Get the one that feels right....

[Overread]

I think the rebels got and advantage because the D40 has that problem with AF and certain lenses - that might not be that limiting in actuality, but its something that is well spoken of and is something that many newer people are going to pick up on - the rebels don't have that limitation factor.
Also I was under the impression that the rebels had good (if not the best) noise reduction for their area of the market - though this might have changed by now and certainly nikon have the advantage in the middle ground camera bodies at the moment

 

[Village Idiot]

I think the rebels got and advantage because the D40 has that problem with AF and certain lenses - that might not be that limiting in actuality, but its something that is well spoken of and is something that many newer people are going to pick up on - the rebels don't have that limitation factor.
Also I was under the impression that the rebels had good (if not the best) noise reduction for their area of the market - though this might have changed by now and certainly nikon have the advantage in the middle ground camera bodies at the moment

CCD vs. CMOS too.

Can you get usable shots at 1600 ISO with a D40/D60?

 

[Overread]

I don't know how usable usable is for you but ISO 800 is the max that I ever take my 400D to and I try to keep ISO 400 as my main max (800 is for those shots were I know i will get a lesser image at the end of it).
Its not just noise I find that is the problem, much of that can be lost in editing, resizing and printing, but its the loss of details in a shot. I rather like good detail in my work so I try to avoid the higher ISOs for this reason.

I guess the fact that the D40 uses the more noisy sensor would account for the reletive dominance of the rebel series in the lower band cameras

 

[photogincollege]

This is a good thread. I dont know if this has been mentioned yet, but the biggest difference (for me) between the lower end nikons, and my d200, well theres 2 things. The grip is much bigger and easier to handle for me. But the main thing is that there is much less need to go into the menu. This is huge. ISO, White balance, and quality settings are all readily available.

 

[Mindy]

Ergonomics is the reason I went with Nikon over Canon. Canon bodies and lenses are great, however their entry level cameras have the handling of a brick. Canon made a huge mistake in their designing their rebel series, and are losing bundles of money because of it.

I assume "brick" means heavy? I handled a 450d XSi yesterday and it is light. It's made of plastic as is the new 500d T1i. I don't have big hands, but the grip for the 450d is small for me (but it's okay) and is just as described as in a video I saw on youtube. I figured the 450d grip would be a better fit for my hands. But I am happy to hear the grip for the 500d is a bit larger.

The 50d is much heavier and the ergonomics are perfect in my hands, but since I am new to the dSLR world, the 500d is a perfect "fit".