The new entry-level DSLR from Canon is about to debut (as we mentioned earlier), and its merits are being seriously considered by the photo sites and magazines out there. After all, it offers a fantastic value, but so many cameras do these days that it’s hard to recommend it when you can spend a couple hundred extra and get a Rebel XSi or a nice Nikon.
Most people going for entry-level gear won’t care about the differences between the XS and XSi, and in fact they aren’t that pronounced — the 40D is where the features really start to change (I want one). But I think it’s good that Canon is really offering the full gamut of price points here. I’ve had nothing but joy from my old Rebel XT and the XSi is pretty much its replacement, so I can recommend it sight unseen.