Quote:
Why SLR? Probably because the requestor thinks "bigger and more expensive will reduce the shake and give better pictures." I'm thinking SLR will have better and faster automatic adjustment of the many settings required for good indoor photography. And, hopefully allow the addition of lenses which might make indoor shots even better. Sure a tripod could work, but I think we're trying to avoid that.



I think some of the folks offering the above suggestions may be missing the point here. You do not need a DSLR camera for what you are doing. That is total overkill, and in fact may be less desirable than a simple 6--8 megapixel point and shoot camera with a 3x zoom lens and with image stabilization. Image stabilization will allow you to get non-blurred photos in much less light than a camera without.

There are a great many cameras in the $250--$400 price range that meet these criteria. Look for something with a maximum aperture of f2.8 (that is probably the most common). Or follow some of the suggestions above and look for a camera with a hot-shoe that will support an external flash -- although for the kinds of pictures you describe (small groups, indoors) the camera's built-in flash will probably prove adequate.

Don't fall into the "megapixel trap", either. A 10 megapixel camera will not necessarily produce better pictures than a 6 megapixel camera, even though that is the key specification that manufacturers promote and buyers look for. In the case of a large zoom ratio camera (8x or greater) the physical constraints of the lens design dictates a physically quite small CCD sensor. The more pixels you stick onto that sensor, the closer together the pixels have to be placed on the sensor. Closer together = more noise. As counter-intuitive as it seems, the camera I am getting ready to buy for myself (Panasonic DMC FZ50) would actually produce higher quality pictures (at ISO settings >200) if the CCD sensor were 6 megapixels instead ot the actual 10 set by the manufacturer.

DSLRs are nice -- if you don't mind spending two, three, even five times the money for similar performance, and don't mind lugging around a bunch of lenses for different shooting situations. Yes, a DSLR has a physically larger CCD chip and for the same number of megapixels under the same lighting conditions will give less noise in the picture. But unless you are shooting pictures at high ISO settings (ISO >400) to be printed in large sizes on glossy paper...you'll never see the difference.

tanstaafl.
_________________________
"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"