[silk186]

Two days ago I went with my friends camera shopping. One of them was supposed to sell me his 350d really cheap but he decided to keep it as a second camera. Since I was so excited to get an DSLR I decided to buy one anyways.
I'm upgrading from a Sony T-9 so have no preference to any system.

Initially I had decided on buying a Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4.0-5.6 IS USM and then decided that a 450d was the most suitable canon for my budget since I had only been looking at Canon lenses.

Then I just realized that I should also consider Nikon since I would be buying a new body I have more choices. Looking at the Nikon line it is difficult for me to see what would compare D60 or D80. For lenses, looking at numbers alone it would seem that the Nikon AF-S 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 DX ED VR lens is the equivalent of the Canon I was considering.

The fact is though that I will upgrade the body every 3-4 years and keep the lenses for life so what I really want to know is what is the characteristics of the Canon and Nikon lines that I will experience as I continue on through my DSLR experience with one brand. I've been reading a lot, but normally people just compare one body to another. Occasionally I read Nikon or Canon is better at stills and the other is better at action or one has better post-processing and the other has better RAWS but the information isn't terribly consistent. I want to go to the store next weekend, well informed, try the two camera and make a purchase. What about lenses, does one brand have better selection or value for lenses or a specialty?

My coworkers are all Pentax and canon so I can't try theirs. And Pentax is out because it is difficult to find anything for it in Asia.