Quote Originally Posted by LightngSVT
,,,plus you have to use the Dimage software after you download the pics.

Types of pictures taken- automobiles in daylight (car shows and detail pics of trim/paint/etc), Macros of fish/corals and other stuff, indoor photography (people in incandesant light and car shows under artificial light) and outdoor scenes (vacations, etc
pics used- Web based pics, slide shows via CD and some prints mainly 5x7-8x10.

I know I cant get film quality in my price range, but Id like to get as close as possible.

For 5x7 and 8x10, a 3-4 MP camera will do an excellent job. You will have to decide how much control you want over the camera, what manual controls make sense for you. Do you want straight images out of the camera or do you plan to do post-image processing?

Downloading pictures always requires software of some type. If you buy a card reader, Windows XP will be able to see the memory card with its own software. Readers often come with software if you have another OS that won't do this automatically.

Even a good $500 P&S has higher image quality than 35mm film.

IMHO, one good place to start would be something in the "A: series of Canon.