I am somewhat new to serious photagraphy. I tried a few rolls on my dad's old canon F1 this summer with a very low percentage of shots that even looked respectable (maybe I shouldn't be looking at this site, it raises my expectations quite a bit lol). Any decent shot I've taken so far was on your average joe point and shoot sony digital (dsc-w40), with auto settings (obviously). So I'm wondering what your opinions are on someone like me purchasing a new SLR? Looking at the Nikon D40, its supposed to be a solid entry slr and will cost around $550. But thats still a lot of money... Should I figure out the old F1 first, or will the D40 allow me to get to some decent looking photos sooner while still giving me manual settings? Help appreciated... It is worth mentioning that I'll be going back to school (Notre Dame) soon and wont have nearly as much time to go around taking photos once I return. Photography classes WOULD sound perfect but they are supposed to be really intense and time consuming, so that is not an option. I know this is all kind of vague but any input appreciated... Thanks