I have about 200 to spend on a camera, what should I get

I currently have a kodak 10.3 megapixel digital cam. I have used it in the past to take pictures of my ball pythons, as well as people, as well as many other things. The BP pics come out decent since I use a light box to take my pictures, but it just doesn't seem to have the detail that my old sony 7megapixel cam had. It was always crisp and clear, and this is always grainy and indistinct. I have read reviews on this camera and that is a common complaint. If you had 200 to get a new camera, what would it be? I was looking into the Panasonic ZS1 and the Nikon CoolPix S630. The only problem is, I have to decide by tomorrow the Panasonic goes back up in price. Opinions? BTW I will be taking pictures of my snakes, up close of peoples faces in normal room light, normal distance pics of people in normal room light, and painted miniatures and models in a light box.

at $200 you're going to get a $200 camera. Both Panasonic and Nikon make good cameras, but they excel at their higher end models. Sorry I can't be more help than that.

I have a ~$200 fuji Fsomething or other as a nice point and shoot camera and I love it, but I wouldn't want it to be my camera to take professional pics of expensive snakes I was selling

Look on
http://www.newegg.com/
http://www.tigerdirect.com/
Both have good prices and awesome customer service. They are the only places i shop for electronics.

Nikon Coolpix

If you saved up a little more, you could get a nice used DSLR. That would really open up a new world of photography for you. You could probably find a used D40 in great condition with a lens for around $300 these days, maybe less if you really shopped around.