Hi, I was just wondering if anybody out there knew of an ideal digital SLR to start digital photography with? I know this question has been generally been asked before, but the difference is what I want is an SLR for learning - one which is best for going from an amateur to a pro (well, as near as possible to one!).

I know the camera isn't going to make me a pro, I just want one with as many pro features as possible (the steeper the learning curve the better) and which I could pick the body up 2nd hand for $200-$400.

I don't care about pixels, or if the camera was made 10 years ago, I purely want a learning camera which produces quality images; although the size doesn't matter - the image quality is still important to me. Another important feature to me (but not imperative) is the ability to use older lenses with the camera which I'd be able to pick up cheap and get great images (I don't care about autofocus or IS or whatever).

For example, I've been thinking about such camera as the Canon EOS D30, Fuji S1 Pro, Pentax K100D and Nikon D1. But I haven't found a site which has compared them all (and other similar ones).

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

Lee