Nikon's D-series is dammit phenomenal - just the prices are what i look at. at the same time, they're better than some that i've seen. the D3000 & D5000 are the only 2 that i'd cop from Nikon.
Canon -- its gotta be a Rebel, hahahaaha. i'm sorry. its gotta be. my favorite right now is the EOS Rebel XSI joint. magnificant. my homeboy Mike works for Canon so he's looking for me to show up with a Canon & not a Nikon, lol. we'll see though, lol.
all in all, both brands are top of the line, so i shouldn't go wrong with buying from either.
*Ace