Next semester i'll be taking a digital photography course, i have a canon A75 Powershot 3.2 MP

, but the cool thing about it is that has manual features, i cant say i master the cam but i do something...
i talked with a guy there and told me that for the first course the Powershot was OK, but for the 2nd and 3rd i would be needing something more pro.
My uncle hear about me taking the course, and the other day told me that he is going to give a camera as a present (he actually told me the price was not a problem

) so ive been searching and the best price/performer is the digital rebel XT (dont want to make him spend more than 1000 usd) , but i have a quick question, ive read that the XT has a 3X optical zoom, its that it? or optional lens give you a litle more
thanxs for the info