[Stingray]

“Budget for a camera is $500-$750. Ease of use is key, zoom capability I’m guessing 30x - 40x.”

I just got my wife a Canon Rebel T3i (600D). Got it at Costco (kit) with 2 lenses included. I just checked costco.com and see that they don’t have the Canon T3i anymore, but they have the Nikon D3200 for about the same price. Can’t go wrong with the Nikon, either.

http://www.costco.com/Nikon-D3200-DSLR-Camera-2-Lens-Bundle.product.100007777.html?catalogId=10701&categoryId=30412&identifier=digital-slr-cameras&langId=-1&storeId=10301&refine=30412%2B63

[usconservative]

I just got my wife a Canon Rebel T3i (600D). Got it at Costco (kit) with 2 lenses included.

I have a Costco membership and they're 15 minutes down the road from me. I'll check their inventory online tomorrow and see if they have it. If so, I'll swing by on my way home from work and check it out --- thanks!