I am in the market for a new Digital SLR camera. Right now I have a little 8.1 megapixel Sony Cybershot.

I am pretty good with illustrator and photoshop, and would like to start taking photos with a little more depth to possibly use for some of my work. I feel as though I cant do that with my current camera. Im also interested in getting more and more into photography, but unfortunately only know what I can get in books and off the net since I dont yet have a good camera.

I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas for a new camera? I checked out the cannon rebel, but I would like some other input.

PLEASE HELP ME!

The first things that we would need to know is what kind of photography you want to do.
Sports, landscapes, portraits, etc. What is the camera used for in your work?
What's your budget and do you just want to take pictures or are you seriously seeking to create photographs?
The camera will only be the beginning and then you'll need to know what lenses you need and all the doo-dads,(memory cards, tripods, filters, cases, etc.)

Not trying to discourage you but all things we'd need to know to give any advice.

I need to take serious photographs and just pictures. To be honest I need to photograph anything resourcefully. I do everything from print work with landscape to web design with human form.

I would like to keep the budget to around $600 since im in college, already broke, selling some of my audio equipment, and am TAKING DONATIONS on my myspace to help pay for it the Canon Rebel XTi, which i believe so far to be the best bet for my needs. (I havent seen much on the XSi yet?)

as for the lenses, i was researching the Canon EF 75-300 mm f/4-5.6 USM IS Lens, as it seems to be atleast somewhat moderately priced and I dont see myself needing much more than what it seems to offer.

I think the Olympus 510 two lens kit is the best deal on the market. With in camera image stabilization, which is an awesome feature for the money. Also live view and histogram. Small but built tough. With the two lenses that come with the camera you will be set for awhile.

You probably know this already, but one of the things I learned about the Canon Xti recently is that there is something known as a 'crop factor' associated with it. What it amounts to is that you must multiply the stated focal length on the lens by 1.6. So, if you're going to use that 75-300 mm, on the Xti it translates to 120-480mm. Just something to keep in mind.

so i played with the XTi. It felt flimsy and cheap, and when I put a big ol' lens on it, the balane is WAY off. I then got and played with a 10D, and it was the BOMB. any comments? I want something that will last.

so i played with the XTi. It felt flimsy and cheap, and when I put a big ol' lens on it, the balane is WAY off. I then got and played with a 10D, and it was the BOMB. any comments? I want something that will last.

The thing is that the XTi should deliver much better image quality than the EOS 10D. The reason you feel the 10D is so much more rugged is that it was a semi-pro camera and has a magnesium frame like the 5D. Here's the thing. The extra ruggedness won't justify buying an older sensor because simply put at the end of the day all that matters is the picture. Have you considered buying a used 30D or 40D? I see these hovering around $600 every month or so. These guys will have the ruggedness of the 10D with better image quality (albeit only 8 megapixels for the 30D).

Some love the feel of the xti and others feel as you do.
Try a Nikon D80. It fits my hands very well.