There are pros and cons to both brands. Generally Nikon will have that extra "oomph" as far as body design is concerned, but you are going to pay a damn sure steep premium for it. Canon on the other hand I think comes in second for "body" but first in bang for your buck. That you can get a full frame 21MP camera for 3G's or less on the camera side of things is. . .staggering. Feature wise, I've always been more prone to what Nikon can cram into their cameras, but then Canon usually has an answer waiting in the wings - and cheaper.
Then we get to lenses, and depending on your budget and what you want will determine the winner here. The biggest pro in Canon's favor it seems is that Canon users don't have to worry about the AF-S bull**** that exists within Nikons entry-level line. If you have a modern Canon lens and a Canon camera, autofocus is GO! But then there is that catch - "modern" lens. If I understand correctly, Canon users are borked on some old school lenses, as Canon changed the design or some sort, so not AI-S equivalent for Canon users; on Nikons side, you have to dig WAY back to find a lens not compatible Nikon's current lineup.