I must caevat this response with the key fact that I don't profess to know the specifics between cameras but I know that my old Canon Powershot s45 (that was 500 quid about 5 years ago) cannot touch my new EOS 400d that was £370 - 45 quid cash back, ie, £325 including a lens.

I would advise one the 400ds purely on price/performance and expandability. The cost now is compact camera territory.

So, from my 'ignorant' eye, I would certainly say the newly priced EOSs offer excellent value for money. The ability to control aperture priority and shutter speeds to the nth degree open up the camera to a whole new level. But the real benefit is in the size of the sensor. A dSLR has a bigger sensor than a compact and that's where the quality comes in. It's a fact that simply cannot be ignored. It affects the quality of the shots so much, irrespective of megapixels and anti-aliasing effects employed, once the 4Mp barrier is hit. So if true quality is the intended goal, anything outside of even a budget SLR is contriving your intention.

Have fun choosing!

Colin WHY did you waste this £ you got a wedding to take pics
or you get-in into take photos of things instead of setting up a tent and casting rods LOL