The EOS starsky recommends is a good camera - light, easy to use and fantastic with a good ultrasonic lens. Look on ebay where you should be able to find a good body, with a couple of lenses for a few hundred second hand. This said, film can be cumbersome for a learner unless you want to get into development yourself - It's just a bit tricky to really learn when there's a considerable delay in getting your photos back. Digital SLRs are an alternative, but are out of your price bracket I suspect, and the best out and about at the moment is probably the EOS-10d - with lenses it'll set you back just over 2 grand.