Fantastic SLR for "Digital SLR Newbies" like me

We purchased a Rebel XTi in November for to shoot extra-oral dental photos and for personal use. We already had a Samigon ring flash (it's actually a fluorescent light) which we were easily able to mount with a step-down (great light-source, but that's another review to come...) To get the shots we need, we purchased a set of screw-on macro lenses, which provided much better macro results than with the 18-55mm lens that came with the Canon kit. However, we are going to bite the bullet and purchase a dedicated macro lens soon.

Although our main reason for purchasing this camera was for dental shots, we find ourselves using it increasingly to photograph our toddler. It takes fantastic shots, and gives us tons more flexibility than offered by our Canon SD400 (also a great point-and-shoot).

We cross-shopped with the Nikon D80, but went with the Canon partly due to its slightly smaller size. In the end, for our needs, both the XTi and the S80 are a bit of overkill, but we are taking the time to learn how to use most of the features to get better shots.

One "gotta-have" is the RC-1 remote. It's relatively inexpensive and fastens securely, and unobtrusively, to the camera strap.