Buying a camera is a fairly personal experience. Cameras are not one size fits all. Bodies come in different sizes, different shapes and styles, are made by different manufacturers, and they are designed for different purposes and certainly different budgets.
Begin by deciding what you hope to do with your camera. Sports, portraits, landscapes...whatever. Once you have determined what you plan to shoot...then it becomes time to ask around about which cameras best suit that purpose.
Armed with some recommendations...look at your budget, you may be able to rule some choices out instantly. Not everyone can afford a 1Dsmk3 or a Noink D3....Once you have culled the field a bit...you can begin the hard part. You really, really need to go to a camera store and physically handle your choices. There is nothing worse than buying something, only to discover that it is too big or too small, it is too heavy or too light, the controls are poorly placed, it feels too cheap or any of a host of other issues.
Regardless of brand, pick the camera that feels the best to you. If you like the way it fits and feels, you are more than likely going to enjoy using it. If it feels awkward to you....the thing is just going to end up sitting on the shelf...and with the price of cameras....that is one dang expensive bookend.
