A film Canon Rebel for $45 sounds like a good deal. Did it come with a lens?
The pro level cameras that will take a beating start around $1000 for the film versions...that's without a lens.
If you want a digital version then we are starting at $4000 US and going up from there.
There are a few good brands of cameras. Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Minolta...also on the digital side...Olympus, Sony, HP, Kodak. Again...check out
www.dpreview.com
It's quite possible that you will be completely happy with a point & shoot style digital camera. If you only plan to put pics on the internet/computer and maybe print them at 4x6 or 5x7...then 3 or 4 MP will be plenty and you can get a decent camera for a good price.
I just though that if you were going to spend $800 on an 8700...you might as well spend the money on a Digital Rebel because it such a better camera for the money.
Go to a camera store and try them out. You may find that even the 8700 is too big and you want to get a compact camera. Or maybe you will find one that feels much more comfortable in your hands.
Good Luck.