Mrs D wants a new camera for taking photo’s of the kids etc. We’ve got a compact thing to just chuck in the bag but she fancies something better for, well, taking better photos.
So what would the camera buffs recommend for about £3-400. Don’t really want the extra cost of adding a lense so would need to include one.

Well,

The first question is whether a dSLR is the right thing. It won’t magically “take better pictures”, the whole point is that it gives you much more creative control. If she wants to learn photography then great, if she’s still going to want to point & shoot then a high-end compact or CSC might be a better choice.

I think she’d like to learn a bit too rather than just point and shoot.
What’s a CSC? I’m not really into photography.. 😕

I’d look at mirrorless cameras. The a5000 can be had cheaply, but anything in budget from sony, Samsung, olymous or Panasonic. Dslrs don’t offer much unless you’re looking for good value lenses.

http://www.techradar.com/news/photography-video-capture/cameras/best-compact-system-camera-2013-the-best-models-reviewed-960832

Also – obligatory “I have a Lumix GF2 for same if you’re interested” comment.

As with Cougar, obligatory:

Canon 650D with 18-55 lens, battery grip and polarising filter. £300.

I have a ~10yo Fuji S7000 (bridge camera). I never take it anywhere since it’s such a pig to deal with and not great for keeping handy unless you wear the damn thing around your neck.

DSLR is complete overkill, like those folk you used to see at kids sports days with the RPG sized video cameras. They serve many purposes but practicality is not one of them.

Gadget show did a comparison between mirrorless (CSC) and dslr tonight.

Thanks for the input. Ended up with a Samsung NX300.
Seems to be pretty good from the bit of time we’ve had playing with it. Might need to add a couple of different lenses as time/funds allow.