I just went to Blissdom and asked around and it looked like 85% of people had Cannons. When asked why, people mostly said because that's what everyone else had.
My wife just bought her first DSLR and did a ton of research of Nikon vs. Cannon and the conclusion was is that they are both great cameras. You probably can't go wrong, so find one that is a good deal. My wife found the new Nikon D3000 for $350. It is refurbished (a little scary) but looks and works brand new.
