Not sure which DSLR to purchase....

There are other great cameras from other manufacturers, but Canon and Nikon have the best system. Now looking at the system you have to make the decision of which one is best for your needs. Take for instance, if you plan to do a lot of multi-flash or off-camera flash shooting then I'd go the Nikon route.

The only one out of that group that I would not buy is the D3000. It uses a sensor that does not perform as well in higher ISOs, along with the fact that it does not have a focusing motor in body. The D5000 also doesn't have a focusing motor in-body, but has a great sensor. It really depends on what type of lens that you plan on buying if you should buy an entry level Nikon. If many of the lens you want can't autofocus on the Nikon D3000 and D5000 then that'd be a problem, but if all the lens you want already have focusing motors in them then there's no problem at all.

Last but not least, go in and try all the models in the store and get a feel for which one you like best.

Owning both Nikon and Canon DSLR, Canon is better toward portrait shooting regard the skin tone. Nevertheless, Nikon is better for landscape and macro photography type consider the more vivid color and sharpness. But, it's quite difficult to tell which camera used after photoshop processing.

Currently, I'd say that Nikon beat Canon over better light metering, more accurate focusing, and better flash system. Canon beat Nikon over the MP sensor ( Nikon has Sony manufactured its camera's sensor ). There's no absolute better camera. More megapixel doesn't always mean the better picture quality, but enlarging output. So, try the camera. Figure out what you'll shoot for and what your budget is. Good luck.

As you may have read from many different posts, the person behind the camera is the single most decisive element in determining the quality of the photo, not the equipment. The camera and lenses are tools that help you to get the shot you need. Nikon and Canon both have excellent D-SLR systems, you can't go wrong with either one. Which one is better is not quite relevant to an average user, since their performance difference will not account for the lack of image quality. It is usually the lack of knowledge and skill of the photographer that cause the photographic mistake or suboptimal result.

In looking for your gears, you need to know your budget and type of photography you want to pursue. Lens selection and accessories needed usually depend on what you want to shoot. For low light action, you obviously need fast lens with wide apertures and image stablization. For portraits, you will need same kind of lenses and external flashes/strobes, backdrops, etc. You should read some books about the type of photography you want to pursue, and find out what kind of gears you need. Then do a price comparison between manufacturers and see what may fit your budget. Getting the gears you need is more important than buying which brand of camera.

Nikon and Canon are both very good, there have been debates over years which one is better for what. But you can always find some great pro photos in every category by both camera manufacturers from entry level to pro series. There is one article about 2 pros doing real life hands-on comparison of the Nikon D3s and Canon 1D Mark IV, commenting about the slight high ISO advantage of the Nikon and the slightly better AF performance of the Canon. But you also have other pros with different opinions. The bottom line is that the difference is small and very subjective, most of them are biased and not scientific tests, thus not conclusive.

Technologies will change year after year, and you will find yesterday's top notch gears fade in comparison to the mid range gears of today's hot picks. So don't worry too much about whether you got the best gears or not, because you will never get the best gears year after year, unless you have an unlimited budget to feed your obession.
Instead find out what you need and think about how each item can enhance your photography.

I have met a famous landscape photographer whose work hung in Clinton's Oval Office during his presidency. He graciously shared his photographic experience with me after I spent more than two Nikon D3s for one of his original work. He uses large format cameras for his professional landscape shots, work with a team of pros to get to the perfect spot, endured days to weeks of natural elements to wait for the perfect light to capture the shot. One shot he hung off the cliff with a safety belt around his waist hoisted by his team, carrying his heavy large format camera, risking his life for a perfect shot. One shot can take him months to plan and to acquire. So a perfect shot is the result of a talented photographer with vision, knowledge, dedication and endurance. When someone asked him about which camera he used, he smiled and told him that he used his old favorite camera and lenses (neither a Canon nor a Nikon).