What camera should I buy - Skype Call

I met Shannon on the road while touring with Matisyahu. Shannon asked if he could talk to me about what camera he should buy for his wife.

Being on a budget and not sure if his wife will keep up the hobby he wanted to keep it to a reasonable price. He seems to be willing to spend roughly $500 which is on the low end right now for getting started. I wanted to explain what the basic kit could be used for vs what he will want pictures of.

A lot of people seem to run into this issue when first starting out. You want to get something good that you can grow with but your not sure the person you are getting the camera for will continue to use it.

In this case it sounds like his wife will be really into shooting photos again. My recommendation is still to start out with something basic even with the 55-200 just to get her feet wet. If she decides to stick with it than upgrading glass will definitely be an option.