Even though I'm a Canon-ite, you really can't go too wrong going with either Canon or Nikon. Just make sure you check the features of the cameras to make sure it can go into Manual mode (as well as Auto). Some of the simpler SLRs have sacrificed control for ease of use. Great if you just want to point, shoot and not really think; but sucks if you want to take full creative control. I also think it's a good idea to start out with a film camera and not digital. While digital can be cheaper in the long run (heck, if you shoot a lot it can be a lot cheaper than a film camera pretty fast), it is a lot less forgiving than using print film. The reason for this is that print film has a much higher "exposure latitude" than digital cameras. Think of exposure latitude as the maximum difference you can have between the deepest shadows and the brightest highlights. Shooting digital is almost like shooting slide film (which has the smallest exposure latitude of all 3). If you have experience with cameras, then it may not be much of a problem, but if you are new, it can be very frustrating in the beginning. I remember wanting to kill whoever invented slide film for the first month after I started learning to use it. All that said, from what I've seen, the Rebel Ti is a very good camera body. Tons of automatic features, but the ability to go into full manual. It will do almost anything, with a few exceptions, that you'll want to do at an affordable price. I think I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I don't like the silver color, but that's just me. :) If the Ti is the class of camera you want, try going to a camera store and checking it out firsthand along with the Canon Rebel K2 and Nikon N70 or N80 and see which one you like the feel of. Their feature sets are very close to one another as well as their prices. The Nikons give you a little more shutter speed on the top end (1/4000th of a sec vs. 1/2000th on the 2 Canons). -=>Donald