I am brand spanking new to photography and DSLR cameras. Thanks to a few hours at the University of YouTube, I think I have the hang of it. So my review is partial, but from the perspective of a total novice to photography and something other than a point and shoot camera.Feature guideI'm putting this first as this may be the most amazing and useful component of this camera for a complete newbie and the #1 reason this is an AWESOME camera for someone getting into photography. Since I didn't want to use my camera on auto mode (I could stick with a Coolpix if that's what I was looking for) and my goal was to learn how to use a DSLR in manual mode, the feature guide has been vital in helping me learn quickly. When changing modes (manual, aperture priority, Quick Control, etc), a brief description of the mode will pop up on the LCD. This is SUPER useful for a complete novice that has nearly ZERO knowledge (Thank You YouTube!) of what the different modes/controls are supposed to do. Seriously - best.feature.ever! For those that already know all of this like the back of their hand (I deeply admire you!), you can turn this feature off so it doesn't annoy you.Camera bodyThis is a heavy piece of equipment compared to the slim, simple point and shoot cameras (read: Nikon Coolpix). However, it is fairly comfortable to hold. The body has a nice curvature in the front with a rubbery grip which helps to keep it from slipping in my hand - for all I know, they all have this but again, I have little to compare it to. My son has a Canon EOS 30D (released in 2000?) and I can say that this model is significantly lighter than his.LensesI did some research on lenses and boy are these puppies expensive! I appreciate having both the 18-55mm and 75-300mm lenses with this kit. As a beginner, this will allow you to get all the basic pictures you could hope for all at once. I can take close up pictures and landscape pictures (the pictures I have included here were all taken with the lenses that came in this kit on my first few weeks using this camera). I'm sure there are much better lenses out there that come with a hefty price tag but for a beginner, this kit will give you everything you need to get started and take some pretty decent pictures.LCD monitorThe picture on the monitor is pretty clear and I used this a lot my first couple days. Instead of looking through the eye piece, I used the LCD display to shoot my pictures. As I became more familiar with the various ISO, F/S, and shutter speed settings, I switched up to shooting using the eye piece and used the display to quickly see/adjust my manual settings.Picture qualityI'm pretty impressed. The pictures come out clear and sharp (assuming its correctly focused when on manual focus). The colors are bold and vibrant in my opinion. I don't think the pictures of my kids have ever turned out so good. Side note: I did start using the auto focus feature recently while on a road trip to be able to shoot faster and I am very please with how well the pictures turned out. It was quick to focus and will likely be using this feature often when I am out and about (with little time to set up the shot).I am incredibly happy with my purchase and if I had to do over again, I would pick this model. After purchasing this camera, I purchased a used Canon 30D for my son as he wanted to learn as well. In comparison, the Canon EOS has come a long way in terms of design, ease of use for a beginner, and features but if anything, I know based on having both a new and used (old) camera in the house now, that they can stand the test of time if cared for properly. Oh, and having a bag in the kit is also pretty handy.