Adam, I would look hard at Fuji they make some nice stuff, as for SLR, unless you want to be able to buy lenses and spend another fortune and have a camera case like a suitcase stay away from them. My Fuji is one step below the SLR.
you want something in the 5mp and over range and you want a good macro feature and ability to use filters. I think the Fuji S5200 would be a good choice
http://www.fujifilm.com/JSP/fuji/epa...vBarId=I836806
or the S9000, if you can find it on sale or at a low enuf price for your budget
http://www.fujifilm.com/JSP/fuji/epa...vBarId=I836805
Steve
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