Buying my first dslr. Throw your knowledge at me

Initially I was torn between the Canon eos 1100d and nikon D3100.
1100D with kitlens 18-55mm £ 265 12.2mp
D3100 same kitlens for £300 14.2mp

Now i've seen Canon Eos 550D for £450 with kitlens of 18-55mm & a 75-300mm. This has 18mp better video quality too.

I know the first 2 are good for starters, but i'm more drawn to the 550d for the cheap price for the mp count and 75-300mm lense inclusion.

What are your views on any of these cameras

Congratulations on the coming purchase! All of the cameras will take fine photos. Purchase a solid pro style tripod also with a remote shutter release.

A camera is but a paint brush, it is more important who is holding the brush than which brush it is. All decent cameras can take wonderful pictures in the right hands. Spend your time studying great lighting and composition because even a great camera can't fix bad lighting or composition. And have fun with whichever brush you buy or use.

Remember it is just the tool and you the photographer have to guide it to take great photos. To that end study composition and lighting - two of the keys to great images - and things that even the best camera can't fix, if you blow it.

The famous New York camera store has a ton of great training videos on youtube. Below is a link to one of them but explore their full list of uploads there.