I recently returned to photography (having got a Fuji digital camera which is only 1.3 pixels, it takes great pics but the problem starts with the PC side of things, and as for me it seems a lot of hassle and cheating) - so I went out and bought a minolta slr and it looks great, takes great pics on auto and is very,very easy to use, in fact I have just bought another zoom lens for it.
But as with a lot of things there is one irritating problem which I am trying to get sorted out and that is the auto focus sometimes is very sensitive and just when you have got the picture set ready to press shutter - the auto focus setting moves and you have to go throug it all again - the problem is the shutter button has to be pressed halfway to auto-focus then fully pressed to take picture.
But apart from that and the wide choice of cameras I would say buy one and give it a try.

I've owned an A1 for a year now. Back then it was very expensive, but worth the money. At the price it is selling for now it's an unbelievable bargain. The features on this camera are brilliant and will suit both the professional and amatuer photographer but where it beats all other competition is battery life. The A1's battery is one of the most powerful on the market and you can keep clicking all day long, even using the LCD panel. I've used all makes of digital cameras and I'm unbiased with brands but this camera wins hands down. There is also the Dimarge A2 of course which I'm sure is just as good quality wise. I teach digital photography as a profession and I would say buy this or the A2 and you will not be disappointed!