[Jason Dunn]

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs.asp

It can sometimes be a real pain in the you-know-what to figure out the specs on a new - or old - camera. The problem is that many manufacturers go out of their way to hide certain specs, or make them difficult to find. dpreview.com has a fantastic tool that they've built - it allows you to browse through a huge number of cameras and check out their specs. My favourite feature? How they list the pixel density of the sensor on the camera right up front - that's the dirty number many camera makers don't want you to see as they cram more and more pixels onto what are usually tiny sensors - the higher the pixel density, generally the worse the resulting image will be. I kid you not: the pixel density of the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 is 5 MP/cm². The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1? A staggering 43 MP/cm² pixel density. That's a huge difference, and it shows in the photos. At any rate, be sure to check out the dpreview.com tool - it's updated frequently because the Canon 7D is already in there!

[Jason Dunn]

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs.asp

It can sometimes be a real pain in the you-know-what to figure out the specs on a new - or old - camera. The problem is that many manufacturers go out of their way to hide certain specs, or make them difficult to find. dpreview.com has a fantastic tool that they've built - it allows you to browse through a huge number of cameras and check out their specs. My favourite feature? How they list the pixel density of the sensor on the camera right up front - that's the dirty number many camera makers don't want you to see as they cram more and more pixels onto what are usually tiny sensors - the higher the pixel density, generally the worse the resulting image will be. I kid you not: the pixel density of the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 is 5 MP/cm². The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1? A staggering 43 MP/cm² pixel density. That's a huge difference, and it shows in the photos. At any rate, be sure to check out the dpreview.com tool - it's updated frequently because the Canon 7D is already in there!

[Tony Rylow]

dpreview.com is an awesome resource for a first time dslr buyer. I have read many forum posts, reviews, and articles that have helped me choose a camera.

[Jason Dunn]

Originally Posted by TonyR

I have read many forum posts, reviews, and articles that have helped me choose a camera.

Which camera did you end up choosing? I read today that the D3000 is the replacement for the D60, so the D3000 is what I'd recommend instead of the D60. Or the D5000 if you want video...

[Tony Rylow]

Originally Posted by Jason Dunn

Which camera did you end up choosing? I read today that the D3000 is the replacement for the D60, so the D3000 is what I'd recommend instead of the D60. Or the D5000 if you want video...

I went with the D3000. From what I was reading, it was only released a couple days prior. The shop I went to didn't have one on display yet, and I was supposedly the first person to ask about it. It was a slow day there, so I was able to talk him down a few bucks.

I've ordered a small bag, tripod, and cleaning kit from Cameta, but I still need to pick up a filter and replacement neck strap. Hopefully things will settle down for me so I can go shoot stuff.

[Jason Dunn]

Originally Posted by TonyR

I went with the D3000. From what I was reading, it was only released a couple days prior

Awesome enjoy it! Shoot in full-auto, JPEG normal mode for now, then after you get comfortable using it, well talk more about the pros and cons of moving to raw.

[Tony Rylow]

Originally Posted by Jason Dunn

Awesome enjoy it! Shoot in full-auto, JPEG normal mode for now, then after you get comfortable using it, well talk more about the pros and cons of moving to raw.

I've owned a point and shoot camera before, I don't think I need much practice shooting in automagic mode. The camera will do raw + jpeg, so I have been using that. Space isn't a concern since I have an 8GB HCSD card to use.

I've been so busy with work and getting assignments completed for classes that I haven't had much time to mess with it much. I somehow managed to have the whole weekend off, so I should make CoH, and have plenty of time to dick around with the camera.