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I know this is out of your price range... but I recently bought a Nikon D200 w/ the Nikkor 18-200 VR lens (amazing). Highly recommended combo -- with batteries, memory cards, bag, B&W filter, etc, it cost over US$2500. I used it at the PCA in January and it performed great in low-light conditions.

Also, based off what I know at this point, I'd say don't skimp on the lens. The D50, D70 or D200 body will likely produce similar images in a lot of situations if you have that Nikkor 18-200 VR lens on it. Obviously the D200 is better, but you could live with the other bodies. On the other hand, getting the D200 body and a [censored] lens seems like a terrible option to me.