I'm looking into getting a camera but I'm not sure which one I want. I would like to get either a Nikon or a Canon. Here are my requirements:
-Good zoom (I will be taking a lot of really close up photos to draw and if i get a close up of say a bee on a flower i want no loss of clarity)
-Good in low-light (I will be taking a lot of pics in the woods where light may be scattered, I want to be able to pick up the variations of light and be able to see them in the photograph without using a flash
-Reasonable price (I'm new to this and I don't want to pay like 1000$)
-Relatively compact (I understand it won't be the size of your average camera but I don't want to have to lug a giant case and a bunch of extra lenses to the barn or into the woods)
So what would you recommend?
>>> Camera recommendations?