For me personally I would look at a Canon, perhaps a second-hand one or one of the "last year" models types that should fall into your budget.
Canon's lens range is far greater than anything else I've seen and the beauty is that most of their lenses will fit most of their cameras (current or past models). Many people pick up lenses and keep the same one for years but end up upgrading their camera 'body', this is where many of the bargain second-hand cameras appear from. Many reputable camera shops ought to have a number of second-hand models as well as the latest versions. As mentioned above, shop around and get a good feel for what each one is like and speak to the people behind the counter as they are often keen photographers themselves and will be more than happy to guide you through whats-what.
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