personally i am using 1000D and very happy with it
but then sony is very smart at marketing.
they make their product very upmarket and trendy to attract ppl to buy
they even lower their price to very low level

end of the day, Canon still has a better product
they have been DSLR maker far longer than Sony
their lens lineup is more mature and got tonnes to choose from (bad for wallet)
high ISO performance, Canon is still the leader la. you cant really go wrong wtih the 2 market leader (Canon and Nikon)

the difference in price between 40D and 50D is quite significant.
if you can fork out the extra for the 50D, then why not?
the higher reso screen is quite nice to use, the micro adjustment feature is nice to have.
but then dont be fooled by 40D being old. it is still a very capable camera. if you can still find a new unit around with good price. it wont let you down

actually camera dont take good pictures
it's the user who press the shutter release and take good pictures
user friendly..some say Nikon need to go into menu n stuff to change some settings
but i am not sure
go to the shops to try it yourself n see which one suits you

defuser,
1) four third is the sensor size. basically it means half the size of 35mm film. LX 3 has smaller sensor. basically bigger sensor you get more out of focus blur. usually better noise control due to less dense sensor.
2)maybe true due to larger sensor
3)many argument on CCD vs CMOS. but usually CCD has nicer colours n power savings. CMOS has better noise control
4) sensor shift means any lens mount on it will get the benefit. lens shift means only that lens has it. doesnt matter to LX3 since the lens cant be changed
5) refer to no.1

e-p1 can have wide angle if you get a wide angle lens for it
MP doesnt matter!!

Kent, you want to get a DLSR because all your frens have it?
do you know the advantage/disadvantage of it?

sammy, if you can find 40D then go for it
price should be around 3.2k or so
50D should be over your budget at 4k plus
D90...slightly lower level than 40D but has video mode
you really need to judge which camera you prefer in this case

Kent,
you must know the diadvantage of DSLR as well
it's big, heavy and bulky. would you still be happy to bring it out all the time to take pic?
you need to buy a bag for it, some demudifier to keep it dry, lens cleaner etc. are you willing to do all that?

samy,
if you can top up to 4.5k then just get it with the 18-55 IS lens
should be another 300 bucks or less. hunt around and i think can get better deals.
well...DSLR are still considered high end product by any company. so all of them should last longer than the user want it to
Canon has bigger lens variaty so easier to suit what you want.
but if you compare 40D and D90, then i would say go for 40D as it is higher spec

Samy,
500D kit is about 3.2k.
Can try Pudu plaza like noprob said
LRT pudu stop i think.

Kent,
if you dont know the advantage and disadvantage, then i think your Ixus 850 will serve you very well. until you find it's limiting you. then only you upgrade

defuser,
for me the built in flash is quite useful.
you dont want to spend extra just to get a big flash and not easy to carry around.
LX3 easier to carry around too. if i need a compact camera, that would be my choice

Samy,
megapix doesnt really matter. 4 megapix is enough for A3 size print
the higher the pix, the more memory it's going to take. need more CPU power to edit n stuff too!
if your choice is those 4, then i would say grab a 40D
if you have extra fund for 50D then get that.
no need bother about 500D

D40? gosh...
i am guessing 1.6k if you can still find it
better to get D60 or even 1000D for around 2k if your budget is around there

sheik,
most of the 3rd party lens n flash usually will be made for Canon and Nikon 1st before they release for other mount
as long as it's for EF mount, then you can use any Canon of 3rd party lens
I would say sometimes 3rd party it's cheaper than Nikon because the consumer Nikon Camera needs AF motor

defuser,
i think you better get LX3 now than wait.
from the estimated price, it's going to be 3k or so

barjoyai & zerodefect

both of you have similar requirements, so answer both at the same time
for budget of 2500, i would suggest take Canon 1000D for about 2k
then add the nifty fifty lens (50 mm F1.8) about bit less than 300
can take nice portrait with decent background blur.
the 200 bucks can spend on lens cleaner n stuff. haha