Hello..and advice on a Camera

[allendehl]

Hi...First of all hello everyone. This is my first post and I would love to be part of your community.

I just bought my first "real" camera last weekend, a Canon Rebel XS with a separate 75-300mm lens. I did it based on almost every sales person opinion and a friend who is a professional photographer.
My choices were between the Canon Rebel XS and the Sony Alpha 300...personally I like the Sony better but I know nothing about cameras yet...so I followed the master's opinions.

The problem is that I'm still in the doubt if I did the correct thing or not..hum

What do you guys think?

I have read some about both cameras and the Sony has great reviews. One of the things that makes me doubt more is about the integrated stabilizer...instead of including it with the lens(which makes them really expensive).
I was trying yesterday my new Canon with both lenses and I noticed that with the 300 one it is really tough to make close ups without making the picture looks out of focus....like "moved". I wonder if this is just me, learning, or because I'm supposed to use a tripod to make those kind of pictures.
I'm planning to go to NY for my first time soon and I don't want to carry a tripod all the war around to be able to make nice pictures.

What do you think?...should I go and exchange the camera or should I keep what I have?
Is that built-in stabilizer such a big deal for beginners?.

I'm willing to learn a LOT about photography but I would like to invest the money in the right equipment.

Thanks a lot!.