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Whatever you do, don't ask a Nikon / Sony / Pentax SLR owner, "Whats the best Canon Digital SLR camera I should buy?". Camera enthusiasts tend to be incredibly brand loyal, and will argue endlessly over why their particular brand is the best of all time . . . and will always be . . . forever and forever amen! Someone who owns several brand name cameras, and therefore owes his / her allegiance to no one brand would probably be a better person to ask. Well . . . since you did ask, let's have a look shall we.

For first time SLR owners, Canon makes one of the best selling and most critically reviewed entry level SLR cameras ever. I would of course be referring to the Canon Digital Rebel XTi digital SLR camera (~$650). Its predecessor being the Canon Digital Rebel XT (still available ~$450), and it's successor (recently announced but not yet available), the Canon Digital Rebel XSi (~$800?). If you've never owned a SLR camera before, and are a little nervous about taking the plunge, you really can't go wrong with any model from the Canon Rebel lineup. Your final choice of these three cameras will really come down to a compromise between price and newer technology. They're all capable of taking great pictures, and every experienced photographer will tell you, the most important feature in any camera, is the ability of the person with his finger on the shutter button.

We now live in an age where nearly everyone owns a digital camera. There are a few important things that all camera owners should understand about digital cameras, camera technology, and the market today.

1. Your Camera Life is about 4-5 years.

In 2000 I found myself for the first time ever in the colorful electronics district in Tokyo. The streets bustled with hundreds of people running into the red, blue, and yellow shops where vendors demonstrated the cutting edge of technology. The sparkle of a digital camera caught my eye: A fantastic looking Sony camera with English instructions! The camera featured a bank for 4 AA batteries (which was standard of cameras at that time), and a whopping 1 Megapixel sensor. I practically stole it for the amazing price of $550 dollars US.