Need a new digital camera for nature trips

[mcease]

I am new to the board...hello to all.
I am looking for an well rounded camera that I can take on trips to take some fairly high quality photos. I am willing to spend up to $600 - $750 CDN which is probably 450-550 USD. I am looking for something that can take long range photos, photos in low light conditions, photos with color depth, etc. I will be taking a mixture of photos for example, some will be of people, and others will be strictly nature shots.

Any suggestions on the specs to look at; for example, a fast lens, digital zoom, etc etc.

Ps I am new to the digital world and dont really know what specs to look for, so if you have any suggestions it is appreciated. Can you also guide me on what models/manufacturers to look at?

Thanks for the help.

 

[ptwong]

I also new to digital, just wondering how long range do you need? you might want to check out the Dave's pick on www.imaging-resource.com to see what are cameras for your needs. off hand i can think of the canon S1 IS for low light but a bit noisy. Maybe a sony 717 but need to use memory stick which is quite expensive. or else a olympus 5060 for good zoom and wide angle. Hope it's of help to you

 

[nickmak]

It all depends how far the animals are and how small they are... If u are gonna take birds then something like the Kodak DX6490 with a 38-380mm lens will give u a lot of range...

 

[mcease]

The camera will actually be for taking more landscape pictures then animals. I would trade off low light for distance I think. Right now I am just using a point and shoot film camera...I have just got into the idea of getting a fairly good camera for nature shots. The reason why I wanted a camera that takes low light pictures is because on my last trip to Las Vegas my evening/night pictures did not come out too well. For those of you who have been to Vegas know that the city looks the nicest at night. My future shots will be of landscapes on trips. Will I need a camera that takes low light pictures for sunset shot? If not I am definately willing to trade off the low light spec for a camera that shoots long range photos, and captures a wide angle.

Is there anything out there that can satisfy these needs?