Id stay away from minolta. Just my opinion. I would also stay away from cameras that have lenses that are small and don't protrude. They don't allow enough light in like a camera with a larger lense would. Makes sense?
Personally, I would stick with Canon. They have the best cameras on the market, the best support and quite frankly - you can not go wrong. There is a camera for any budget from Canon. I am not being biased. I have used Nikon, Kodak, Sony, Minolta, Canon and Fuji. The order I myself would buy cameras..
Canon
Fuji/Nikon
Sony
Everything else if I was desperate. You will thank me later. Also note, getting macro shots with "budget" cams is not as good as say a cam that is 1800 dollars. So prepare yourself.