camera crisis?

I hate to say this but you've accidentially asked us to answer a bit of a contradiction. Though, I'm not saying it's unreasonable ( Quality of the goods is all that matters right ? =D ).

The simplest solution for a 100% honest to goodness pro camera is to buy a film slr. The prices they are going for on ebay should be making us cry ( I've seen people selling their formerly much loved film slr's online for under 200 including a lense or two ). The downside to this is that since it's not a digital slr, learning to use a speedlight flash or the equivalent would be a pain of trial and error.

If you don't mind a slightly older D SLR, you can put together an excellent flash, lense and Eos Rebel XT package for under 1100$ and for the added pro look the extra battery grip will set you back another 100$ or so ; )

So what can you buy for less than that price? Well for under 350

Canon PowerShot S5 IS

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3

Fujifilm FinePix S700 - 190$

Sony DSC-H2

and for 400$ the Sony DSC-H9

Note that these are mostly super zoom models that came out within two years or so.

To be completly honest with you--if you want professional quality, it's going to be more than $200, even without going to an SLR (which is standard for professionals). You could get a decient point-and-shoot camera for $200, something like a Canon SD1100, or a Sony W80. So if you're really looking for a nice professional camera, for under $200, you would most likely need to go second-hand. For professional photography though, you really should have an SLR. Canon Rebels are great beginner SLR's, so maybe hit up some second hand shops and start asking around. Hope this helps, and good luck with the photography!

For only two hundred you'd most likely have to go 35mm film, second had store/eBay route. But if you search a little bit I bet you can find a Nikon d40 kit for around $400. Those are great because they produce great photos, have lots of settings but aren't overwhelming to someone who is stepping into the SLR world.

You'll need to specify what "professional photography" you are going to do, as they require different tools.

HTH

V2K1

Have you gone to EBay i saw many professional cameras there

I think you need to reevaluate your plan.