I'm just a beginner myself.  A lot of the other ladies are waaaaaaaaaaay more experienced than me.

My advice is try all the cameras out in the store, write down what they have compared to the other in the same price range and start shopping.  I think this is the perfect time of year to purchase the camera you want.  Good sales! :)

I am a newbie as well and I would recommend going to the store and research as well. You can get overwhelmed with all of thr info available online and its so much better to play around with the cameras.

Another thing  to keep in mind; capturing amazing photos doesn't only depend on the type of camera alone. Its something that will take learning, practice, editing and a GREAT lens.

I know for me, I thought getting a great camera meant my photos would be AMAZING all the time but that wasn't the case. Sure my camera takes great photos but there's a formula behind AND this group is a great place to learn.

Good luck and keep up posted on your purchase :)

I bought mine in Duty Free at Gatwick airport. I got info from the guy in the store and liked a couple of them so phoned FI and he looked up reviews online. Not the easiest way to shop, but I had time to kill !
The guy said it was important that I was happy with the size and weight of it, I found some of them difficult to hold comfortably - maybe I have small hands? - but I would go and play with them and get advice from the store

I'd stick with either Canon or Nikon beginner models.  Other brands are good too, but their lens choices are much more limited.  If you find yourself liking photography even more after you have a camera, you'll want to get more lenses, and that's when the brand matters.

As for between Canon and Nikon, it's really your personal choice.  Go to the store, ask for the beginner models, and play with them, see which one fits in your hand better and if you like their buttons placement.  And whatever the salesperson tells you, go home and do research.  I found that most of the people I talk to in the store don't know the first thing about cameras, and can't answer some of the most basic questions.  Like one time I asked a Sony salesperson if the camera shoots RAW, and he had no idea what I was talking about and he thought I was insane.

I have both Canon and Nikon and I personally like Canon's button placement better.  My hands are small and is hard to achieve some of the Nikon crazy button-pressing-combos.  I really like Canon's beginner Rebel series.  The latest one is T3i I think.  I have T2i and not only is it a lightweight superb camera, it shoots videos beautifully as well.

i just tried the T3 rebel and liked it!!Definitely good advices to go there and check !!!

I think I'll go for that one!!

I agree with the Canon or Nikon approach.  I am definitely a Nikon girl, I don't understand the programming on a Canon.  I do not agree with going to the store to look.  Do a little research and see if there is an N4C camera club in your area, a photography program at a college near you, a PSA group- etc.  I think you need more than a couple second lookover when hooked up to a security cord at the store.  One of the above mentioned places may allow you to speak with other aspiring photographers and they will likely allow you to play around for a bit.  Ask them their favorite feature of the camera.  Ask what they don't like. 

Then, once you decide, I recommend purchasing from Sam's Club or Costco.  They offer better deals than most other places.  I hope this helps :)

Ok so I did some internet research and asked some photographers friends and also went to a store to try them :

I choose the canon EOS 500D (T1i rebel) with 2 canon lenses (sold as a pack)

thanks for your advices and can't wait to try it now!!