And Live View??? C'mon man! You are entering the world of REAL cameras! Look thru the viewfinder like you are supposed to! ;)
Seriously... i have it on my D700 and don't even care to know how to activate it. I leave that "feature" for my point and shoot.
Seriously though, you should be very happy with the Canon.
I couldn't agree more!!!!! LOOK THROUGH THE VIEWFINDER!!!!!! You get such better focus and a better "framed" shot! The only time I use my live view is when my camera is some place I can't get, around a corner, over the head of a really tall person, under something I can't crawl under... Your shots will be MUCH better! I thought everyone did that! Live view causes your eyes to dialate in low light conditions which makes you unable to see your shots clearly. PLUS, it runs your battery down ever so fast.
I have the Canon XSI. I love this camera. I am one of those photographers that can really use all the aspects of their camera, I set the aperture, light quality, shutter speed and all that stuff. The Canon XSI's only limitations is MY imagination. It can do anything I want it to and more. Those shots I just posted were all taken on portrait setting, ISO 1600, shutter priority @ 125. My photoshop is down right now (it has lost the ability to load because I moved it) so I only used Lightroom for my editing. I still say if I were buying all over again, I like the optics of the NIkon. The Canon is a quality product and you will love this camera.
Still, learn how to use your camera, learn how to use good editing software. The best shots come from people that know how to use their equipment, not people that just buy good stuff. Well, if you're talking about digital SLR's. I could point you to a couple of cameras in the 20,000-25,000 thousand dollar range that will take good shots no matter how bad your camera skills are!
I would love to help you learn camera skills, I have taught online classes in camera and composition before. I don't charge any money but I ask all my participants to donate some money to the charity of their choice. If you want to put a class together, let me know!
Catherine