Back in the silver process (film) days I bought and sold TONS of film cameras of just about every film size from 35mm to 4x6'. You can spend as much as you want to on a camera but this may help:
1. You need good glass lenses. I am partial to Nikon but I have heard Canons are also good. This is not to mention the high end cameras from around the world made by Leica, Hasselblad, and the like.
Most of the high end cameras I have had are simply really good cameras, some didn't even have light meters. Again, this goes back to the film camera days. The point is, I would rather spend money on good lenses than gizmos. That said, I currently own 3 digital cameras and my phone takes better pictures. Of course, it's not a cheap phone, but it was still cheaper than a high end camera.
Finally, if you have something to say you can say it with a pinhole camera made from an oatmeal box. If you have zero talent the best equipment in the world won't help you. The rest of us fall into that in-between category of people who have to shoot 50 to 100 shots to get a really exceptional one. I have taken hundreds of bad pictures and a half dozen good ones.
All of that said, get the best camera you can afford, and snap away until you get good at it.
