I've been through this same process about a half dozen times in the past couple of years in researching digital cameras for myself and family and friends, so I’ve collected a fair number resources with thorough reviews that have helped me make purchase decisions and hopefully can help you, too.
What's best for one person isn't best for another, but that said, if you really want to get into photography as art, I recommend seriously considering PJ's suggestion of springing for an SLR that can grow with your skills as a photographer or at least a "point-and-shoot" that has good manual options for aperture, shutter speed, exposure, ISO, etc. Also, whatever you do, do not buy a camera without an auto-focus assist lamp. In low light situations, not having the AF assist is just asking for unfocussed, poorly-exposed pictures. And when you're looking at zooms, all you care about is the "optical zoom" - "digital zoom” is just marketing BS for digitally cropping the image while it's still in-camera. If you max out your optical zoom and start going into digital zoom, all you'll get are pixelated images.
You'll also need to purchase a memory card, as most cameras only come w/ a 16MB card. Depending on the quality of images you're taking and how frequently you plan to upload them, I'd suggest 256MB - 512MB. You can go for 1GB if you want, but unless you plan to take a summer-long safari with no computer access, that's probably overkill.
And buy rechargeable batteries. A good set will run you anywhere from $25-$50 US, but not only are they more environmentally friendly, but they'll last a hell of a lot longer on a single charge than alkaline AA. I bought a set of 4 AA and 4 AAA 2000mAh NiMH with a charger w/ multiple functions and ability to recover "dead" batteries, converters so that those AA's will work in devices that require C and D batteries, and a carrying case for under $50 (La Crosse NiMH). You may not want to go that far, though, so just check around and make sure you're buying a reliable and durable battery.
Also, some cameras come with proprietary, included batteries which are not interchangeable with AAs. That's got its pros and cons. Pro: You don't have to buy your own rechargeables. Con: You can't have one battery charging while the other's in the camera, and if you run out of charge in the field, you can't run to the local Quik-E-Mart and grab some alkaline AA to hold you over.
Those review resources I mentioned:
Steve's Digicams- Camera Reviews
Digital Camera Resource Page
Digital Photography Review
Steve's Digicams - Rechargeable Batteries
And from personal research and experience, the Canon PowerShot A610 or higher resolution A620 are both good non-SLR cameras. You can take manual control of your pictures, and the menus are quick to learn and intuitive. The color and quality of images are also very nice. Most of the Canon PowerShot's are solid performers, but check the reviews before buying anything. I've got a Nikon film SLR that I love and have had for a while; I can't personally vouch for their digital cameras, but if the company maintains the same quality across all of their lines, those would also be good to look into. I've also been very impressed with my Dad's Olympus Camedia C-5060 Zoom, PC World Review. It has excellent picture quality, quick processing, saves images in TIFF, JPEG, and RAW formats, has tons of terrific features to take manual control of almost all aspects of your photos (and includes the handy-dandy point-and-shoot mode as well), as well as a shoe for an external flash, optional wide angle and telephoto conversion lenses, and a sturdy magnesium alloy body (i.e. it can take a bit of a beating). I can't remember what he bought it for last summer, but I think it was around $550. The price has probably gone down a bit since then.
Those are cameras that I can personally vouch for, but really, check out those links and find a camera that fits your needs. Good luck!
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