Canon Rebel XT or Nikon D40x

[Tel]

She wants to do portrait stuff, no?

I'd say the XT with the 50MM 1.8.

I wouldn't go for the D40X for lack of an AF Motor.

[another view]

I wouldn't go for the D40X for lack of an AF Motor.

Quick explanation - in the past, most autofocus lenses had the focusing motor in the camera body but in the last few years, most new lenses introduced have had the motor built into the lens. It's really a better system, but the downside is that some of the currently available but older designs in lenses won't autofocus with this camera. This may or may not be an issue down the road. You'll just need to use AF-S lenses for autofocusing (Nikon's designation for lenses with built-in focusing motors).