Commence beating a dead horse...

I bet y'all thought I was done talking about cameras, didn't you? After all, not long ago, I shared that I can made a decision concerning what camera I was going to get, and that was the Canon Rebel XT. And then I went to Target today (And I only spent $58! I have never before gotten out of Target for less than $100!), and I held the Canon in my hand and took a picture of the shampoo aisle, and then I held the Nikon D40 (which was my first runner up in the camera pageant going on in my head) in my hand and took a picture of the shampoo aisle.

And I think I might like the Nikon better.

Jen suggested I check out Consumer Reports before deciding what camera to buy. I tried checking it out on-line, but I am not a subscriber, so I didn't get to see what they had to say. However, I stopped by my parents a while later, and my dad's digital camera issue was sitting on the ottoman, and I did check it out. And it gave high marks and a "Best Buy" rating to the D40, while the Rebel XT was not mentioned (to be fair to Canon, the XTi was rated well, but I can't afford that as this juncture).

Is that what you meant when you suggested I check out the ratings, Jen?

Nikon also makes the D40x and the D80. I would love to get the D80, but see above re: money and the XTi. I can't ask my husband to spend $1200 on a camera for Christmas. Not if I also want to get a little bit of jewelry. Therefore, the D40 is the camera in our price range.

I liked the Canon because it had higher megapixels than the Nikon. That was my major deciding factor when I compared the two side-by-side. I also heard that the Canon was easier to get extra lenses for without spending an arm and a leg, and a search of Amazon showed me that there were plenty of lenses that weren't too badly priced for the Canon. Apparently, the D40 can only use lenses that have the autofocus motor in them, unless you are in manual focus mode.

However, what is the chance that I am going to buy multiple lenses and become some kind of professional? Although the Nikon lenses are more expensive than the ones that are Canon compatible that I have looked at, I could probably save up and buy one or two good Nikon lenses that would be versatile enough for anything I need outside of the kit lens.

Anyway, I know you are all waiting on the edge of your seats for my (new) final decision. Don't worry; I will let you know all about it!