Without knowing the details of your budget, what size camera you want, etc...I may be a little off...but I confidently recommend to anyone I know who is a beginner but interested in photography to get an ultra-zoom camera as their first foray into digital.
Ultra-zooms are a great category of camera for beginners - because they can work easily and very well in Auto mode - just point, and shoot...like any pocket cam. And like any compact, they've got useful Scene modes that can allow you to take many different types of photography without really knowing how to set the camera.
But they also have alot of extra functions that you would find on a higher-end camera like a digital-single-lens-reflex camera (DSLR), like Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual modes that allow you to control the camera's settings as you get more familiar with photography and learn how to use the settings.
And most importantly, they give you in one single reasonably compact package a huge optical range that would require several lenses with a DSLR to match. Most will shoot from a wide end of around 27mm to 36mm, and a telephoto of around 420mm to 520mm. So you can shoot everything from a building you're standing in front of to a flower close up to a distant lion standing on a rock.
What's best about ultra-zooms is that they don't become worthless or obsolete as soon as you move beyond beginner-status...plenty of people who are quite skilled photographers find that a good ultra-zoom is all they need, and you can even find professionals who use them and published photographs taken with them. If you do eventually get so good with photography, and truly have an interest in pursuing it more, then you can hop up to a DSLR if you want to.
Many manufacturers make very good ultra-zoom cameras - and truly you can't go too wrong with any of them. They range in price from the $350 range up to $1,000 retail...but can also be found on sale. Check out the Canon S5 IS, the Fuji S100FS, the Nikon P80, the Olympus 570UZ, the Panasonic FZ series, or the Sony H50 to name some of the category leaders...all fine cameras.
Any suggestions?
