Man, I need to find a good camera too.
My wife prefers the point-and-click camera's. I bought her a 2 MegaPixel Nikon CoolPix 2100 around 5 or 6 years ago, when digital cameras were still new here. This is the camera I use to take photos of my minis, as it takes better pictures than the two digital cameras I purchased subsequently.
I didn't care about cameras, until the hobby grabbed me, and I wanted to be part of this community. I bought a 5 MegaPixel Nikon CoolPix 5200 for myself, last year, hoping it would take better pictures. It didn't. In fact, they're worse, at least where minis are concerned.
Just recently, I picked up a 4 MegaPixel Canon A420, because it was going ridiculously cheap, on promotion at a major store. It cost me the equivalent of 80 Pounds, which is very cheap for a digital camera here. The pictures aren't bad, and it has a 1cm Macro, but they're only equal to the tired old 2 MegaPixel Nikon, at best, not better.
I am now prepared to purchase a "proper" camera, that will take crisp mini photographs, even if it means spending more, but I still don't know which one to buy. The beauty of the old 2 MegaPixel Nikon is that it takes good pictures under any conditions, with no tweaking required. The newer cameras I bought take "blueish" pictures under artificial light, and I have to fiddle with the settings to compensate for it. That old Nikon is wonderful, only I want something crisper and clearer now.
There is just so much out there, and it seems some cameras have better macro features than others. If I felt I could trust the salesmen, I'd ask them, but they're always trying to push their favourite on you, or the one that brings them the most commission. None of them have been mini painters either, so they don't really understand what I want it for.
Good luck with finding your camera. I hope you have more joy than I have had!