I don't think of RED or Alexa as a newbie camera. Just look at the price of those two.
I myself bought a Canon t3i a year ago and pimped up with a rig, mattebox and so on, i'am happy with it. Some things bother me more after a year using it, like the crappy h264 codec for example.( it's really a pain i the ass, in post) But it remains a good learning tool, untill you get to the next level.
But, being in your position now, I would go for the Black Magic Camera for sure, and if the money isn't an issue, go for Alexa or Red, can't go wrong there.