This was (is) my first DSLR and I absolutely love it. Sure, a 7D would be nice; but for someone who doesn't want to spend 1.5k+ on a camera, this is a wonderful alternative. It's worked very well for me, and I don't think I've had one "glitch" or technical issue with it thus far.
good battery life; Nice features/settings; Quick Start-up time; excellent image quality; Solid Operation; Lightweight/Portable; Simple controls/menu; easy to use
noisy