Canon EOS 40D Digital Camera with 18-55mm lens

Owning a Canon 350D and then a 400D and only using my cameras for amateur photography I wondering about stepping up a level. I read lots of reviews but as my use is limited in that I am not going to take thousands of photos every month I decided on second hand as better value for money. Some reviews of the 50D stated that it was not better than the 40D it is replacing and if you have a 40D don't waste your money upgrading to a 50D.
40D are still being sold new but there are now appearing more for sale second hand making them more affordable so I decided to buy one via ebay. It is heavier and more solid than my Canon 350D and 400D and I bought it with a standard 18-55mm lens. I immediately replaced the lens with the Canon 17-85mm and also have a Canon 28-200mm to use with it.
The camera is more complicated than the other cameras but it is just a matter of time getting used to the different applications, reading the Handbook and trial and error.
I like the camera and would recommend that you buy one if you can get it at the right price. It has a 'solid' feel and whilst it is heavier than the others due to the metal body it is not too heavy.
As in my Review of my 400D - Why buy a Canon instead of a Nikon?
Reading all the reviews as each model comes out they compare them with each other. The benchmarks always appear to be Canon or Nikon. Some months one model is slightly better than the other until another comes out and they try and outdo each other. But what sold it for me to buy Canon over Nikon (and I have both Canon and Nikon SLRs) is that with Canon, they keep the same lens mounts so you can swop and change lens.
One thing I have learned is that there appears to be a lot of 'snobbery' with cameras. I have been into camera shops enquiring about lens and lens filters and find I am disregarded as a Canon 350D/400D owner but treated with more respect as a 40D owner. I make a point of not buying anything in those shops.