I wont even recommend anyone buying DSLR unless you are serious photo nerd because..the cost is too much just for the sake of taking pics of you and your family & friends. First the DSLR body is not the only thing you have to buy....think about lens, speedlight(flash), CF or SD cards, memory bank, camera bag, tripod or monopod, lesn filters and a lot more associated stuffs. You can reasonably satisfy your needs under 400$ with reasonably good point & shoot cameras...without buying a DSLR if you are not a serious photo nerd. For 400 $ it is not even enough to buy a single good lens. If I were not a serious photo enthusiast I would have never bought DSLR. Here is a shot I tookat a parade less than 2 weeks ago in Toronto usning my Nikon DSLR.