The Best Digital SLR

I think that the best digital SLR under $1,000 is the Nikon D50.

Here's why.
Support

Comparing the Nikon D50 with the Minolta 5D is pretty easy - Konica Minolta doesn't make the 5D anymore.

In fact, Konica Minolta is no longer in the camera business, and has sold their entire production to Sony.

This means that it's not only hard to find a 5D these days, but support for this camera should it fail in the future is pretty dubious.
Size, Shape and Weight

The Nikon D50 is not a small-sized digital SLR like the Pentax *ist cameras or the Canon EOS 350D.

I actually prefer this in a digital SLR camera, since I find both the Pentax and the Canon difficult to hold.

Since the Nikon is larger, it's easier to grip and feels more like an SLR camera.

This does not mean that the camera weighs a ton. Nope, the Nikon D50 is quite light and portable, it just takes up a little more space than the smaller cameras.
Lens Options

So far I've compared the Nikon to the Minolta 5D, the Pentax *ist DS2 and the Canon 350D.

What about the Olympus EVOLT E-500 and E-330?

Here's the thing: Olympus switched to a brand new lens system when they introduced their digital SLR cameras.

Since this is the case, old Olympus lenses require an adaptor to attach to these new cameras. With the adaptor in use, autofocus won't work with the old lenses so you have to focus manually.

With the Nikon D50, not only can you use special lenses optimized for the digital format, you can also use over 50 standard Nikon lenses for film SLR cameras.