A few other Canon digital cameras suggestions would be the PowerShot models G9, S5 IS and the SX100 IS. The G9 has 12.1 megapixels with a four times digital zoom and six times optical zoom. This digital camera prices and this cheapest digital camera prices should help.
As hard as it is to find fault with the Nikon D300, the first thing most people look at when buying anything, is the price. Apologies to Warren Buffett, and Bill Gates (this article is not for you). There are a number of solid contenders in this category, including the Canon EOS 40D, the Pentax K20D, the Olympus E-3, and the Sony Alpha DSLR-A700. At the time of writing, those cameras all sell at a lower price point then the Nikon D300. Anywhere from $200 to $500 less according to Amazon. Which is significant, when you consider what an extra $500 in your lens budget could do for your artwork.
There had to be something to upgrade for after all. Although I've heard from a number of D200 owners that couldn't be bothered, and are sticking with their D200.
Two Olympus digital camera problems that seem to be common with the compacts and the SLR cameras is the ability to get them fixed and problem focusing. The SLR problem is with different lens selections. The lens selections for the SLR digital cameras seem to be sparse. The problem finding different size lens is not as much as a problem as it is an inconvenience for those who need different size lens for professional photos.
It may be that these cameras are not prone to as many problems as other makes and models. The digital cameras from Olympus are made durable and withstand some incredible shocks.
Other than these few issues, the Olympus seems to be a nice camera to have and use. Some problems reported with the Olympus digital cameras come from user error, but even those problems are minimal.
Overall, the better digital camera would be a SLR camera, but that is what a professional or someone serious about photography would use. If you just need a camera for every day picture taking a compact camera will work great.
Will you print your pictures in large sizes? And if you do, what output device will you use? Will you only publish your pictures on the Internet or send them to your friends by email? Will you take the camera with you on your next trip around Europe? Do you have a PCMCIA storage device on your laptop?
