I suggest the Panasonic Lumox DMC-FZ7 or DMC-FZ50 cameras. Both are point and shoot but they have excellent telephoto lens features, and the quality of the images is superb.
All of the photos I have uploaded on this website were taken with the older Lunix FZ7 and I swear by that camera.
Have a look at my photos:
http://www.airlinefan.com/airline-ph...1/Henry-Tenby/
You can get these cameras for about $300 and they are superb value, and the results are top notch.