Equipment

A Canon 300D EOS Digital Rebel.
This camera produces pictures way better than any of those small pocket cameras.  Why?  It's not all about the megapixels, but the larger lens, larger optical area, larger optical length, the ability to see through the actual optics (hence SLR) , better features, etc.
"Unbelievably good value for money, groundbreaking" - _ DPreview.