daimo

Let's be fair ... a Rebel vs a 50D for example, ... the Rebel is just lighter and have a (totally) un-friendly user Interface for manual control ...  but the bottom line, both of them can have manul control over shutter, aperature, ISO, white balance etc ... as a beginner, he can still learn from it.

Extra options on the higher model doesn't quite matter in that regards ... just gravy IMO.