ggriffi ... you'd be better off selling that as a lot on craig's list, or sell it by the piece on e-bay . . .
blopez50 ... username at msn . . .
1st of all, start doing research ... read anything you can find about Nikon vs Canon ... There's a ton of dedicated and informative and interactive Groups on Flickr.com ... take anything that Ken Rockwell says with a grain of salt as he's a dip-**** ...
I would advise going to any higher-end camera store and do a hand's-on test ... get an idea of how the camera feels, as each brand's ergonomics are different . . . Take a memory card with you, and push the camera's limits on High ISO's, ect . . .
T.G is right ... I'm a Nikon Guy ... but, Canon makes an excellent product, too ... I never have like Canon though, and that goes back over 30 years ... The Nikon D40/x or D60 are good cameras ... The D90 is better ... If you can afford it, then I would suggest a D300 ... It's build quality is excellent with it's metal body where the other cameras are plastic ... I shoot with a D70s (older model) and a D700 (latest Pro Camera) . . .
There's strong rumors that the Nikon camera line is due for an upgrade, so there might be some new models coming out soon . . . The D5000 is out and supposedly has good video if that interests you . . . It's an entry level camera . . .
One thing I would consider, is getting better glass ... You can buy your camera body new, but I'd buy good glass used at KEH.com ... KEH just happens to be a few miles from my house, but it is the world's largest used camera broker and has been for 30 years ... Most "kit lenses" are just Ok and are better suited for daytime not good for low-light . . .
So, do your research, do a hand'-on test, buy your camera body new, and your lenses used . . .
Good Luck . . .
