how much would a deent camera cost?
would a 8.1 mp phone be alrite

wat sorta shots would be good?

megapixels doesn't say shit. "Decent" is different depending on from which point of view.
All sorts of shots are good, depending on how good you take them and what the viewer like.

You shouldn't ask how much a decent camera would cost, you should ask yourself how much you are ready to
put and then ask us what you can get for that money, and what you want to shoot.

the phone is probably not alright since you'll probably have to go automatic all the way
and you won't get any large pics out of it because of the small sensor

That's not necessarily true, I'm about to purchase an 8 MP phone that has a manual mode. Including aperture, shutter speed, a manual touch focus, and up to 1600 ISO. It houses a 23mm 2/f Zeiss lens and an LED flash, sadly not Xenon.

So camera phones are starting to be able to pass compact cameras, if you're willing to throw the money down.

:Edit:

My bad, this one isn't Carl Zeiss, Schneider-Kreuznach rather.

This post was edited by kratos on Feb 13 2010 08:09am

LOL, AWESOME Too bad it wasn't Carl Zeiss though, I've heard a bundle of goodness from that brand. Mind sharing a link to this?

There is an 8 MP that uses Carl Zeiss and a Xenon flash, here is that one.

http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-Unlocked-Optics-U-S-Version-Warranty/dp/B002LSHVUG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=wireless&qid=1266113976&sr=1-1

And I would get that one, but I want a full keyboard.

new to photography as well, wanting to learn what to buy

Ooh nifty nifty I don't quite like the design though. I'll stick to my SE W7750


OT: It really depends on what your goals are guys. If you have ABSOLUTELY no photography experience and would like to start up, then I'd personally suggest you look for a cheap p&s (point & shoot, refers to the small compact cameras) to get started with. When you start out it is imho more important to focus on learning some basic compositional stuff than the technical side of photography. If you however feel comfortable already taking shots in automatic mode and feel that you have a basic understanding of compositional elements then I'd recommend you check out spending a few bucks on an entry-level dslr. Dslrs are the "large" cameras that you see most pro's and enthusiasts using and they'll help you learn to shoot manually as well as get a better feel for the hobby. Entry-level refers to the cheapest available dslrs and I believe Spencer has a stickied guide in this section regarding this is particular (although possibly outdated now). I hope I was able to answer your questions good enough, if you have anymore questions then feel free to ask. I was thinking of compiling a beginners guide on my blog within a few days so feel free to check it out later.

This post was edited by Nevereon on Feb 14 2010 04:43am

Yes, there is that stickied guide. But as you said, it is very outdated now. Check out other photo forums for entry level dslr comparisons, I'm sure they're out there.