Hi! I know I was stuck forever in the Nikon/Canon debate. My first camera was a Canon Rebel XS. Justin got it for me for a gift and I LOVE it. Any photo taken before August 2011 was taken with Rebel. It is light, easy to use and Canon always has provided great customer service. When we decided to go on our Honeymoon to Paris I just felt like this was the perfect opportunity to upgrade! I spent HOURS in the store asking questions about the different cameras. Go to Best Buy and do this. They are not paid on commission and often are very skilled in the area. For these reasons they are really willing to talk about what kind of photography they are interested in and about the pros and cons of each camera. I decided to switch to Nikon because – well –let’s be honest- I got a great deal on it. Also the D90 is able to use both the newer lens and the older manual lens. The comparable camera for Canon could not use both and that was a huge plus for me. What if I find a super cool old lens in a pawn shop? My advice to you if you are just starting out is to get a Canon Rebel and a fixed 50mm 1.8 lens. I personally do not have this lens, but I that is my next purchase! Most bloggers do and it is a manually lens that you can get the great detailed shots with the blurry background and lots of light. I hope this helps! Thanks for the question!