I think the best for the money is a nikon d70, it is one of the cheapest SLRs, but is excellent quality, very fast with ful manual control features. Only downside is that it has only 6mps.
My second choice is the Panasonic DMC-FZ20, this has got a great lens for a compact camera.
chris

I think Canon's EOS cameras are pretty good. I'm using 10D right now.

Good cameras come with a beautiful price tag...

I would highly recommend the Camedia C-370ZOOM and Premeier DC2302.For the DC2302, just bring lots of spare rechargerable batteries and a recharger.

Nikon, of course!
I have Nikon's lower-end Digital Camera with 2.1 Mega Pixel!
It has 3x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom. What more- it can shoot video clips too - though without sound. But thats OK.
Rest all Higher-end Nikon cameras have sound too.
So, dont invest your money in anything else.

It all depends on what you want to pay and how "pro" you are... There are so many types and so many price classes. I guess there is one golden rule: don't get fixed on the "megapixel", there is many more to it...

I think the best kind would be professional, because it's not that hard to use, and can do lots of things.

I am using Panasonic DMC-FZ20 , it is pretty good .
However , Nikon D70 is a D-SLR camera , it is not equal to Panasonic DMC-FZ20 .
If your budget tell you suitable to buy Nikon D70 . I think you do not buy Panasonic DMC-FZ20 .
The quailty of Nikon D70 is much better then Panasonic DMC-FZ20 .

i bought me a hp 850 about 2 years ago. it was a great camera at that time. i wanted an impressive zoom, and the hp 850 has an 8x optical zoom and was affordable. 4mpx and stuff. but the borders get a bout "rounded", straigh lines become curved at the edges. besides that, it's a good cam for amateurs. the batteries last really long! screen is good. another bad thing is that you can't save pictures in tiff. only jpeg and their compression lacks precision when taking pictures of thin lines.
if i had the money, i'd go for a canon eos or a nikon.
whatever you do, go for a traditional photography brand: canon, olympus, nikon,...
the most crucial part of your cam is the lens and those brands have heaps of experience there

where did u get it from n and what price?(me in bangalore.. but visit ur place mumbai frequently)

NIKON Coolpix 750... i dropped it on the floor and a bike ran on it... i dropped it into the water and it still works... =.=