bad deal very bad deal...

Camera is not a great value for money.
Unless you are a sports journo, Nikon D40 is your best bet. More pixels wont give you advantage as long as you stay within printing 18 inch by 18 inch.

Does it come with any top-secret government information on it?

XSi is definitely a great value for the money.

D40 can only autofocus with AF-S or AF-I lenses, and has no bracketing. Also, 6 MP is okay, but leaves little room for cropping. It's a good camera if you only will shoot with kit lens or maybe add 1 lens, so it's good for people wanting something better than P&S and don't want to get too serious about photography.

If you think you might take it more seriously, then because of the AF lens limitations, you'd be better off with entry-level Canon or higher-end Nikon.

XSi is definetely not a "prosumer" cmaera like Ben posted, nor does it make other cmaeras obsolete. But the Dell deal is a pretty good price.

Crappy deal.

#5 link to one that's much better.

It's $651 at Amazon.
Although the Nikon D40 is an excellent camera and its lower pixel count no valid reason to dismiss it from a choice (equivalent kit configuration is $440 at Amazon), the XSi has several serious advantages over it, such as live view, bracketing, faster performance, larger LCD screen, and access to a larger lens catalog (the lower-end Nikon camera bodies do not have a built-in autofocus motor, limiting the lens choice if you want AF support)
The D40 has the pretty serious advantage of better light sensitivity.
Bottom line, both are excellent cameras, you can be very happy with either, and this is not a stupendous deal.

Just got the one with two lens the other day for just a bit more, liked that deal more

Buy it at abes and skip the tax...

How people can continue to recommend a Nikon D40/60 (other than a backup) is beyond me, especially with a new Nikon D80 cameras for just over $500 (now that the D90 is out).

People also forget this is a CMOS sensor. Forget the MP, this is a CMOS sensor with superior ISO sensitivity to a CCD at the same count/size. This is a great camera.

No one, not even Olympus, Pentax or Sony, is selling a camera with a CMOS sensor for under $800, other than Canon. I never really cared much for the prior Canon "entry-level" options, but the XSi changed all that.

Should you buy a Nikon D80 or Canon XSi at the entry-level? That really depends on what you like in the lenses, Nikon or Canon. And then there are Olympus, Pentax and Sony considerations too. I don't know "in general," although it's hard to argue with the high ISO output of that CMOS sensor in the XSi.

No one but Canon seems to offer such at such a price point. High ISO output is the reason to go dSLR in the first place, which makes the XSi a great, "entry-level" option.

I hate people that just write "bad deal." This is a great camera (I own it). Nikon vs. Canon is just a matter of taste, but really you can't go wrong with either. This is a good price for a great camera.

burp Dell.

It's easy to recommend a D40 when they cost as little as $399 now. It kicks most high-end P&S's to the curb and it's light as a feather.

This is an ok deal. I hate it when they don't explicitly tell you that the lens is included or if it is the IS lens. The kit lens does not have the USM motor. You'll be better served in the long run by avoiding the lenses with plastic mounts and non-usm motors. Since the XSi is sold body-only, just get the body and a good lens instead of the kit.

Hell yeah!! I'm not complaining about plastic mounts. Good lenses are a much better investment than DSLR bodies. A good lens will last you decades. Plastic DSLR bodies have some advantages and disadvantages. The D40 is one of the better plastic DSLRs and it's really cheap right now. So what if you junk the body in two or three years?

I own both Canon and Nikon and I may try a Pentax or Sony someday if the mood strikes me. All vendors have problems, including Pentax. The reason for all of the hesitation is because the perfect camera does not exist. You make compromises based on how you shoot and where you shoot. It's the same reason golfers don't always use the same club.

I don't care if I dork up a $439 D40. If I do, I will chalk it up as a learning experience and move on. I have so little invested in Nikon that I'm not gonna feel cheated unless this thing dies in the next 90 days or so. I bought it specifically to try out the Nikon platform because I never had. Time and performance will tell whether or not I invest any more money in Nikon gear.

Maybe next time, if my wallet allows it, I'll try out a Pentax instead. I'm gonna read up on them tonight.

#6 i will tell you how to get this kit for $400.
go to live.com type in xsi click on e-bay site.
buy it now on this kit for around $600.
get $200 cash back from MS.
That's how you get the nice deal!

$439 includes the kit lens. That's the only Nikon lens I've got. I'm gonna work this Nikon hard and see how it holds up before I drop any additional money. This rig is a P&S replacement for now.

I just picked up a 30D for $699 no tax no shipping so I could start using my Canon lenses again. I'm just getting familiar with it. But there is no comparison in terms of build quality to the plastic body cameras. That build quality comes with a significant weight penalty though.