I purchased the Sony a33 about 9 months ago. The big advantage to this camera is the speed between shots (up to 7 a second) and the HD video quality. The picture quality is very comparable to any entry level NIKON or Cannon. The only downside in my opinion is the electronic view finder as opposed to an optical one. All in all I would recommend this camera for entry level. Lens are also cheaper for Sony because the image stabilization is built in to the body not each lens.
I've also herd that (the internet would lead me to believe the same thing) that the entry level nikons actually use the sony cmos sensor. I know the sensor isn't everything, just thought it was interesting.
Also getting the less expensive lenses is a plus since this is my first camera, and I would be using it to learn and to see if photography is something i DO in fact like to do.
The electric viewfinder also makes me a little nervous, but i think this is offset the by the good deal that i would be getting, plus i do like the information it can tell me while taking a photo. Not that i travel a lot but i do like the built in GPS the a55 has for tagging my photos as well.
I dont know much about what makes a goog lens good, but i did figure from my hunting optics knowledge that the glass can make all the difference, and its good to know the same can be true here.