Canon Digital Rebel / EOS-300D Body only Digital Camera

This is one of the best value Digital SLRs on the market.
It is a good lightweight camera, and the 18-55mm kit lens matches it well (allow £50 for a replacement kit lens if you're considering a body only kit).
If the USA it's known as the Digital Rebel, but otherwise is identical.

Because the sensors in digital SLRs are so much bigger than those in point and shoot or SLR-style cameras, they have much lower pixel noise. This gives the pictures much better contrast and sharpness.

Although it's only 6.3Mpixels, that's only 15% lower resolution in width and height, than a 8.2Mpixel, so don't be put off by what looks like a much lower figure.

It is compatible with Canon EF and EF-S lenses, so is an excellent place to start. If you get the bug and start building up a lens collection, then you can take them with you to any other Canon digital body (EF-S lenses only fit EF-S bodies, EF lenses fit all bodies).

Summary: For little more that a new point and shoot, you can enter the world of high quality digital photography.