I bought the Rebel XT this past week after a lot of advice from BAIC. Took it to Lotus Flower Garden near Ripon on Friday and spent last week near Kirkwood. Takes awesome shots, even in the preset "Easy" modes.

I agree that the feel of the camera isn't the best when I compared it against the D50. The grip was too small. But of course the XT is more compact than the D50.

Here are some sample pics I took:







Don't forget to visit http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php for support/tips from the Canon community.

 

That right there (IMHO) is your best bet for sure. The RebelXT is a great camera and even though I got the 20D over it, I think you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between shots from either camera in most cases. I played with them both and for the price I felt like the 20D had a more durable and nice feeling to it with the metal case and the rubber grips, however after packing mine on a couple trips with a friend who has the XT, light/small is always easier to pack...

The lense isn't the best, however just fine to get started and learn with.