I was pretty much in your same situation a few months ago, I bought a Nikon D50 used off of the forums and it has been great. I think you could probably get away with spending around 6-700 on a D50 and lense, I havn't really looked at the prices lately but it has been a great camera. I had no experience at all when I bought it, and although the pictures aren't professional quality or anything I still love it and enjoy using this camera.