Which camera should I buy, Canon or Nikon?

A question I'm asked regularly by those about to make their first SLR purchase is, which camera should I buy, a Canon or Nikon brand? In short, whichever brand has the better price deal at the time of purchase. The truth is, in my opinion neither is better than the other. Those who point you to one or the other, are often biased and base their recommendations on their own personal preference. Of course if you ask a Canon photographer, they'll say buy a Canon DSLR, and vice versa. This is often confusing for someone about to buy their first DSLR camera. It is my hope that this page answers some questions you may have.

What are the main differences between Canon verses Nikon DLSR cameras?

The main differences come down to aspects other than image quality. For example, what is the quality of the kit lens that comes with your camera. Will you need to upgrade any time soon? Does it come with photo editing software or do you need to purchase that separately. And of course, the all important question, which brand has the best price at the time of purchase.

Advantages of buying a Canon DSLR camera

I find on entry level DSLRs, Canon places all the main settings and knobs around the LCD screen where they are easily found. Whereas Nikon requires photographers to take a couple more steps when changing settings. However, as far as changing your camera settings are concerned, it really comes down to what you get used to. Once you know your camera, this really is a minor difference.
Many argue that Canon offer a larger choice of lenses to suit all budgets and needs, from general purpose, EF-S lenses, DO lenses and professional L range. Nikon on the other hand doesn't have a naming label or a lens tier system.
Most of all Canon digital SLR cameras come with photo editing software. Digital Photo Professional (DPP), is a photo editing software that allows you to manipulate exposure compensation, color adjustments, brightness, contrast, saturation and many others in post processing on your PC or MAC. Nikon does not come with any such software and will need to be purchased separately.

Advantages of buying a Nikon DSLR camera

Nikon doesn't have a naming label or a lens tier system. All Nikon lenses are built to a high standard. You can be assured that the lens that is packaged in your camera kit when purchasing a Nikon is of a higher standard than those packaged with a Canon kit. You only have to read comments on message forums to realize that photographers who purchase a Nikon entry level DSLR are more happy with the lens packaged with their kits, than Canon counterparts. In other words, if you are looking to purchase a kit that couples a good camera with a good learning lens that you won't be looking at replacing any time soon, then Nikon is the way to go.

Which is better, Canon verses Nikon lens?

Canon professional lenses are marked via a red ring and are refereed to as L models. L lenses are Canon's top-of-the-line lenses. Nikon on the other hand doesn't have a naming label or a lens tier system. They see it as unnecessary, as all Nikon lenses are built to the same high standard. So does this mean Canon L lenses are better than Nikon models? Personally I think Canon lens tier is somewhat a marketing ploy and one should never choose a camera body brand based on available lenses.
Yes I agree generally speaking buying a Canon L lens will guarantee you'll be shooting with top of the range glass. I've never been let down by a Canon L lens. I've also never been let down by a Nikon lens. However that doesn't mean you won't get similar results from a non L counterpart. A few of my favourite non L Canon lenses are the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Standard, a Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM and a Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens. They are all sharp as a tac on all three of my Canon camera models.
When it comes to lenses, I recommend looking at customer reviews over on Amazon. This way you'll be making your purchase decision based on comments from hundreds of users and not just a few who happens to answer you on a forum.