i'm not a big rebel fan - mostly because i find them uncomfortable to hold - but with the right lenses, one can do very nice stuff with the rebel. nicer, in fact, than will show on the web.

i might have gone for a non-dSLR - the canon S5-IS - as it takes very good pics in good lighting and shoots videos. what i actually did go for was the canon 30D, which is the big brother to the rebel.

that being said, many photographers use the rebel XT or XTi. make sure you order some fast, good quality cards for it and an extra battery or two. the battery grip might also be a benefit. expect to buy more than one lens, and remember that all lenses are NOT equal.

i believe that lowpricedigital is one name for a famous scamming retailer. if you don't buy the extras when they call you, you may or may not get your camera. there are reasons why they are charging that much less than retail - one reason may be that they are not authorized by canon, which means your warranty won't work. check with canon directly, and if the company is not authorized, i'd kill the same and either pay a reputable retailer more for the camera or get the S5-IS or if you want a dSLR a pentax K100D for the same money.