Hi I bought my first dslr a few months ago and i went for the cheapest range of Nikon which is d3000, the main question for me was d3000 or the cheapest canon, as i believe they are both excellent brands I got myself to a shop and fiddle around with them, so i ended up going for the nikon as i felt it was more balanced in my hands. Now theres is not a d3000 anymore, it was replaced by d3100, a bit more expensive but i believe more technologic. If you want or can afford it you could skip the entry level stuff and go for a more expensive model. I believe you wont regret it and probably you will feel the need to upgrade to a more expensive model later on, on the other hand for myself I am very happy with my choice but I am already thinking about something new. So I would say make your choice considering what would be the best deal in the long run, and obviously thinking about your budget at the present