I do the promotional photo shoots for my my photo lab at work. On a whim one day I wanted a nice camera, a few years ago, and did a lot of research, weighed a lot of options, and got a Canon Rebel 300D used, in great condition, from a photographer who'd just upgraded. It was one of Canon's first DSLRs, and on the lower end of the spectrum. The alternative was a more professional camera called a 10D. At the time they were $900 and $2400 I believe. But later I found a firmware hack that gave the 300D the capabilities of the 10D. So I ended up getting it all-in-one. For about $200

I never got beyond the basic lens, and only barely dabbled into the real functions. Though the quality difference between this and a point-and-shoot or cell phone picture was obvious. Even on the default auto settings, things just have a bit more professional flare to them. It was a worthy purchase, and I have replacement batteries, a carry bag, and a tri-pod. So I'm all set for photographic adventures. Even got a couple of books. But I still barely do more than dabble. I'd love to get farther into it. Though of taking a course in photography they offer around here

For the last photo shoot, I even bought a professional muslin backdrop. I guess I'm probably out of the consumer range, and more into the prosumer. But I'm probably one of the least knowledgeable prosumer amateurs out there lol