Amazingly beautiful photos, for a great price! – I had spoken to some professional photographers who use high-end Canon cameras - but most have a 550 / 600 on hand as well. They said that the quality for the price couldn't be beaten - and they were right!

As a disclaimer, this is my first DSLR so some of my "wow" factor is due to the fact that the I had a bridge camera before with a much smaller lens. But there is so much to love about the Canon! Picture quality is fantastic, the kit lenses really do the job (until you're ready to upgrade) and the image stabilisation, especially on a telephoto, is superb. I decided on a twin lens kit with an 18-55 and a 55-250. We went to a wedding yesterday and were standing a long way from the bride and groom. My husband used the 55250 lens, held the camera above his head and scored a very professional-looking photo.

Other great things are the ability to take very good quality video, there is virtually no lag - you can snap photos super-fast, screen has great resolution, feels good to hold.

Take the time to read the manual - it's huge, but you'll get so much more out of it if you do. The auto setting works very well in a lot of environments but you'll love your camera more if you learn to use the other settings - start with Av and Tv. As for lenses, don't get too carried away to start with. Try the kit lenses and see how you go. You might also want to consider an external flash, when you're ready. Also look at getting a UV filter to protect your lens from scratches etc.

I bought from Camera Pro (online), service was excellent and much cheaper than local shops.

Wonderful, wonderful camera. You need one!! Image quality, good price, very quick, good features, Very loud if you use at quiet moments (but that is a DSLR for you)