Originally posted by Edward B. Yeah, my budget is very entry level. I've found places to purchase from that I trust. I can pick up a K200D with kit lens for around $550-$600 and a XSi for maybe $100 more. That's pretty much my initial budget.
I've owned Pentax and now use Canon, so let me throw a few things out here..
* I really can't stand the Canon Rebel series. The controls are awkward, they feel like cheap plastic toys, and they're too small. All subjective, obviously.
* The K200D would IMO be a better purchase than the XSi. The XSi has excellent image quality and high ISO performance, but it doesn't feel like a "photographer's tool" compared to the Pentax.
* If you have $500-600 as your budget, I would HIGHLY recommend looking at something like a 20D or 30D as your Canon option rather than the XSi. You most likely do not need all the megapixels, and the XXD series is worlds apart from the Rebel one. I spent last weekend shooting a 10D (which is ancient by DSLR standards) and the handling and performance is just wonderful. A 20D with the (really lovely, though not USM) 35/2 lens is an awesome kit. I'd take that over an XSi + kit lens any day.
* The in-body stabilization really is awesome on the Pentax. That's the one thing I truly miss -- I have to spend the $ for IS lenses and it's not even an option on primes.
* AF on Pentax really isn't very quick. I went from a K20D to a 1Ds Mk II and obviously there was an enormous improvement there, but shooting the 10D over the weekend I noticed that even this six year old camera focused and locked quicker and more decisively than the K20D. I keep seeing people say it's "not an issue because you can manual focus" but I'll be damned if I'm going to have to do that on a modern DSLR.