CAMERA RECOMMENDATIONS please

Going Christmas shopping today and on my list is a new camera...for me ;D

I know the basics of what I need but in an effort to avoid awkward conversation with sales people I want to know what people use.
my budget is 250 max...obviously I won't just be taking pics of my aquarium with this but when I do I'd like it to perform well.

Any recommendations would be great!

 

It's been a while since I've used a P&S camera and to try and avoid shelling out lots of $$ on a DSLR, I've tried quite a few P&S over the years....but I was never satisfied with the results taking indoor/low lite pics or aquarium shots. So I invested in a Nikon D80 SLR about 4 yrs ago, picked up a macro lens and I'll never go back to a P&S. I'm sure P&S have improved quite a bit over the last few years, for a budget of $250 it's not impossible to find a good used DSLR but not easy either so you might have to stick with P&S. However, if you're serious about aquarium photography, I think you'll find that eventually you'll need a DSLR with a good macro lens.

 

fuji makes a very nice camera that wil except close up lens and as over 10 mp within your price range, check them out you might be surprized by there quality and price, i think they make a great camera

 

the specs on this one are good. canons have been good to me. but i don't want to be held responsible if you choose what i show you Canon - PowerShot SX230HS 12.1-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black - PowerShot SX230HS Black

 

or this.. Nikon - Coolpix L120 14.1-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black - Coolpix L120 Black

 

I was gonna say the canon 50d, but with your budget, I would think a regular P&S is your best bet. Now a days, almost all the p&s have great res and are relatively fast. My thunderbolt takes great pics for example, and thats just a phone

 

Get the Canon D10, because you can take pictures from INSIDE your tank. Great clarity, and you can get shots that you can't from outside the tank. Most of the pictures that I take come out good the first time.

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerSh...R460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324169155&sr=8-1

 

Hey thanks everyone, i spent hours looking at cameras yesterday and I decided I need to budget more on my camera. I think I want to go dSLR. I'm looking on eBay for something used...Ive doubled my budget(just like my reef lol) I'm hoping after Christmas there will be an onslaught of great used cameras ;D Any input on lenses and such would be great but otherwise thanks again!

 

OR you could try compact system cameras ;D i would really like for someone to try them. they catch my eye in the store and i can't put them down.... lol

 

A lot of my time was spent looking at the Nikon j1...I'm intrigued by them that's for sure...anybody had any experience with cs cameras?