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There just seems to be so many different kinds of finches. What are some tips for ID-ing finches vs sparrows. 

thank you so much. . . i am a photographer or at least try to be. Thats just what I do. . .but this bird thing is a new kick. I started sitting on my porch in the morning with my coffee and started to notice all the songs i was hearing. that lead to me looking up the songs online so i could ID them from that. After that I figured hey. . .why not try to take some pictures. So now  i walk the naborhood with nothing else in mind but birds. i have found that 95% of the time I really have no time for composure. Only a few of my bird pics are good. . most of the others are just snapshots and quick reflexes. its ok though because i am just trying to catalogue what I see. lol. its hard to take good bird shots. . at least it is for me. my camera isnt really clear at high zoom and low light (seems how most tend to be in the shade for me). I am using a sony H5. no SLR yet but im hoping. heres one of my favorites. A red winged blackbird. Oh yea can someone tell me wich birds are what on the previous pictures. thanks. .

Those ARE nice photos. Not sure about the top one; female House finch? The second appears to be a female House sparrow (not a true sparrow, but an Old World weaver finch. The last two are male House finches. In general, finches tend to have thick beaks (for seed cracking) and are usually somewhat colorful. Sparrows have thinner bills and tend to sun in shades of brown, often streaked or marked on the breast.

 The Red-winged blackbird photo is a stunner!
 

"The second appears to be a female House sparrow (not a true sparrow, but an Old World weaver finch."

 This is why I have a problem with IDing them. So let me get this straight. . . . its a House Sparrow/Old World Weaver Finch. Ok, now I am even more confused. Im not even going to continue with the oldworldhousesparrowfinch thing. But you say  "Sparrows have thinner bills and tend to sun in shades of brown, often streaked or marked on the breast." then wouldnt the top picture be sparrows?

The bill on the top bird looks fairly thick & triangular like a finches. (Also, it looks like it's eating sunflower seeds.) The heavy breast streaking suggests female House finch, although I thought I detected a touch of red which I assume could make it a juvenile male.

Sorry about introducing an extra element of confusion re the House sparrow. It is not a native N. American species but was introduced into N.A. in the late 19th-early 20th century. Most N.A. finches are colorful, but the females can be confusing, esp. the House & Purple, because of their relative drabness. Keep looking closely; it gets easier (but never easy!).