This one is always tough for me. So as an overly general rule no matter what you are shooting better glass is better than a better camera body especially when you are starting out. Having said that, when shooting sports or action there are definitely camera bodies more suited to that style of shooting. For example the Canon 40D is more suited to action and sports than the Canon Xti. That doesn't mean that the Xti can't do it, it just can't do it as well. Street Pilot proves that it can with his excellent shots from Mid-Ohio using his Rebel Xt. It is definitely a capable camera at a great price for someone just getting into or dabbling in photography. As for lenses you are going to want something with a little more reach. My air show pics where shot with a relatively cheap 75-300mm lens. It does alright. I bitched about not having the lens I wanted to shoot with, but with enough light even the cheaper lenses can do pretty good. Starting out I would first go somewhere like Cord Camera or Best Buy and pick up and handle the different brand cameras. It'll be easiest for you if you stick with either Nikon or Canon. Look at the menus and make sure you like how they feel in your hands. They make grips for consumer and pro-sumer cameras that allow for an additional battery, give vertical grip for shooting and give the camera a little extra to the feel. I order almost everythign I get from BH Photo or get it from Cord up by the Dayton Mall. If I were just starting out again...brand spanking new... I would probably go with a the Canon XSi kit, although you could save some and get the XTi kit. Not a whole lot though. You could also go used and save even more. You could then add the 100-300 lens to give you a bit more reach. Here's a DP review comparison of the XTi and XSi. There are a ton of decent reviews on that site as well a pretty good Buyers Guide. Recon Rat also posted a link to Steve's Digicams review page which is pretty decent as well. You are going to eventually want even faster glass which gets expensive. Better clarity, color, focusing speed....yada, yada, yada.