I know it's been wildly rumored and the subject of much speculation so let me set the record straight... I'm not a professional photographer ;-)

I shoot with a Canon EOS Rebel XSi 450D and I love it. I spent about 4-6 weeks researching on the web and visiting stores in person to make a decision between Canon and Nikon.  All I can say is the Canon XSi felt best in my hand. If you're thinking about buying your first dSLR I can't stress enough the importance of physically holding the different cameras you're considering.  While most dSLR cameras perform similarly, some are bulkier, some are lighter, some have different button configurations.  Some will feel completely wrong in your hand... and one or two will feel jusssssst right.  I moved up from a Pentax digital point -&- shoot in May 2008 and after spending months with my XSi on "auto" I've weaned myself off of that since I'm now becoming comfortable with the various manual settings. This camera is pretty darn fantastic if you ask me! I'm getting more consistent with using my tripod and Canon RC-5 since I can tell what a difference it makes!

My "studio" is comprised of a DIY infinity curve (thank you DH!), a Lowel EGO light and an OTT-Lite TrueColor lamp... all perched on the dining room table (we eat at the kitchen table unless we have guests).  If you're interested in more about lighting and food photography, definitely check out this post on the Steamy Kitchen blog

As for my computer and software... I can't live without my MacBook Pro and Adobe Photoshop Elements.