OK, this will probably sound pretty generic, but I am looking for something in the $400-500 range that takes good action shots, has a pretty powerful zoom, and is capable of taking dark area pictures without looking blurry and dark. If there are any specific questions let me know. TIA

man that is a tough price point....the camera wont get you your length or help with light...that is the job of the lens...the blurry is on the shooter....the dark like i said has to do with the lens

well, two of your criteria (long zoom, good low-light performance) are kind of at odds with each other. there are DSLR lenses that do both really well, but they are like 2 grand. you can get an entry level DSLR kit like the sony a230, with a wide angle zoom (like 18-55mm) and a telephoto zoom (like 55-200mm), but you're already at like 600 bucks minimum. then you could find an old minolta 50mm/1.7 lens that will perform beautifully on your camera for like an extra 50 bucks used on ebay.

but for that price point and your needs, you might be best off going with a swanky point-and-shoot. there was one rocknrobin linked to in beirmeister's thread that had a long zoom.

I am thinking of taking the plunge myself. While I have pimped the Olympus point and shoot for a while (mainly because I believe in the durability, and for point and shoot cameras, to me the photo quality is fine), I have been a canon SLR guy for a long while. So I am looking at dropping around $700 for a Rebel T1i (just the body, I have a collection of EF lenses).

I just have to make up my mind to part with the $ first. Nice camera for the $, though.

The main thing I am going to be using it on is outdoor sports (soccer, football).