Quote (onepagememory @ Dec 27 2010 08:12pm)
First off, think: do you just want to learn real, hardcore photography? Do you want to print stuff (or just show on screen)? Do you want to make money? If you answered yes to any, I suggest you buy a used Canon D20 with a small amount of actuations and a Canon 50mm 1.8 II (actuations mean # of shots taken with the camera). The camera should be ~$200, and it's great, even if it is a little old. The lens should be no more than $100. Finally, you can get accessories such as memory cards, batteries, etc with the remaining 100. You can download GIMP for free as your photo editing program.
You can also download photoshop for free as a photo editing program.