One thing most amateurs fail to realize (or yet to have anyone pointing out to them) is that the actual cameras matter less than the brands they go with. If you just want a camera to shoot around, without further investment into the hobby (aside from a tripod), then it does not really matter a whole lot.
However, if you start getting into photography, start reading blogs, start wanting to do more, and therefore, start investing in lenses and such, this is why brands matter. Every brand has its own system that all of their lenses only work with their cameras and nobody else's. Someone may say Canon can use Nikon lenses with converters, true that. But there is still a huge limitation into what you can do even in this case. So it is safe to say, once you buy a brand, you practically swear allegiance to the brand or take the hefty punishment of selling all your existing investments into one brand to migrate into another brand. So why not make the right decision?
Personally I would go with Nikon. Nikon and Canon are the top companies and majority of the photographer populations are using them. So in term of getting helps, or learning, or even borrowing lenses, you have a much higher chance to run into someone else who owns a Nikon (and willing to let you borrow their $2000 Nikon lens to try out).
Second, you may end up replacing your camera bodies as they get old and outdated (3-5 years). But lenses are not likely to get old as they come out with new lenses every 10-20 years (for the same types).
