opinions on chameleons?

You can't beat the color of a good looking male panther!
But for a 1st time chameleon I would stick with a veiled. I bred panthers for years and kept veiled's as well. Veiled's would easily be my 1st choice for a first time owner.

There are lots of good sites that offer great info on care if you do some looking.
Here are a few: http://www.bluebeastreptile.com/
http://www.adcham.com/
http://www.chameleonnews.com/
http://chameleonsonly.com/
http://www.flchams.com/veiled_chameleons.asp

Obligatory photo of one of my male panthers I had.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10..._MG_3648-1.jpg

Start with a veiled. I've had two and they were great. They are hardy for a chameleon, so once you get them set up correctly, they aren't too hard. Also buy a male, as females have a lot of reproductive problems and are likely to become egg bound if you don't breed them. If you do breed them I think they have an average 4-5 year lifespan. My female became eggbound even though I bred her. She was otherwise very health and had 29 eggs in her at 5 months old.
No chameleon should be or enoys much handling, but veiled can put up with it. The trick is to hand feed them alot. After 2-3 months hold the food in one hand and put your other hand in front of it for the cham to climb on. Keep the insect just out of it's tongue's reach and it will eventually (cautiously) climb onto your hand to get to the food. After a few months of this they get more comfortable and it gets easier, but they are pretty timid. Just be careful and patient. Males can grow to almost 2 feet and they have some chompers that they won't hesitate to use if you scare it.
Recycling Goddess had some good tips. Use a 5.0+ for UVB plus calsium & vD supplement along with vitamin supplements once a week, mist 3x daily, 65-75 degrees ambient with a basking spot of 90-95. I used a Mercury vapor flood for the heat and extra UV output. They also need a big enclosure with cross ventilation, like a 2'x2'x3' screen cage or bigger.

He's a good looking fella pythoncz.
Last year we went to Madagascar on honeymoon and fell in love with chams in their natural habitat. There's a thread with some pics if you search.