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Evening folks,
Im a new member to the forum and seek your help,
I am after a half decent camera for taking photos(obviously) of my MANY Pets, in many situations.
I have a Sony 6mp compact at the moment but... I want a REAL camera that has good resolution with the ability to do what I did "back in the day" with my Cannon 35mm. Ie. Pinpoint focus (ISH) Blurred foreground/background spot on target etc. Without having to engage Photoshop.
Im a noob player in the camera world but I quite like the look of a "Canon EOS 550D" for my purposes.
Do you agree?
Please discuss.. 
I am not a cannon fan but they are good cameras. Have a look at the Nikon D90 though as they are coming down in price each week now. I bought one last week to replace my D 70 and the results are fantastic quality.
The honest answer there is no single answer to your request, any DSLR on sale today will offer that, providing you get the correct lenses. So for your budget I would advise getting any of the entry DSLR that takes your fancy and spend as much as you can on the lenses. In short if you want sharp subject and blurred background you want an optically fast lens (i.e as small an f number as you can get). So for £500 I would look to get an entry DSLR with kit lens and add a 50mm prime.
550D is as good as any, just add Canon's low cost star the 50mm f1.8. If you get a kit lens make certain it is the IS one.
But honestly worry more about lenses than the body.
I echo Strawmans opening comment - there is no single answer to your request, and any DSLR on sale today will offer what you want , providing you get the correct lens. I upgraded to a Nikon D90 when my Nikon D80 was stolen( ive since upgraded again). I can heartily recommend the Nikon D90 with a 50mm 1.8 Nikkor prime lens,and cheaper than the f1.4 ( should price be an issue and bearing in mind that a 50mm on a cropped sensor will be roughly 70mm,)- pin sharp with fabulous bokeh,alternatively a Nikon D90 with a 35mm f1.8 DX ( cropped sensor) lens - a very good combination, pin sharp and superb bokeh.
Chant
As you mention many pets, in many situations a fast zoom might be a better option. How about something the like the Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC OS Macro HSM Lens, currently £250 at Carmarthan Cameras which is available in Sigma, Canon, Nikon, Sony and Pentax fittings - so pair upto an entry level camera from any of those and you should have a system that meets your needs.
One of the all-time great DSLRs - the Kodak DCS760 - now goes for very little and your GBP500 budget would buy a pair of them. This beast is basically a modified Nikon F5, built to an incredibly high standard, and came with a price tag of 15k, which reduced to about 8k as they were being discontinued.
I used these for 6 years until 2008 because there was nothing from Nikon to equal the image quality during that time. The only downside is the weight, but then I'm studio based.
A few weeks back, eBay failed to sell one for the GBP250 reserve.
NO Lee, i completly disagree with a 550D, as the £500 is all used up on just the body, you'll also need a memory card £20 and a lens £100 for a 50mm f1.8, and if your pets are fast run around ones you may want a USM faster focusing lens for a few hundred pounds.
But when the 600D is fully released, then the 550D may be a very good buy, as it is the 500D (the model before) is currently a very good buy. Also note and 1100D is being released very soon and this is cheaper too.
The reason i mention the 50mm f1.8 lens if that you say you want a shallow depth of feild, and a standard lens at f4-5.6 may not give you as much of an effect as you wish - hence you may need a F2.8, F1.8 or perhaps even a F1.4 lens - Note wider aperture len's are normally fixed, not zooming.
So what i'm saying is an older model or a secondhand model may be your best bet to get started with. Canon do have some of the best lenses, but Nikon and Pentax are very good too.
Also i'd Look at the Sony alpha33 its rumoured to be discontinued very soon so prices will drop its got a translucent mirror that allows you to shoot images very fast - good for moving subjects like pets.
Of course if you can stretch you £500 with a few hundred more over time the Canon 550D would still be a great choice.
Stuart
I have to agree with Strawman. There are no bad dSLRs in the offerings from the major manufacturers.
My usual advice is "toss a coin between Nikon and Canon and then stick with it". It might help if you have a double-headed coin with Nikon allocated to "heads" 
If you can afford a secondhand D90, as suggested above, then that really would be a major move into the world of digital SLR photography.
However, if you still have some of your old lenses from your Canon film days, then that might determine a better way to go.
Go for a Sony A55 - a bit over your budget (£600), but it has similar image quality to cameras costing double that (Nikon D7000, Pentax K5) and better IQ than the Canon 60D (about £800). It's also capable of faster frames per second than all of them and has rock solid focus according to all the reports. It does good HD video too, which is a bonus.
Quote: and better IQ than the Canon 60D
In all honesty that is misleading, they are very very similar. Put A3 prints from any of those cameras on a wall that have been correctly processed and printed and you will struggle to split them. In fact it is so close you get varying results where some pick the D7000 out then another say AP puts the D60 output better than the D7000. Honest it is at splitting hairs point which is why you get conflicting judgements on which is best. And that is very good news for buyers starting out as there is no bad choice.
seriously, the lenses are the important aspect, the brand less so. and remember lenses you will keep for a long time, bodies get changed far more often. So make certain whatever camera you but the manufacturer is committed to the lens mount and also offers you upgrade paths.
And if you do get a body with an EVF, try it out under conditions you will use it, they may not be the best solution for action and movement due to screen refresh rates. I would advise against the Sony SLT range for your chosen interest, but I would look at the classic mirror Sony's, and the suitable models from Canon, Pentax, and Nikon.
I can only agree with Thincat above.........................just check out my turkey and goat shots in my gallery...............I am loving my SONY A55....a terrific all rounder:
My strong advice is to handle as many DSLRs as you can............find one that is comfortable to use............have a good look at then try out DSLRs belonging to your friends:
When I wasn't sure I found my local Jessops staff to be most knowledgeable and helpful.........but go in at the least busiest time:
hobbo
Quote: In all honesty that is misleading, they are very very similar. Put A3 prints from any of those cameras on a wall that have been correctly processed and printed and you will struggle to split them.
That's certainly true. The differences in image quality between the entry-level cameras and the top-of-the-range ones has been diminishing over the years. The more expensive ones tend to have faster fps, better focus, better weather protection and better high ISO - and are also usually tougher. But the IQ is often difficult to tell apart. The thing about the A55 is that, relative to the 60D and D7000, it has faster fps, better focus and it's much cheaper.
I think you've made it clear, SM, that you like the classic SLR - and the Morris Cambridge - but to insinuate that the Sony lens range is not up to par is a bit misleading. They've built up a great lens range over the last few years and you can get most lenses you need - they're still lacking a 300mm f4, but you can get the old Minolta G s/h so that's not a problem.
Quote: but to insinuate that the Sony lens range is not up to par is a bit misleading.
I did not. I just said when buying a camera system it is better to spend your budget on lenses than camera bodies.
Quote: The honest answer there is no single answer to your request, any DSLR on sale today will offer that, providing you get the correct lenses. So for your budget I would advise getting any of the entry DSLR that takes your fancy and spend as much as you can on the lenses.
For £500 budget buy an entry level SLR and look to get something like 50mm prime as well as the kit lens for example. Better to have a budget camera body with a couple of good lenses rather than blow the budget on a more complex Camera with a kit lens.
I am worried your suggestion is not the best technically for the OP's interest and is above budget. for a £500 budget I would look at the special kit ans body offers, go try them out and look at the options for a prime lens like 50mm f1.8 or a telephoto lens.
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