Amateur photographer-- need a good camera?

Question:

Amateur photographer-- need a good camera?

I love to take fashion/portraits of friends for fun. Maybe someday I'll try to take it further but for now just fun. I HATE the delay on my camera! I just have a small kodak digital camera- 4 megapixels. I can spend about $400-500 on a new camera-- whats the best kind for still shots of faces? But in some windy conditions?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I'd go with a Canon SLR. They give you so many more options photography-wise, especially if you're planning on developing a future off of it, like me.