Help me out guys...
Dont want to spend 700 bucks on a camera but I want something awesome. Talk to me.
OK so youre looking for a starter camera. Big question:
Do you want to take up photography as a hobby, or are you just looking for something which will give you more versatility in your holiday snaps?
If the former then my recommendation is 100% buy an entry level DSLR from any of the major manufacturers with a twin lens kit. In Pentax (because I know them best rather than because Im trying to push them, I would look at every brand in your position) youd be looking at a K-x with 18-55 and 55-300mm lenses for ~£650. In image quality terms you litterally cant go wrong, Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax and Sony all make excelent cameras. In my personal opinion Canon lens quality leaves a lot to be desired but even their worst offering will make any compact look like a beer bottle. The most important difference between the brands is ergonomics, which means the best way to choose is to find a bricks and mortar store which keeps them all and try them out. A great camera should get out of the way and let you take the photograph, so it should be comfortable to hold and use. Obviously different people have different size and shape hands, so while my Pentax K10D is the most comfortable camera Ive ever used, you may not like it, a larger Nikon may fit your hand better.
On the other hand if you just want an automatic snappy camera with a bit more oomph, bridge cameras are your friends. Serious used to have a really nice Panasonic Lumix with a ~12x optical zoom. These are cheaper, smaller and lighter than DSLRs but they lack the interchangable lenses and the ultimate control of a system camera.