What is the most appropriate DSLR camera for amateur photographers?

I'm 15 years old and looking to buy a DSLR camera, i have a price limit of about $500 and know that Canon and Nikon are considered the 'pro' brands but want something simple to navigate, and takes good pictures that i can play around with. Any ideas?

Actually any camera can be used by an amateur, $550 to $40, 000. They all work the same.

At present, Nikon has a little feature that helps the shooter with various features of the camera called learn-as-you-grow Guide Mode… In the camera.

While you can spend about $550 for an entry level dSLR (Nikon or Canon) the most bang for the buck is the Nikon D3100 at $700. The D3100 is worth waiting for if you need more time to save up the additional $150.

Just check the Canon PowerShot SX1 IS for $600

It looks like an innocent compact SLR, but the Canon SX1 IS is actually a paparazzi-pleasing ultrazoom in sheep's clothing, with a 20x zoom plus high-def 1080p video.

also check Nikon D3000

The $600 D3000 boasts a resolution to 10.2 megapixels, fast burst mode speed and an optically stabilized lens.