Google "best first DSLR camera". Read the listings and sites, and then narrow it down to two or three brands/models. Spend time looking at reviews (I love the user feedback at Amazon), talk to people who own the two or three you're interested in, and then buy. Get some good books on DSLR photography and your new camera, join a user's group and start shooting, every day if possible.

DSLR photography is a quite different experience than point-and-shoot. Any decent DSLR will take much better pictures in difficult shooting conditions (low light, motion, low contrast, etc.) than even very good point-and-shoot cameras. It will also take many worse pictures until you learn how to use it.

My first year with a DSLR, a Nikon D5100 with kit Nikon lenses, 3/4 or more pictures were throwaways. The other 1/4, even the first day, brought tears of joy to my eyes. I caught a flock of pelicans diving for fish in a small bay. The dramatic dive sequences are much brighter and sharper than my previous cameras could have possibly done. Things don't make us happy...experiences do. That day is a joyous memory. It alone makes the $1,200 for my first DSLR camera more than worth it.

Now, fewer than 1/4 of the pictures in decent light are obvious throwaways, but that leaves about 100 - 200 pictures that are worth software processing and comparing in a typical day's shooting. 90%+ of my pictures are of difficult subjects with a hand held camera: birds, insects, and animals. Even still birds can be difficult because they are either far away, in shade, between you and the sun, silhouetted against a bright sky, or with branches and brush in front or behind them which makes auto-focus almost useless. Moving birds are also difficult because you usually have literally no time to set your camera...just point, hope that auto-focus catches them, and shoot away.

My strong advice is to plunge right in. On a meager teacher's salary I always thought it hard to justify spending over a thousand dollars on a hobby I've loved for years with good point-and-shoot cameras. Now I'm 70 yrs old and deeply regret that I didn't switch to DSLR years ago. What was a hobby is now a passion and a joy. If you have a capable camera, you will learn to see the world with a new awareness of detail, depth and with an almost spiritual appreciation. It's like being reborn in a way.

All brands the below have poor company support. Look for discounts. Kit lenses are excellent. My Nikon D7000 was discounted $700 for the kit because the almost identical D7100 was due to come out.

Nikon: Lots of lenses and history. Solid construction. Good in low light. A cousin went though art school with a 10 yr old Nikon D1. It still takes great photos. I used that old camera for a day and decided to go with Nikon over Canon (an almost equal choice). I now use and love a wonderful D7000.

Canon: Great color. Good feel to the hand. Large user base. I bought a T3i for my son, which he uses, loves, and takes great travel pictures with. If you have a bit more money, you can't go wrong with the T4i or 60D.

Sony: Beautiful gem-like cameras. Vibration resistance built into the camera so can be handheld for birds even with old Minalta lenses. Less choice of lenses. If you're into post-shooting artistic processing, its built in color filters and easy to use live view make Sony a good choice. A friend, a photographer with many years experience owns a Sony SLT-A77 that she loves. She's a Photoshop guru. She has no interest in birds, as I've little interest in extensive image manipulation except for sharpness, light balance, color, composition, and noise reduction. If I ever switch from Nikon, I'd probably get Sony.

Fujifilm and Pentax are well worth researching. A good resource is dpreview.com.

Good lenses are expensive, and are not interchangeable between brands in a practical way. Whatever you choose, you'll be pretty much stuck with, so camera company survival is important. My guess is that Canon and Nikon will still be around in 20 years. Not so sure about the others. If Minolta could go bust (bought by Sony), the other smaller companies certainly could. Sony could stop making cameras as a business decision in the future. I can't imagine Nikon or Canon doing that. Photography IS their core business.

I don't think you can go wrong if you do your research first. Technical and artistic skills with your new camera are far more important than the brand and model. Whatever you choose will not be perfect, but will still be an excellent choice.

Good luck.