Sony has made switching from a point and shoot camera to a DSLR an easy choice with the Alpha A500.

With features like Quick Auto Focus Live View and Face Detection Technology, composition issues are brought to a minimum. Thanks to the Bionz processor you can expect quick focusing and shutter speeds of up to 4fps in live view and 5fps using the optical viewfinder.

For perfect set-ups of your important shots, use the Manual Focus Check when in live view and even zoom in up to 14x to make sure you have precise focusing, regardless of ambient light. And when using the tilt angle LCD, you can position the camera in many creative ways for a unique point of view. And speaking of creativity, the A500 offers an Auto HDR mode for images that seem to pop out of the screen with defined highlights and shadows.

For situations dealing with low light when you don’t want to use flash, Sony has developed SteadyShot INSIDE, an optical image stabilizer that allows the camera to shoot at slow enough speeds to allow for ample light while giving you up to 4 extra stops on the aperture. That’s a big deal when flash isn’t allowed or you aren’t close enough to use flash.

Battery power has long been an issue when out shooting for the day or weekend. Sony has thought about that too, delivering up to 1000 shots per charge. That’s a lot of power. But I still recommend an extra battery, because when the powers out, there’s no more shooting. And nobody wants that to happen.

For an entry-level DSLR with all the bells and whistles, but not the professional price tag, the Nikon D5000 is a stand-out choice.

Built solidly and lightweight enough to take on vacation or to a neighborhood get-together, the D5000 may be going with you more often than you would have expected. Especially when you see the results. In addition to a 12.3mp CMOS sensor, live view, 720p movies with an HDMI output for easy connection to your HDTV, and a 2.7”, 180 degree Tilt/Swivel LCD screen, the D5000 has the EXPEED high-speed image-processing system that allows you to keep shooting while the camera does it’s own work behind the scenes.

For those who are new to the digital world, the D5000 features 19 different scene modes to guide you along the way to taking better pictures. It even shows a sample picture of the scene mode you’ve chosen to make sure you are on the right track. And for setting up still shots or video, there is a dedicated button accessing the live view function so you can compose the shot before tripping the shutter.

If you happen to be an experienced photographer who likes to play around with fstops and shutter speeds or a combination of both, the D5000 has a full complement of choices like Manual, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Program located right on top of the camera body within easy reach so you can make your changes on the fly without a lot of fussing around with menus. Everything is positioned for optimum use and very intuitive.

So, whether you are a seasoned pro looking for a reasonably priced DSLR or a new member of the growing converts to digital, the D5000 has what you are looking for. This camera just may be in your future photo-taking plans for years to come.