Which Camera is a Good Beginner Camera?

i have had an interest in photography for sometime and i have had made very interesting photos out of nothing. i like to capture things that in other ways would be completely overlooked. but right now, i only have a digital camera and a camera phone. but i wanted to get something that was "professional" (like a camera that could be used by a photographer) but was still very simple. plus is there a camera that has other features like "black and white" or "septic" or "negative"... something like that? thanks! (don't forget inexpensive)