Might blow your budget a little but the Nikon D5100.
Slightly less expensive, more friendly to novices but still very capable would be the Canon Eos Rebel T4i.
Should be plenty of reviews, ratings and comparisons to be found online via a web search.
I have a D5100 - really like it. It replaced a D-60 with a messed up shutter. (which I'll probably spend the $250 on to fix and give to my son) The newer digitals are getting better at not needing a ton of light to take good pictures.
Still, (to the original poster) pay attention to the specs. Go to a camera store and try out the user interfaces on several cameras. See what makes sense to you.
Good Lord. Some people here think the Apple vs. PC debates were bad, and you’re going to start on Nikon vs. Canon?
:)