I shoot with a Canon 30D--it has much better build quality than the Rebel series--along with a dedicated readout on the top of the body like all the professional and semi-professional bodies. It also has two control wheels--something which was vital to me. You can get one on eBay for $400 shipped--the Nikon D80 (which is Nikon's lowest dual control wheel semi-professional body) is more expensive--I believe it was more around $460 or so. One thing to note about the 30D is it is heavy. Quite heavy.
Canon, Nikon, or Pentax? Olympus is cool, but the sensors are much smaller. Think about upgrade routes as well--you'll potentially be buying more lenses, etc, and it's not that easy to switch once you have a few lenses. I admit--the Nikon D300 is really an amazing camera if you ever want to upgrade--moreso than the 50D.
/rant.
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