hi, this is my first time on tis web page and forum so please excuse all stupid questions i may ask. My 40th birthday is fast approaching and my wife would like to buy me a camera. Having looked around it is a bit of a mine field, i have looked at a few and at the moment i like the Sony Alpha 350. Does any one have any ideas on this camera, the budget has been set at £350, not a lot i know in the world of photography. I have always had the point and click cameras but would like one with a bit more to it.
Any help would be greatfully recieved.
martin

Martin,
Consumers seem to be fairly happy with the Sony Alpha 350, however for the same price (body only) you can get the highly rated Nikon D5000 WITH A VR LENS. And for another $180 or so, a Nikkor zoom lens as well.

Make sure you will be happy with a DSLR, if you are new to them. Some people used to using a screen to frame and see your images preshot, are surprised tofind out they have to put their face to the viewfinder again with DSLRs. If that might bother you, you could consider the Canon SX1 IS. Not a a DSLR, but it has a huge range of capabilities.

Both of these cameras were selected as top cameras for 2009 in my research of over 100 cameras.
You can find those reviews here - Digital Camera Ratings 2009!

Hope this helps.
David Jensen

PS Happy Birthday!