for that much, I’d get the D80. I’ve had my D50 for almost 2 years and have loved it. I think for a first DSLR it’s great. If I had to buy another camera here is what I’d do…
if it were my first DSLR: D40x
After having my D50 for a while: D80
I’ll be honest, a lot of the the photo guys here in boston use some pretty nice Canon cameras and I’m generally impressed with what comes out of the camera… those are pretty high end Canons though.