Spec me a decent entry level SLR Camera please

[Darkst4r]

I'm looking at getting myself a decent SLR camera, mainly for wildlife photography, a bit of macro and some general stuff like family pictures etc.

I've been looking at the Canon EOS 500d and the Sony Alpha A55vl.

Now I know hardly anything about SLR camera's so was hoping someone could give me the lowdown and some advice on any of these cameras or suggest something better for around the same price range.

My budget is around the £500 mark but I understand additional lenses will probably be a must for going from macro to long distance wildlife photography.

Any help or pointers would be great

 

[Darkst4r]

kind of pointless getting just a body though.

Best bet, go second hand, get an older camera+lenses cheap and build from there. Nothing limiting you to entry level then either.

Thing is I still have no idea what I'm looking for now, let alone past models. I'm still in the same boat as far as value and quality for money is concerned, decent makes etc.

 

[Darkst4r]

Nikon D5100 has a great sensor and a very good body and is 500 for the body.

£500 is my budget for a package including lense. Definitely not prepared to spend £500 on a body and then go 200 quid over budget to get something I can use.