>>I'm not looking to break the bank, probably spend around $600 possibly more. I don't think a point and shoot will get the job done but slr's are pretty expensive. I'm looking for clearity, I like alot of detail like every scale and such. I also like to zoom in for close up shots. What would you reccomend? Thanks in advance!
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>>John Light

What I would recommend based on your budget would be to look for a good used Nikon D70 for about $300. It works with virtually all of Nikon's lenses and has a nice big CF slot for storage. To get the same features at Nikon now would mean getting at least a D200 at around $1000.