Well, I'm looking at Canons but that's as close as it gets.

I'm sorry, my level of inexpertise is offensive to anyone on a photography forum. I am worse than a newbie at photography. However, I have to get better. I also need a better camera.

I need to take shots that are vaguely reminiscent of the "home entertainment industry." AKA Martha Stewart. Again, I'm a newbie, but that means wide-angle shots as well as shots taken with a very shallow depth of field so that the subject is clear and everything behind and in front of it is romantically fuzzed out. It also means close-ups, much more than my old digicam can handle. You know what I mean -- Martha Stewart pretty much says it all.

I've been looking at the Canon SP1s and 2s. If I have to buy a $500 camera to do this I'll have to wait a while. If I can buy one for $250 I could do it sooner.

I could really use some recommendations on this subject. It's not pretty, making your big investment before you know the first thing about photography. Thanks for reading.