nikon F, F2, F3, F4 and F5; the Pentax LX; and the porro prism system used in the Olympus Pen F, the Pen FT, the Pen FV half-frame 35mm SLR cameras, and the digital E-300 and E-330 cameras. A photographer can also purchase a right-angle finder which slips onto the eyepiece of most SLR's and D-SLR's and allows viewing sans a waist-level finder.

Perhaps you should take a photography class at your local high school or community college before jumping right into an SLR. You may find its more camera than you need or will ever use.

An SLR is a Single Lens Reflex. That's a camera that lets you actually see what it's looking at through the lens, rather than viewing through another window in the camera body. Current models are referred to as a DSLR, a Digital Single-Lens Reflex. You might consider a used DSLR, if you have a creative interest in photography. A DSLR camera is one that will grow with your abilities.

SLR means single lens reflex. The Nikon D40 is digital so DSLR. I'd say a major difference is that you can't change lens' on a point and shoot. Also, in a SLR the image you see through the viewfinder is a true image. Therefore you can manipulate through focus and zoom etc to get the best picture.

There's what it literally means and what it means in practice. The first two posters gave you the literal meaning. In the days of film cameras, that definition was relevent. With digital cameras, you have an LCD screen showing you a preview of what the picture will look like, so that definition of SLR is irrelevent. Instead, a digital SLR is a camera with a detachable lense so you can put on different lenses. That way you can buy a wide angle lense, a zoom lense, a macro lense, or some other weird lense. The opposite is a regular digital camera that has the lense as a permenant part of the camera. That's very convenient, but you can't upgrade the lense at all. More importantly, SLRs tend to be very high end, so they have lots of manual features that cheaper cameras do automatically, or not at all. Since you're obviously a newbie (no offense) I don't know if you really need an SLR. If you've got the money, go for it.

go to cnet.com to read about SLR's

Ask yourself do I want to have complete control of every shot. Do I want to set different shots at different shutter speeds, and different apertures. Change lenses depending on the situation. Nowadays there are high quality point and shoot cameras that let you have SOME control, to cameras that are fully automatic. One answerer mentioned that maybe you should take a class. If you do you'll then know how deep into photography you want to get involved with. Then and only then would I buy a digital slr.

SLR means single lens reflex. if you want to buy a new nikon D40 cheaper(more than USD50) than bestbuy then check my profile and go to the discount store.