One good choice would be the
Olympus E-520 w/14-42 & 40-150.
This lands at 699CAD at Henry's (the only camera shop I know of in Canada..)
If you don't feel the need for the 40-150 at first, you could of course just get the
E-520 w/ just 14-42 for 599 CAD.
The advantages of these two packages are in body image stabilisation, wireless flash control with flash units that support this (FL-36R and FL-50R from Olympus, plus a couple of units from Metz). Grip has good size compared to comparable rivals. It's user friendly, and a good starter package. At high ISO, it's not as good as other models from other producers, but it's not bad. Olympus bundles the best kit lens in the business, together with Pentax.
From Nikon, you've got the option of getting yourself a
a D40 w/18-55 for 419 CAD.
This is a classic, and has been a great asset for beginners for a couple of years now. Still a great camera. Is let down somewhat by not having built in IS, and it hasn't got wireless flash control. It's only got 6 megapixels, but that's not something you'll really miss. I'd consider this one.
For a little more, you could get the
Nikon D60 w/18-55 VR at 599CAD.
This has 10mp and the lens has VR. With Nikon, image stabilisation is not in the body, but in the lens (the same is true with Canon). This means it can be perfect for each lens, but also means you won't get IS in all your lenses.
Also keep in mind that you need lenses with the designation AF-S (Nikon) or HSM (Sigma) to get auto focus with both the D40 and the D60. This is not very important these days, as Nikon has released several AF-S lenses the last years.
Pentax strides into battle with the K-M. The
Pentax K-M w/18-55II lands at 649CAD.
It's a competent camera, with a very good kit lens (only paired by the Oly 14-42), built in IS and overall good handling. Consider.
Canon is also worth considering, coming up with the
Canon XSi w/18-55IS, jumping you budget at 749CAD.
It's a good camera, the kit lens is of decent quality, it has IS, the IQ is excellent. Some people find the grip uncomfortable. I am one of them. Nothing more to say, it's a good buy, as long as the grip fits your hands.
A little cheaper, we find the
XS w/18-55 IS at 599CAD.
It's much the same, but has lower resolution (10 vs. 12 mp) than the XSi, has a cheaper feel and isn't as quick. Same kit lens.
Last, but not least, we find Sony.
The
Sony a350 w/18-70 comes in at 649CAD[/url].
This camera has a very good live view system, allowing you to use the screen as a viewfinder in a much better way than all other brands. The same is true for the
a300 w/18-70 which is only 599CAD. The only difference is the resolution (15 vs. 10 mp).
Sony is getting better and better by each model they release, and the system has wireless flash and built in IS. Worth considering.
So, I hear you ask. What do I recommend?
I recommend you get into Henry's (or some other good shop, who am I to advice Canadians as to where they should buy cameras in CANADA
), tell the sales guy that you're looking into the models I've linked to, and try holding them. All these models will give you excellent image quality, and all the brands offer great lenses, so it's all down to comfort. Feel the grips, and deciede which feels best in
your hands.
Hope I've been of some help.