Sounds like a good idea but... I'm just starting out as a hobby photographer. I'm not 100% sure of what I'll be taking photos of. It'll probably, at this stage, be anything and everything that can be a nice photo.
That said, I seem to have developed a passion for macros, portraits and night photography. But really, at this stage I'm looking for a sort of "all rounder" camera.
I'm fairly certain I will be buying a Canon, unless someone can convince me otherwise...
And lenses, well, I think I can get the Canon 400D in a package deal that will give me a 75-300mm zoom lens and standard 35 - 85mm. Or something like that. So they will do until I find the need for a new one, like if I want to explore another area of photography, get some different effects etc. So lenses aren't really a priority for me.
Nikon has the d80. Some people complain that Nikon cameras have more noise but others say it's not true. Either system will work for you.
I have a Canon 300d, 400d, and 30d. They're all great cameras and the 400d is good when you want to make mega prints, other than that the whole pixel thing starts to get over rated when you get over 6 and 8 mp. Some people don't like the 400d because the body itself is a smaller body compared to the larger more expensive cameras in the Canon line up. I personally didn't mind it so much.
The other brands out there with comparable products are Olympus, Sony, and Pentax.
They all have their pluses and minuses but Canon and Nikon are the two biggest players in the Consumer/Prosumer DSLR market right now, leaving their cameras easy to find accessories and lenses for.
The Sony lens system is the old Konika/Minolta lens system as they bought out the company a while back. Sony is a relatively new player in the DSLR market and I have not experience with their cameras
Pentax has a legacy system like sony's where you can use any (I think this is the right designation, don't crucify me if I'm wrong) K mount lens that was ever made on their new DSLRs. No experience here either.
Olympus has a deal where for about $500 US you can get their DSLR camera body and two lenses. They use Lieca glass which is top notch and some times very expensive, not to say you can't pay $1700 for a lens from another brand, just look at my lens thread in this section. The big negative about them in my opinion, which others may not share, is that their sensor is a 2.0 crop. All lens ranges are magnified by 2. The sensor is also smaller than most others and is prone to more noise in darker / higher iso ranges.
The Nikon uses a 1.5 crop, Canon 1.6, and Sony I believe a 1.5 as Nikon uses Sony sensors in their cameras. Canon is believed to have the best high ISO / noise performance which will be a benefit if you're shooting in very low lit conditions and can't use a flash (AKA: Concert photography).
What I tell everyone is that if you can go to a store that has the brands you want, pick them up and see how they feel. Forget all but the basic specifications, close your eyes, then buy what you feel, feels like the best.
Alos, if you go with Canon, look at the Canon 50mm f/1.8 EF-s II as a complimentary lens to your kit. It's only $70 US at
www.bhphotovideo.com and is a great buy for such a fast prime.
Edit: Sorry if I made things harder.
Some "resources"
Good site for camera info -
www.dpreview.com
Canon Digital Photography Forums -
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/
My flickr. All shots were done with a 300d, 400d, and 30d. It's a mix of my good stuff and snapshot for posting on the internet -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cokronk/