Nice, from what Ive heard alot has been built between 99 and now but I just moved up for school so some exploring is in order. Always have B.C. 20 minutes away too.

Sounds like the 400d is worth a little extra cash over the 350d if not just for the cleaning. Can definitely appreciate the dust factor. I was referring to the Nikon D40 or D40x but for some reason I kept coming back to Canon.

Between the 400d and the d40 I think I would be better off the the 400d?

Last night I started reading more about olympus after reading a little piece in a magazine on them. The E-510 looks like it might be a good fit too. The e-510 is slightly less expensive then the 400d. They both have sensor cleaning. They are both 10 megapixels. The olympus has built in image stabilization which could be a nice touch but may be a moot point when shooting mtn biking/skiing due to fast shutter speeds. Their lcds seem to be on par and the olympus weighs less. I could not find the shutter lag on the olympus though. If I remember correctly they were about equal at higher isos too. Would temperature be a factor to consider with either one since I plan on shooting lots of skiing/outdoors during the winter? There seems to be a large selection of lenses for the 4/3rds system but I know Canon has an equally impressive selection so now Im torn between the two. Sorry if thats all jumbled/hard to understand.

Thanks for the help John. Always enjoyed your images on mtbr and around. Actually how I found this site.