What is a reasonable price and what brand would you suggest when looking at digital cams.? It all depends on what you would normally take pictures of. I am a photographer and have the large digital cameras but find that I take most of my family pics with a small 5 megapixel camera that fits in my shirt pocket. Sure the quality is not quite as good as the pro cameras I have, but I get tired of lugging the big cameras around. I have many photos taken on the small camera that I never would have had with the other one simply because I would not have taken it with me. Also, you don't need huge mega pixel to be effective. Anything over about 6 will just used up hard disk space, unless you print photos larger than posters! Optical zoom always is better than digital zoom and a camera that is convenient to carry. I think I spent $200 - $300 for it 18 months ago. Good luck! You can start off with a Nikon coolpix at sub $200. However, Canon also offers good models in that price range. However, if you want to experiment a bit or want something more versative, please go for Canon S2 IS (<$350) or S3 IS (<$450) | 