i had a nikon D70S which is quite similar to the D70, you may also wish to include a nikon D50 because thats also a good start up SLR and quite cheap now new, cannot really comment on the nikon V canon debate. i was very pleased with the D70S, i would certainly advise going with slr rather than compacts if you want to get into serious photography, the compacts are ok if you want point and shoot stuff but you cannot buy a 10mm fisheye and stick it on, the best advice i can give is save enough in your budget to buy a good start up lens if its not included in the buying price, my D70S came as a kit which included nikkor 18-70mm ED AF which is a cracking little lens compared to the canon 20D kit lens. cheers nomad