I've got an Canon rebel XT. If this is your first dslr, its a great choice. Great interface, 8 mp, cf card not SD. And canon's great lenses. I've been a fan of Nikons for a long time, and even own a nikon 4300 which I love, but for my dslr I went with canon. When it came down to it, I decided to go with the xt because of the LCD resolution. If you look at the D70 lcd, it is more choppier and the clarity just isnt there, also the colors seemed off to me. Go to your local ritz or wolf camera. Check them out, you can even buy them return them at no cost. Although policies may have changed. I had a Canon rebel for 3 weeks, didn't like it so I returned it, then a year later I got the Rebel XT. Also look for price drops. I got my XT for $775 after price matches and rebates from circuit city with 0 percent financing for a year, couldnt pass that one up. That was the best I found, for a NON-gray market camera with full warranty etc...

It was the LCD that made the choice for me in the end. The rave reviews about the XT didn't hurt either. D70 has decent reviews too though. All up to you and preference, if you are going higher 20D is an incredible camera...

 

A bigger question for you is, why do you want a DSLR? I often find people buying camera's as status symbols, or because they think they will be a better photog rather than because they need functionability. I know tons of DSLR users that use Auto everything all the time.