Let the hive mind of Engadget get that for you.
"I'm pretty much a complete noob when it comes to camera stuff. My wife loves to take pictures, though. So much so that she literally wore out her first point and shoot camera, and the Kodak Z712 I bought for her less than two years ago is starting to act up as well. To compound the matter, we are expecting our first born sometime next year. I fear the Kodak just isn't going to cut it any longer. What would be the best starter DSLR to get? She hates missing photo opportunities due to camera 'lag' so speed would definitely be at the top of the list. Photo quality and features would be next. Price should be no more than $800. I'm not interested in video capabilities."
Since screen size is indeed an issue (yes, @David Black, she wears bifocals, laugh all you want) I'm going to wait until the XL is out here in the US.
It seems like a bad sales move on Nintendos part to announce something just before Christmas and then not pony it up until next year. If I hadn't heard about the XL I would have gotten the DS Lite, but now I'm going to wait. So hopefully they come through with it stateside in time for the holidays.