What's the best brand in digital cameras panasonic, olympus, nikon, sony or canon?

Canon and Nikon are the best for dSLRs.
Sony, Olympus, and Panasonic are great for any compact digital camera.

My first digital camera was a Panasonic. it worked great and used lumix lenses. I would prefer Sony or Panasonic over Olympus because the xD chips are more expensive than the SD.

If you are going towards professional/ serious armature then go for a dSLR. I have a Nikon D40x which is pretty good for my standards.

Sony and Canon i think have the best features for cameras. It really depends. For heavy use you would have to go with Nikon or Olympus. But if you want something flashy go with Sony or Nikon. For quality, personal experience tells me to tell you to get a Canon.

Sony i have always used sony and it always works