Every several years I get hit by the photobug. Don't get me wrong- I love the hobby- but it has an uncanny way of completely taking over my life in a manner far worse than knives, wine, flashlights, tropical fish, audio gear, motorcycles, or any other past afflictions, including shaving.
I have thusfar been able to avoid diving headfirst into digital by employing a variety excuses that are quickly losing any semblence of effectivenss- ditigal isn't "real" photograhy, that digital is still in its infancy and suffering from considerable growing pains, that the format has severe limitations, blah blah blah.
Now I do believe that digital cameras will produce a world of snapshot takers, as did the advent of the fully automatic camera. Example- I gave my daughter my old, unused, low level Canon A310, figuring that it's cheaper for her to snap a 1,000 pics than develop a single roll of film, and have discovered that she is learning nothing about photography. This summer, we have a father/daughter project planned, where she will try to learn about light (and math) using an old, fully manual Voightlander rangefinder and a hand held meter, but that's another story.
I'd like to have my reentry to the market as painless as possible, so I thought I'd pick your brains. I'm looking for a nice, versatile hand held. No SLR- I know where that would lead me and I simply don't want to go there; not now, at least.
I'd prefer a Canon, something along the lines of what Din just got. What would the competion be?
I have thusfar been able to avoid diving headfirst into digital by employing a variety excuses that are quickly losing any semblence of effectivenss- ditigal isn't "real" photograhy, that digital is still in its infancy and suffering from considerable growing pains, that the format has severe limitations, blah blah blah.
Now I do believe that digital cameras will produce a world of snapshot takers, as did the advent of the fully automatic camera. Example- I gave my daughter my old, unused, low level Canon A310, figuring that it's cheaper for her to snap a 1,000 pics than develop a single roll of film, and have discovered that she is learning nothing about photography. This summer, we have a father/daughter project planned, where she will try to learn about light (and math) using an old, fully manual Voightlander rangefinder and a hand held meter, but that's another story.
I'd like to have my reentry to the market as painless as possible, so I thought I'd pick your brains. I'm looking for a nice, versatile hand held. No SLR- I know where that would lead me and I simply don't want to go there; not now, at least.
I'd prefer a Canon, something along the lines of what Din just got. What would the competion be?
Am I the only one who sees the similarities? Digital cametera = quattro; 35mm = straight razor ... harder to master, does a better job once you do master it, there's some romance to using it and a sense of accomplishment, and involves a bit more time and effort in an old-fashioned sort of way! 
