What DSLR to buy as a first serious camera?

I'm new to serious photography. Until now, I have only used those point and shoot cameras from pentax to sony, olympus, canon and the lot. All gimmicky. Now, my wife's a designer and she has been asking me to get a camera to shoot her creations. I also have some interest in photography and i have played around with a friends old Nikon F5, D80 etc.

I have seen through the market and I think a $1000 (Rs 45-50k) price point is good enough investment. I have been inclined towards Nikon or Canon because of availability, servicing and component availability is better with these 2 in India. I have seen Canon EOS550d (Rs 50K) and I like the features. Further, Nikon D90 (Rs. 59K) has a rock solid reputation. I don't know where to start. I would also like to know, what starter lens apart from the kit lens (18-55mm) should I buy.

In my opinion you should buy the Nikon D90 its better than the canon 550D, because it have a wireless flash command, i regret buying canon 550D, plus Nikon D90 body is much more solid than canon 550D,

Well for the lens.apart from the fit lens, you should buy the 55mm lens and a zoom lens for example for starters, 55mm-200mm. You can always buy a 3rd party brand if the original one is too expensive. Thats what i do.anyway good luck.xD

Currently the best entry level DSLR is the Pentax Kx, or if funds permit the Kr, the latest sensors which have real advantages in dynamic range and low light shots, image stabilization built into the camera so evey lens you fit is image stabilized, with Nikon and Canon it's an extra cost on every lens you buy.

True backwards compatibility with any K mount lens, even in India there will be thousands available cheaply.

All the functions you will ever need, Nikon and Canon both omit functions on their entry level, Pentax includes them all and even offer such things as auto HDR built into the camera.

I agree 100% with Chris - the Pentax K-x offers you more features than the Nikon D90 or Canon 550D.

"image stabilization built into the camera so evey lens you fit is image stabilized, with Nikon and Canon it's an extra cost on every lens you buy."

Nice in theory. In practice both brands now have VR on an impressive and affordable lineup of lenses, something that's missing frompentax and sony

Well i'm sure glad everyone listened to you when you said you wanted Nikon or Canon.

to be honest, the canon is the way to go. Firstly because the Nikon has more features. As you said before you were only used to shooting with point and shoots and are probably not used to applying and setting exposure and aperture. Why would you want a camera with tons of features when you still need the basics (no offense intended, we all start out). Also in regards to someone's post about "wireless flash" unless you wish to spend the money for a flash system then that's another feature wasted.

I've been shooting with Canon for years and love them. They are easy to use and are user friendly. They are appealing (visually) and are just as reliable as a Nikon.

as for a lens to purchase try the 75-300mm, offers a great deal of zoom.
or the 50mm 1.8 it's a beautiful lens, it has a low aperature which allows for a solid focus point and a "blurry" background. Would be perfect to display your wife's creations.

A camera body is not an "investment" - sooner or later it will be out dated, or you'll want a newer sparkly one. The lenses are your "investment".

Start of with an entry level DSLR, there's not much difference between the brands, so I won't recommend one over another. Brand loyality is for mugs.

I second BK's recommendation. Get an entry level digital SLR from any major brand. They're all good. Any differences in photo quality will be due to the photographer's skills, not the camera. Canon and Nikon do have the widest variety and the best quality of lenses. Of course, there are also real clunker lenses for them. So you must be discerning once you buy lenses.

As to the lens, what kind of creations will you be shooting, and from what distance? The 18-55mm kit lens is a good start. You will more than likely be satisfied with the results at this time. If your subject is small, a macro lens would be correct. If you can only shoot it from a distance, a telephoto.