i know this is an old thread but the points are still valid. my take on it is simple tho. a newbie should be getting a newbie camera and going from there you will only get photos as good as you are able to take, whe you start getting real good then invest in more and better quality lenses when you start feeling your on the verge of being a pro upgrade the camera and the lenses will already be there for that upgrade ( provided you stick with brands ofcourse which u will ofcourse ) isnt this the most logical way.

i have a d3100 myself even now in mid 2013 and i can still take photos as good as a newbie with a d7000 im sure of it. a newbie will produce the same pics with a high quality body costing thousands as he/she will with a d3100 this is why they are considered a begginer. i have used higher quality kit for sure and i will be honest i do notice the difference but am i good enough to invest in buying a canon 5d? i dont think so it wasted on me im better off buying some lovely glass for my future investment when i get pro level good. just my take on it.

My take on it is simple: a newbie should be getting a newbie camera and going from there. You will only get photos as good as you are able to take. When you start getting really good, then invest in more and better quality lenses. When you start feeling you're on the verge of being a "pro", upgrade the camera and the lenses will already be there for that upgrade.

I have a D3100 myself even now in mid-2013, and I can still take photos as good as a newbie with a more expensive D7000 — I'm sure of it. Anewbie will produce the same pics with a high quality body costing thousands as he/she will with a lower model. This is why they are considered a beginner, after all. I have used higher quality kit, for sure, and I will be honest: I do notice the differencem but am I good enough to invest in buying a top-end Canon 5D? I dont think so — it would be wasted on me. I'm better off buying some lovely glass for my future investment when I get pro-level good.