As a shop assitant told me most sales go to Nikon or Canon.Therefore its makes choosing a camera slightly easier as these two seem to be by far the best cameras.
Would be a nightmare if all the other makes were as good.
Then if you beak it down even more,once you decide your budget then you decide between Nikon D3000 or Canon 450D,Nikon D5000 or Canon 500D etc etc.
Although Ive spent a while now deciding on Nikon 5000 or Canon 500,at least Ive only had two to choose from which makes things easier.
I'm going for the Canon which seems to be the brand recommened to me most by photo shop people Ive spoken to.