I agree, from personal experience,  with the mind-set that a $1000
purchase is viewed by the new armature photog as a choice that has to
last.  That being said the D80 has taken some of the shine off my 11mo
old D50.

But, boy, I am taking much more and much better pictures then any time
in the last 10+ years - so, the lesson is the sooner the better, and the
price/performance will continue to improve enough that in less then a
year, no matter what you buy, you will see a "wish-I-had".

Do realize that if you are still taking a steady number of pictures
after a year or so that you are hooked, and have invested in a
system...lens choices, flash systems, the upgraded body choice in a few
years etc. are all part of your first purchase.

In addition to Can-i-kon equipment you will be buying a good (larger)
printer, paper (more paper) different size paper, different finish
paper, ink, lens filters, 2nd battery, more memory cards, card reader,
2nd carry bag, 3rd carry bag, another hard disk (just got a usb 250gb),
IR remote, better tripod, camera software, flash screen, flood lights,
membership in a nude-modeling group, photo-trips, hard shell cases,
books on photography, art films, a newer larger larger printer, more
ink, 50%-off frames at craft stores, mat cutter, ink.... and finally,
with a real hobby you can stay out of trouble.

happy landings :-)

I just reckon that digital photography is still a fairly immature
technology and as such is developing fast.  Compare iPods, PCs, HD TV,
mobile phones, GPS, video cameras, DAB radio. New models come out with
such frequency that the manufacturers are not going to keep making
spares or accessories for old ones.
I'm sure it will settle down in a few years time.  Barring accidents
and manufacturing defects a camera bought now might well still be
working in 10 years.  If you're lucky you might even be able to get new
batteries and memory cards and software that supports its file formats,
but it will be several whiz-bang features behind and accessories such
as dedicated flash or remote controls will be hard to find.  If you
don't actually use it very often or have a particular penchant for
retro technology you might still be using it, but if you're actually
still enthusiastic you'll have moved on to a newer model.
That's not to say you shouldn't take the plunge.  The important
investment is not the hardware but your time in learning how to use it
and the pictures you produce.  As long as these remain forward
compatible it's OK.