The ubiquitous question of "Which Camera?"

[Nyreth]

I think I know what I should get, but I would really appreciate any input as I am pretty new to photography and SLR's.
I'm a fine arts painting and printmaking major in my senior year. I've been using a little Nikon Coolpix L6, and it has served me well for the last few years. It still works great, but I've outgrown what it's capable of. I need a camera to use both for photographing my work to submit for juried shows, as well as for shooting pics for future projects. The submissions for shows will primarily be on CD or occasionally printed out around 8x10. Pictures for future works will most commonly be 8x10 but could range anywhere from 5x5 to 20x20 or so. I will probably only be using this thing every couple weeks, but obviously the picture quality is going to matter quite a bit when I do. Regardless of what camera I end up buying, I know I am going to need to study and practice before I get the results that I want. I don't mind that a bit. In fact, I'm planning on taking a photography course next spring.
Originally I was going to get something like a Canon SX10 IS, an Olympus SP-565UZ or the Nikon Coolpix P90. The first two are both 10 megapixels, 20x zoom and seem fairly well rounded. The Nikon is the same but has 12 megapixels and 24x zoom. A viewfinder is an absolute must have. I just don't do well taking pics based off an LCD display.
After quite a bit of urging from my friends, I started looking at entry level DSLRs. I've done a pretty good bit of research and have narrowed it down to either a Canon Rebel XT (8 megapixels) or XTi (10 megapixels) body. I found a couple used ones for about $300 and $350 respectively. They both come with a 90 day warranty. My mom in law has a couple EF-S lenses (35mm-80mm and 80mm-200mm) I can borrow until I decide what I need/want. Her lenses are the main reason I ruled out the Nikon D40, D40x, and Olympus E-420 or E-520. But I have to say I like the idea of the IS system being in the camera body on the E-520. Also, since I do occasionally crop a picture down to get at a relatively small area of it and then blow it back up quite a bit, I am concerned that the D40's 6 megapixels might not be enough.
One hesitation on a DSLR, especially a used one, is that I have uncommonly bad luck with electronics. Extended warranties and service plans have saved me so many times. Are used/manufacter refurbs/dealer refurbs too risky? The only used ones I would consider would come from Adorama, B&H or some well known place like that. Are the Mack warranities from places like Adorama or B&H?
So before I take the plunge and buy something, I would really welcome any input or thoughts you all might have. Do I really need an SLR or would a more advanced P&S get the job done? Lastly, I really don't want to spend more than about $400-$450; obviously if I can get away with less that would be great.
Thanks!

(This was posted previously in the Help Files thread by mistake. How do I delete the post over there?)

[Frog]

What are the pics being used for? Are they being printed or just going on the net?

[Nyreth]

In some cases the file will just be copied onto a CD, which is then submitted to whichever show I'm trying to get into. Sometimes they will be printed out on 8x10 and submitted that way. The juror (or jury) then uses those CD's or those prints to decide what work is accepted into their show. So a bad quality picture can possibly keep you out, if they are unable to get a good idea of what your work really looks like.

Sometimes they will be printed off for me to use as a reference for paintings, drawings, and block prints.

[Photo-John]

Nyreth-
Welcome to the site! Back in the day we copied art with medium format or large format cameras so you could just slap the big, beautiful transparencies down on a light table. Times sure have changed

As much as I love DSLRs and think they're the best cameras for most purposes, I think you might be wasting your money if you buy one. For the kind of controlled shooting you're doing, you don't really need DSLR features or image quality. I think you were on the right track with the superzooms, although you really don't need the zoom range they offer. What you need is good exposure, good exposure controls and a good medium telephoto zoom lens. You'll only need a 20x zoom lens if you're going to shoot small paintings from across the street

I think a camera like the Canon SX10 IS, Panasonic Lumix ZS3, Canon G10, or Nikon P6000 would be perfect for copying art. True - a DSLR will delliver better image quality. But I just don't think you need it. If you're shooting a static object like flat art with a tripod you can shoot at the lowest ISO setting and your photos will be just fine - even if you want to print at 11x14 inches. A bigger problem is lighting them evenly. The camera is really the easy part.

[Nyreth]

Would one of those cameras you mentioned work for reference shots for paintings, drawings and printmaking as well? I'll also be using this camera to take pictures of everything from landscapes, to architecture, a portrait here and there...I might go crawling along the ground after a bug, sit next to a fountain and take a shot down the pathway next to it...you get the idea. It's going to be used to shoot anything and everything that strikes my fancy. There might be some action shots too but not a lot.

[Nyreth]

Oh thanks for the welcome too btw! And I think I miss those days even if I wasn't a part of them. The last show I entered I think I squeaked in because the picture I took was so crummy, but then I ended up winning a pretty nice merit award. There's another show I want to enter that your printed submission is both what gets judged and printed in the book of accepted artworks.

[HelenOster]

Are used/manufacter refurbs/dealer refurbs too risky? The only used ones I would consider would come from Adorama, B&H or some well known place like that. Are the Mack warranities from places like Adorama or B&H?

Thanks for the feedback re Adorama Camera - but if you have any specific questions that I may be able to assist with, please don't hesitate tcontact me directly.

Sincerely