i ended up with the 50d, mainly because i needed a camera quick enough to shoot racing shots, and the xsi only had half the frames per second the 50d has and half the iso range. and the controls with the 50d are a a lot easier to use as well. so i opted to save up some more $'s and go with the 50d. and God honestly any of the new dslr's are going to be stupid easy to use if you plan on shooting in any of the auto formats... but if you want to learn how to use manually use the camera and controls there are plenty of books out there that will help you out tremendously! if your looking for a good sturdy camera that will hold up to just about any situation for a good price i would go and look at either a rebel xsi or an xti. they both are amazing cameras, my sister has an xsi and i have shot with it a couple of times and i have had no complaints. the xti is the newest upgrade to the xsi and it gives you a few little things here and there that will make you a little happier. like a faster censor and a few more megapixels and maybe a frame per. second faster, not sure about that one though. but the major upside to the xti is that it shoots full 1080p hd video