Digital slr camera prices @ DigitalSLRGuide

DigitalSLRGuide gives us a rundown on the models in the three main price groupings - Entry/Consumer, Semi-pro/'Prosumer' and Professional.

Although they're not true SLRs (and as such, not covered by the linked price guide), I think it's also worth mentioning bridge type cameras as well - the almost-SLR digitals that are smaller, cheaper, and will fill the role of an SLR for a good portion of people who want a bit more than a generic little point-and-shoot. Cameras like the Fuji S5600 are cheaper, lighter, smaller and less complex than a full SLR, but still have good optics, a fairly full range of functionality, and more than reasonable performance.

These days, with pricing where it is, these are the cameras I tend to recommend to anyone who wants to be more than a casual happy-snapper - they can get their feet wet, and get a taste for what decent photography is like, and by the time they reach the limits of their bridge camera they'll be able to buy something in the entry or pro-sumer SLR ranges that does a lot more, and for less money than they'll pay today. Of course, if they never want to reach beyond, they've saved themselves a lot of money and confusion.

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