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I gave my g/f a new Pentax K200d for xmas, but after playing with it, I'm returning it and getting her a K20d instead. The price on the K20d body has dropped, and at $742 it is a ridiculous bargain. What was interesting is that we pulled out my old Nikon D70 with the "good" kit 18-70 lens. We compared a couple different lenses on the Pentax bodies (16-45 f4, 43/1.9 ltd). Here's a few thoughts given that I got her a dSLR so she could take higher rez pictures of her work and also create art prints with a different tool (other than the Leica DLux3 that I gave her).
The Nikon does AF quicker in low light than the Pentax. And it is quiet (to get quiet with Pentax you need the newer SDM lenses). But the Nikon kit lens is slow (supposedly f3.5 at 18mm) and indoors with low light the pictures were crap. The image stabilization made a significant difference with the Pentax (the K200d as well as the K20d have IS in the body). But again, there is no substitute for good glass, and the 43/1.9 prime gave very good results under the given conditions. FAR better than either of the zooms, and made the difference between good images and blurry crap.
So the bottom line is that there are a lot of different variables to consider. A dSLR is not necessarily the best choice for some things. For instance if I was going to shoot in low light alot without flash (I hate flash) and wanted a really flexible tool that was still dead easy, I'd get a Panasonic LX3. Yes, it is a point and shoot, but you get a very fast and wide zoom (24-70mm equivalent, f2-2.8) that will outperform most dSLR kit lenses. No question in my mind. It also has image stabilization, will shoot raw, and has pretty good manual controls. I find shutter response to be just fine...but you have to learn the camera and if you're trying to get fast action, you need to anticipate. You have to do that with a dSLR as well, just to a lesser degree.
But if you are going to shoot action sports outdoors in good light, then a dSLR with a fairly long lens will probably be a better choice. However if you want to shoot indoors you'll need another lens. That is a blessing of dSLR and also a curse.
Another option is one of the wide/long p&s cameras like the Panasonic FZ-18 or 50 (28-504mm equivalent). I have the first iteration of that camera and it is pretty flexible, though I find the image quality of it lacking. It supposedly has gotten better though, and will likely be close to a budget dSLR with a kit lens.
Lots of choices these days, it just depends on your budget, how much time and effort you want to spend learning the camera, and what you think you'll want to shoot. But again this warning is worth repeating - dSLRs are a slippery slope and will be a money sink if you're a gadget guy. I for one have worked very hard to quit reading spec sheets and machine tests because frankly I don't think they are that important. Just like a car, it is mostly about the driver. So pick a decent tool and then learn it and practice.
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