Today I bought a Canon Rebel XSi DSLR. Not exactly on a whim, since I’ve wanted this camera since Bakerella said it was almost the same kind she uses.

The camera came as part of the “Ultimate Starter Kit,” valued at $200. It included the camera itself, an 18-55mm EF-S lens, an air blower, a card reader, screen protectors, a 4GB SDHC memory card, a cleaning cloth, a “LCD Cleaning Kit,” and a few DVDs and even some photo editing software. As if I would ditch Photoshop.

I also got a Joby Gorillapod SLR, with a neat $40 taken off by the guy who helped me out. All of this came in at less than $1,000, which was nice. I was expecting the camera, lens, and gorillapod to add up somewhere in the $1,300 range.

I’ve only snapped a few pictures (okay, 45), but so far I’m very impressed. Such a huge step up from my mom’s old point-and-shoot. The camera is light enough to carry around, but not light enough that I feel like it’s breakable or liable to blow away. I’ve barely touched the different settings, and I have a feeling that I’ll be sticking with Full Auto mode most of the time, at least until I learn much more about ISO and Aperture and all that stuff.

I can’t wait to take it out and get some really fantastic pictures. Maybe I’ll take it for a walk tomorrow and snap some.