NIKON VS CANON DSLRS?

Please help! I'm having troubles making up my mind.
any opinions on nikon vs a canon digital slr cameras?
i will be photographing mostly portraits events and outdoor landscape kind of things.eventually want to get into maybe family/senior portraits, wedding photography.
also, any thoughts on buying a refurbished or new camera?
any opinions will be appreciated!

There are professional photographers that use Canon, and others that use Nikon. Image quality and autofocus speed are comparable. There are significant differences but at the end of the day, it is not possible to look at a photo and tell whether it was taken by a Canon or a Nikon, or any other major brand.

Beginner photographers who can't decide should buy the brand that most of their friends and family use, so that they can share lenses and accessories. Either brand is a solid choice.

Along with what jessie said, the real way to decide is to see what is most comfortable for you to use.

as for what you want to shoot, that matters more on the lenses you choose. For portraits, the 50mm f/1.4 would be probably one of the best choices. And for landscapes, a really good wide angle lens such as the Tokina 11-16mm.

still, look at the following models:

Nikons D3000, D5000, D3100
Canons Rebel Xs, T1i, and T2i

these are all entry level and will fare very well