recommend you to get the Canon 350D since now the 400D is out i think the 350D u might get some nice promo or something.

or the Sony Alpha with the trade in disc at RM2899.

The nikons above which are mentioned are not bad as well.......

Basically this is what i think since my photography days from film SLR.
more so nowadays with digital.......

From what i see, nowadays with the digital era.... most ppl just keep the photos in digital format, in CD/DVD/HDD/etc.....
and if pictures are processed print outs... most ppl do it in around 4R size for easy keeping....

For this size, a 10K camera and a 2K camera won't do much difference.
So is a 10K lens and a 2K lens or the kit lens for that matter. U might be just be tempted for wider lens / more telephoto which might be a premium.

A lot of people tend to forget that the camera is just an equipment to take pictures and does not equal to better equipment = better pictures.

Give me a D2X or a EOS1D and give 1 of the pros from national geographic a pentax ist or minolta 5D with kit lens... chances are they will be able to produce much much better pics then me. i admit i'm just a noob.... lol...

And judging from technology nowadays.... all brands are already very very good.. no 1 brand is superior than another in my oppinion.. go to the camera shop... hold a few and snap and play with a few cameras in the price range that you are interested and get the 1 which you are the most comfortable with in terms of ergonomics.... chances are you'll be able to take better pics if u are more comfortable with the camera.

While there are ppl that may say that Canon or Nikon will provide u with better array of lenses and accesorries... think about this... are you sure you are going to get those mucho expensive lenses?

while some may argue that the kit lens is not enough in terms of range... but come on.. i know ppl with fix lens that are able to take pictures perfectly... and not worry bout not enough range.

start to learn composition before worrying about everything else.

just my 2 cents.