I agree with the first answer (about making a larger investment in lenses), and will add that generally, it's better to buy a camera when it is still new, rather than wait and save a couple hundred bucks. So if you can't spare the couple hundred, or perhaps more, there are plenty of very capable "middle of the road" cameras that are as new, offer as many, or in many cases easier to use features, that are not contained in as tough a frame and build as the more "professional" models. For example, if canon is what has caught your attention, the 50D is a 15 mp cropped sensor frame DSLR with all of the features you would need as an amateur, as well as those you will discover as you become more advanced, with enough resolution to provide high end quality prints up to, and possibly larger than 8 x 12", all for half the price of the 5D mark II - with a lens. There's not much more I can say about that camera as I don't shoot canon, but it sure is as good a camera as others in the same price category - they're all marketed the same (and usually all perform the same, save ergonomics).
Back in '06, I got a nikon D80, pretty much in the same situation as you - only I had some experience shooting with film. In the end, the camera allowed me to carry the knowledge I got from using film, and continues to provide quality results three years later, despite it being replaced by a newer, more capable D90. But don't be discouraged by the obsolescence of digital cameras - they ALL go obsolete about a year after they are initially announced (being about 6 months before they hit the market, holding true to Moore's Law, with about an 18 month cycle of advancement). My three year old camera still does what it did when it was brand new, and the hottest thing to hit the market - three years ago. So, don't worry about how long you will have to learn and use your new camera, it will serve you for as long as you require it to.
And so that you know, the price you can spare to pay is the only "real" difference between these cameras. All the pro models have semi-automatic exposure modes, not just manual, but certainly offer a greater degree of control given mastery. In other words, it does little good to spend $3,500, or even $8,000 on a camera you don't know how to properly operate. But if you can afford one, and can commit to learning them, a camera like the 5D mark II, or the nikon D700 would be a better investment, and would be MY choice, had I the choice to make. And, don't forget to put as much focus on the body you choose, in the lenses you choose as well. I learned the hard way that cheapish lenses aren't necessarily the best you can get if you're on a budget. When you can spend a grand on a quality fast zoom or prime, you'll find they last longer than the $300 plastic one's - in some cases, it's true what they say, you do get what you pay for. And if you're on a budget, budget more time to save and get the best glass you can. The only time I go cheap on lenses is for 10+ year old, second hand expensive glass, that way the previous owner has absorbed the cost of investment. And that's rather hard to do.
