What brand or brand(s) of digital cameras are the best and easiest to use?

Hello Everyone:

Please don't laugh,but I have never owned a digital camera and I am interested in buying a digital camera FOR UNDER $500.00 that is easy to use,but produces wonderful quality pictures? What brand of camera would you reccommend and why? I would also need to have a scanner that would come with a camera too. I would like a camera that takes excellent family pictures,and one that is quick,easy to learn how to use too. Which brand should I consider for under $500.00? Kodak? Canon? Olympus? I need a camera that will be compact enough that it won't look like it is the size of a 35mm camera like I currently own from the 1980's,*GIGGLES* The digital camera that I am looking for MUST have more than six mega pixels,MUST take excellent pictures,and MUST have a scanner to print out any digital pictures that I really like and want to keep forever! Thank you for any advice that you would be willing to share!! ;-)

I have a Nikon Cool Pix 7600. It is a 7.1 mega pixel digital camera. It has a setting for taking movies.
To print your picture, you need to buy an SD/MMC reader/writer from Walmart (cost $10), if your computer does not have a card reader. The reader/writer is manufactured by Digital
If you do not want to spend $10, the camera comes with a software and wire for transferring your images to your computer.
You need a printer and not a scanner to print your pictures.
This camera cost less than $200 and you will love it.
Email me if you need some more tips for taking pictures after you have read the instruction manual.
Good luck!

The best thing you can do is do a search on Amazon.com for "digital camera". There you will see how other people have rated digital cameras (best is 5 stars), price and specs. That way you can make an informed decision.

I have a Cannon, and its my first digital. I have had it for 3 years, but its user friendly, and the picture quality it great. I think user friendly is very important, and my Canon sure is.

There are a lot of cameras out there that will do the job for you. One of the most stylish is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX50
that has a huge LCD and sports a great Leica lens. Canon and Nikon are always a good choice too.

See link below.

BTW digital camers do not come with scanners and you actually make images using a printer. The best way to keep images "forever" is to burn them to CD and when you make prints, have a photolab do that.

Consider the brands of Sony, Fugi, Canon and Nikon. I own a Sony CyberShot DSC-H2 and really enjoy taking photos with it. It has 6 megapixels, 12X optical zoom. Only 1 sec delay between shots, has image stabilizer, comes with batteries and battery charger. Can be bought for $300- Takes excellent 8X10s when enlarged. Also, I transfer my photos from camera to computer temporarily, and then to a cd for safe keeping. I always feel that if something goes wrong with the computer there goes my photos.

You should be able to buy a good camera for under $500.00. While I like Nikon's the best there are others that are also good. Go somewhere that sells cameras and look at the different kinds and look to see how user friendly they are. When looking and you find one that is hard to use or you just can't understand how it works move on to the next one. I'm sure you will find the right one for you and you will have a lot of enjoyment using it.
Not sure what you need a scanner with the camera for, but you may want to look at photo printers. I have a HP 710A that well print 4x6 and 5x7 photos and find that a good addition to my camera.