Any digital SLR from Canon or Nikon will provide what you're looking for, I think. When I bought my first dSLR a year ago, I knew I wanted as much camera as I could possibly afford, and I went with the Canon 40D (the 50D has since come out), which is a step above their entry level SLRs. It's an excellent camera and I have no regrets whatsoever. I bought it with the kit lens, which is a very good lens (28-135mm f/3.5-5.6), and I also got a 50mm f/1.8. Both were great to start out with and I continue to use them both, though I've also added a zoom with more reach.
I decided by reading reviews at camera sites (dpreviews is one I relied on). I had pretty much decided on Canon just because I'd had Canon point and shoots that I liked a lot, but another good thing to do is to go to a store where you can hold them and see how they feel in your hand.
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