Buy the best body you can afford and buy your lenses seperate. I educated myself on the features of dslrs and lenses via google and bought online and saved heaps, just confirm the warranty is covered somewhere in oz. I got a canon 550d body, tamron 18-270mm lens and a canon ef50. Heres some links for canon lens info, well worth reading and the website from which I made the purchase. I do 99% of my shooting in aperture priority.

http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/lenses.html

http://www.dwidigitalcameras.com.au/store/index.asp#

Maybe drop tailormarc a PM hes a pro

I'm sorry tim-o but you do not buy the best body you can afford... 

Buy good quality lenses! No point buying the best body when you're going to put a shit glass infront of it. 

If you were to buy it from the grey market (online) it is significantly cheaper.

Something like a Canon 60d (~$800) or a Canon 600d (~$600) should be good for budding amateur. 

Lenses, a canon 17-55mm f2.8 would be the best general purpose lens, or the Tamron 17-50mm.

If you're going to be shooting at night it is best to get a external flash (speedlite) a canon 430 exii should suffice.

The distorted background is basically called bokeh/ shallow depth of field which can be obtained by having an apeture of 2.8 and focusing on the person.

I personally do not bring my dslr with me when I fish for fear of having it smell fishy and dropping it. 

Hi thebrett

I've just bought myself a Nikon D5100 with twin lens pack. The kit came with a D5100 body, a Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18 - 55mm f/3.5 - 5.6G lens, a Nikkor AF-S DX 55 - 300mm f/4.5 - 5.6G lens plus the usual leads, charger, manual, CD, etc. It doesn't come with an SD card, and I've also added a camera bag and a UV filter for each lens....better to replace a scratched filter than a lens, not that I intend scratching them.

The camera kit cost $849 and the accessories cost another $149. 

I used to be keen photographer when I was younger (using 35mm SLR and a range of lenses, filters, etc) and now I'm getting back into it..both under water and on land. After some research I settled on this one as a pretty good allround camera. It has the typical 'point and shoot' Auto mode, as well as a bunch of manual settings for portrait, sunset, candle light, macro, etc, etc. So far, I'm impressed by the results I've got so far but if I get further into it, this camera may be a stepping stone into something more specialised...same goes for the lenses.

I'm still reading the user manual and working out how to use all the features of this camera.

Haven't taken any 'fishing' photos yet but as soon as I've finished building my boat shed, I'll be back on the water. I'm taking some pics of the boat shed as it's being built and I'll post a report once it's finished.

Hope this helps

regards
rusty...

 Shallow depth of field (the lens blur you're talking about) is quite easy to do on programs like photoshop.  You're right though for night shots an SLR would be handy with high ISO ability.  

I was thinking about an SLR but in the end stuck with a good P&S due to the cost, bulk and fragility of an SLR and kit.  Something like a Canon G12 or even the G1x with Cmos sensor has full manual ability and will give you good shots that most people wouldn't be able to tell weren't taken by an SLR - especially if you do a bit of quick post editing.  

Much more portable than an SLR which means you'll be more inclined to take it everywhere... Meaning you'll be more likely to capture more meaningful shots.  And a lot cheaper than a full SLR kit.  

SLR's are nice, but really think about what you want from a camera. 

Agree with scuttlebutt. I have a Canon 500D SLR, but often end up taking my compact P&S when out and about. I previously had the older canon G9 which was a good compromise loads of features and took great shots but much more portable. Have a look at the G12 before you take the plunge with a DSLR.

Hey mate, 

I own the Canon 7D an absolutely love it. With this body I have an ultra wide lens (Tokina 11-16mm) and the (Canon 17-55 2.8)  and these lenses do all of my fishing and landscape needs. The wide angle lens is the lens that I have on most of the time due to the fact that you can get really close to the fish and fit it all in the frame. I would say that it is a must have lens. The other lens (17-55) is great for all your general purpose shooting like parties, kids shots and holidays.

If I was to buy a wide angle lens now I would probably get the Canon 10-22mm lens as the focus seems to work more accurately as they are both Canon products. As for a body the 60D is the same sensor as in the 7D but the 7D has more focus options and a bunch of other functions that you use every now and then.  

If your going to shop online I have purchased a bunch of different bits and pieces of the DigitalWorldInternational website and I have never had a problem. They are based in Australia so you have no worries about warranties. 

You MUST get yourself a Polarising filter! They are the best accessory you can buy and make a world of difference to your images with the colours being stronger and the glare reduced.

I hope this helps you out.

Paul  

I have just brought a Cannon 600D (twin lens kit, UV filters etc) last weekend. Even though i have had it for under a week, it can make an average photgrapher look very good!