And there's me thinking he'd gone home to sleep (though judging by some of his excellent late-night Forum posting, maybe not.)
Here's an answer from my husband, who is a full-time snapper (hence flattering photo of yours truly):
"I recommend the Canon 400d, advantages are: Great image quality, Self cleaning sensor, the unique Canon built CMOS sensor gives lower background noise at high ISO speeds than other designs,ÿespecially when you turn the sensitivity up in low light conditions.ÿ Plus great for upgrading from as it has systemÿcompatibly right up to the 5k 1ds."
It's a 10 megapixel design, and is yours for around £500. More at:
Canon's website.