New camera for amateur photographer?

when i grow up, i plan on being a photo journalist. i am just an amateur now, but i love photography. my pentax optio m10 was recently stolen and i miss it dearly. theyve discontinued it and i need a new camera desperately. im 15 and in highschhool, so it needs to be portable and light weight. also, im not at the peak of responsibility, so not very breakable. I was thinking about something with maybe 7 or more megapixels and a high quality zoom. preferably something good with action shots, too. any suggestions woud be greatly appreciated.

If your goal is to be a pro, buy a nice used Nikon or Canon camera that is less than 15 years old. You can find them for under $200 on craigslist in a city near your. Then you can actually try out the camera before you buy.

From there, you can take some photo classes and learn how to compose, expose, develop and print your own film and catch the magic of the darkroom

Buy the time you have finished school and are ready to go pro, you can then buy the latest and greatest DSLR that you can use with the lenses you have accumulated while learning photography.

Sony Cyber-shot庐 T2 Digital Still Camera

lovees it.
and they are really pretty loooking and come in all differnt colors too =]

I recommend checking out one of the panasonic lumix. I forgot the name of the model but it is like $150.00 at www.tigerdirect.com i recommend this camera is because you can see the pic out put as you change shutter, F-stop, and ISO. buy a used camera, you get more camera for your money and with technology today, camera makers will have something new in 3 to 6 months.

if you are serious about photography, here is my recommendation, if you can save your money and buy a used rebel XT or Nikon D50. These are great starter SLRs, they have the manual controls but also the automatic controls should you get stuck in a bind. Try finding work at your local studio, they offer free training.

I agree with fhotoace. If you happen to be in the NYC area theres an INCREDIBLE deal on craigslist right now, a Nikon F90x (N90s) for sale in Bed-Stuy for only $45. In a store this camera goes for at least 4 to 5 times that. It was the most advanced Nikon SLR before the F5 was introduced.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/pho/58...

No, it's not me selling it, because if I had a N90s I certainly would NOT sell it! I would buy this one but I'm short on cash at the moment.