I've tried Dimages and they are simply not as good as Canons and Nikons. OTOH, I'm a fan of Olympus. :-) I'd recommend E-1 or even E-300. The latter is somewhat slower than E-1, but it has 8 MP and supports FAT32 for micro-disks. They both take same lenses. E-300 would be a good choice for an entry-level DSLR. It is a bit more expensive than its direct competitor, Canon EOS-300 D (Digital Rebel), but also quite a lot better. Good lenses cost as much as the body (or more), though, and the little zoom that comes with E-300 is ... very mediocre. You'd have to buy Zuiko 50-200 (100-400) mm for nature photography. I've tried it and its really good. People have been using Zuiko 300 (600) mm tele with E-1 and the results are admirable. You can also check Sigma DC lenses, too.

-- erlik