Hi Bookworm

Well, it is a matter of budget, mostly. But if you are looking for a trivial camera, in ther 200-400 franc budget, I would strong recommend the Lumix line of models. They are reliable, great picture, easy to carry.

Cheers

BTW, Great quote, will steal it for my Facebook

http://dpreview.com/

In my opinion, this is the best site to compare cameras. (also read user comments on amazon)

When you talk about "HD with changeable lenses" I assume you are talking about DSLRs.

Personally I like having both a point and shoot (I have a canon s95) and a DSLR (T1i, now they have the T3i/600D) I think these might be a great combo for you.

As for lenses, it will depend on what you can afford mostly :-)

As a begginer you won't want to change our lense ourdoors, or very often, as it takes practice and dust can get in your camera. So for that wedding, I would get a good "zoom" like a 28-200 so you can get good close ups (on the 200mm side) but also good wider angle shots on the 28mm side.

if you want you can read my "listmania" I had created a while back on amazon for my T1i ... for more ideas of things you might need/want to add to your dslr :-)

http://www.amazon.com/Accessories-for-the-Canon-T1i/lm/RTTJEKTV5ZUD/ref=cm_srch_res_rpli_alt_4

If you only have 2 weeks before you need to take great pictures though.... I highly recomend getting the s95 though :-) 

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-S95-Stabilized-3-0-Inch/dp/B003ZSHNGS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314867662&sr=8-1

A good compromise for a beginner is either the nikon p7100 or the canon G12. Both have very good image quality (larger image sensor than most point and shot cameras), are much smaller than an SLR, and have full manual controls,  that are almost identical to a professiona (slr) camera.

they are about 500 CHF

Thanks for all the pointers...checking them out now! Where should I buy in Geneva? planning a trip to Media Markt today, I bet I'm gonna be like a deer in the headlights.  I have a good Samsung point and shoot with good zoom so will go for something a little more complex, butdget is about 750chf.  

Keep the tips coming, will keep it for a while so need to have something I will enjoy learning about for a while.....why is this so bloomin' hard...someone take the money and get me the camera...aaarggghhh! 

I just wanna take good pictures and make short movies......Will keep you posted...thanks again...

Sony Nex-5, Panasonic Lumix G3/GF3, Olympus PEN series.

Sony Alpha 35 if you want to go "DSLR" 

Mediamarkt is probably the cheapest place in Geneva for cameras, but the choice is very limited and the staff doesn't know anything. Buying online will save you a lot of money though. Unfortunately I don't buy my camera equipment in Switzerland so I can't be of much help recommending a site.

Your main choice is whether to go for a compact camera or a SLR (single-lens reflex) with interchangable lenses. The SLR is more expensive and much heavier to carry aruond, but it gives you a lot more freedom (which is important if you intend to become serious about photography).Another benefit of an SLR is that you can attach big flash lights, which is a requirement if you take pictures at weddings.

Don't worry about pixels. Any camera you buy now has enough of them and you're taking pictures/videos for a website which means that your requirements are very low.

Make sure that whichever camera you buy, that the controls are convenient. Especially if you intend to use the camera under time pressure (weddings), you don't want to have to press a small button to switch on your flash or something. Personally I have very big hands so I've got a relatively big SLR with big dials instead of buttons.

If you want I can help you out with your choice, e.g. we could visit a camera store together and compare choices.

I use this

http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Digital-SLR-Cameras/25472/D3100.html

I dont know anything about cameras so easy to use was my requirement.  This one is super easy to use, not overly expensive, and the pictures are beautiful.

you can take a look at http://www.digitec.ch/

they have a shop in Lausane.

UPDATE:

I went for the Canon 550D and so far loving it. It was a tight race with the Canon and the Nikon D3100, I mean REALLY tight, infact at the last minute changed over to Canon upon the advice of a professional photographer. Now I need to buy a flash as the inbuilt one is no good for distance shots...wedding remember?... I also need camera bag inserts, decided to go with inserts and not a custom bag, had a very expensive camera stolen at the Bronx Zoo many years ago and it put off buying another pricey camera for ages...oh and it put me off gorillas too :(

So any top up tips, send them my way oh the wedding is Thursday so not much time...Yikes...oh and thanks to all of your postings and e-mails, really excellent help...Ciao for now!

Great choice. Both the Canon and the Nikon would have been fine.

About flashes: I can't remember the name, but each flash has a certain number that indicates its strength. It's a number somewhere between 15 and 100 and it's pretty much always mentioned in the model name. The stronger the flash (the higher the number), the further you can be away from your subject and light it up well. My experience with shooting a few friends' weddings is that a midrange flash with a number around 45 works fine, but I wouldn't go for the cheapest Canon flash (which normally has a number around 15-20). You can save money by going for another brand (as long as it has a Canon connection), if you can find it, and a 2nd-hand one will do fine.

One way to increase the range of a flash is to increase the ISO number you're shooting at, e.g. at 400 instead of 100/200. Also note that many flashes do not work properly with lenses where f (lense magnification) is greater than 100-130. This means if you zoom in too much the flash won't light up the subject properly. If you have a zoom lense that goes further than that, ask the shop assistant or find out otherwise if it's a problem. You may want to take the lens sun protection off.

When you're shooting weddings you don't want your camera to stop working, so take a second (charged) battery and your recharger. If you plan to shoot video as well, take a decent tripod (I could borrow you one if you pick it up in Chambesy).

Gosh thats so kind of you, all the info. is soooo helpful. I will most likely be looking to buy a tripod soon, might send a link to get your thoughts actually, hope thats OK.  I have 4 days until the wedding and will probably go to the Media Markt or FUST to check out the flashes, the assistant at the MM in Carouge was actually really good, quite knowledeable as it happens. I will take your advice and scribble it down on a piece of paper and take it with me. 

Many thanks, will let you know how I get on, I know this post is fast becoming a rivetting read for Glocalers...LOL! Well it is for me anyway 

On tripods: ideally you want them to be sturdy and lightweight. But unless you're willing to spend 300 Euros on it you will need to find a compromise. If you don't travel with it weight is less of a concern, but on the other hand for for example a wedding you may want a decent one that is at eye-level (so not a mini one).

Also consider what head you want (i.e. the thing on top of the tripod that lets you turn the camera in any position). The simplest one is a ball-head, with is compact and light but hard to position accurately (which is important for portrait and landscape photography). More complicated ones have a few handles that can make positioning easier, but they're heavier and a bit more expensive.

Many photography students (at least in Holland) go for the brand Manfrotto, which offers good all-round tripods for about 150-200 Euros. I have a nice lightweight SLIK.

do consider the Olympus PEN series of digital cameras

besides its size, its performance are almost as good as DSLR and you will have the opportunity to grow with this camera with its inter changing of lenses without a converter

check it out

http://www.olympus.co.uk/consumer/21693.htm