Actually, the brand and price of the camera don't really matter. And if you want the camera mostly for taking pictures of your custom figures, then the amount of megapixels doesn't really matter either, because you don't want to try and upload several 4 MB pictures of your figure - it will take too long to upload, and too long to download.
What you should look for are the type of lens, the amount of optical zoom (completely ignore any kind of digital zoom - you should actually turn this off if you're camera has any), and make sure it has a macro mode. This will allow you to get as close physically with your camera as you can, and actually you won't even need to use much of a zoom if you have a macro mode.
Another key factor in getting get pictures is where you are taking your photos. Make sure it's a well lit area, and that the subject of your shots is in a good light. Sometimes extra lamps can he helpful, but try to get as much "natural" light as possible. If you take a look at our image archives here at the site, you can see that Jared gets some great photos of his figures, using a dedicated setup that is relatively simple to make.
I can expand on these points and/or explain how to make a setup like this later on tonight if anyone wants, I'm at work right now and really can't do it. But let me know if anyone wants any more info.