new digital camera

I'm looking to buy a good digital camera without spending a fortune.. any suggestions? Thinking about:

Nikon D40 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...Inc-_-30113037 $420
Nikon D60 - http://www.ibuydigital.com/product/?49411&camp_id=209 $518

Seems like for $98 more it would make sense to get the D60 since D40 is 6.1 megapixels and D60 is 10.2.... but maybe it isn't?

I've heard a lot of good reviews for Nikon SLRs and pretty much everywhere I go they're recommended for a starting digital SLR camera. I don't really know much about cameras or photography but looking to start up some amateur shooting. My current digital camera is a 5 year old pos.

oh also max i'm willing to pay is around $500 since i will probably have to buy some lenses and other accessories. also open for any recommendations for lenses!

We went with the Kodak 10 MP with 12x optical zoom, I'll look for the model#, it is an excellent camera for a decent price... a little bulky but really takes great photos.

It was a Kodak Z1012 IS for around $250... I think they make a 15x Optical Zoom now (Optical zoom is much better than digital zoom, as it just increases the size of the pixels, vs. Optical which is actually true zoom).