Guys n gals, I wanna buy my first DSLR camera at last, and the upcoming months are a good time to get this happening. Any advice and tips, and recommendations from people who have a bit of experience in this area would be really handy. I love learning from others’ mistakes, plus I drive a hard bargain so I’ld love to know the better way to go about buying a body and lenses.

Here’s a bit of background first  about me, my intended shooting style, and what I’ve already educated myself on, so you can get some context.

• I’m interested in photography as a hobby at this stage plus family portraiture and that kind of thing. I’m also interested in taking “artistic” style shots, including night shots, motion shots at night, macro photos with crazy aperture (for lots of blurry background). That kind of thing.
• I’m getting married in October and we’re going to the US for our honeymoon.  This gives me the option of puchasing some/all of my kit abroad to save bucks.  And the Australian dollar bought USD0.81 yesterday which is great news – I’m pretty sure it’ll keep rising too.
• Also aware that kit bought here in Australia can be taken with us on honeymoon, shown on the way out and be refunded 10% (for GST).  Plus, if I buy a D90 there is a $200 rebate from Nikon Australia til the end of September, so if I buy it then it’ll still be eligible (30 days) before departure.
• Concerned that if I buy a body overseas or a parellel imported body I will have warranty issues, plus in the case of a D90 a parallel imported model is probably not eligible for the $200 rebate above.
• Did I mention I *NEVER* pay full retail on these kinds of things? You’d be stupid to.
• I’m stuck in the Nikon vs Canon war.  The cameras I have my eyes on are the 500D/T1i and the D90.  Both seem really good cameras and have a loyal fan base and raving reviews.  I’m only partially aware of their incompatibilities, ie lens for one camera only fit another, that kind of thing.  It feels a bit like peripherals for the old IBM mainframes in the 1960s.
• I’m also interested in experimenting with older lens designed for film cameras picked up second hand. Does the Nikon or the Canon suit better for this?
• I’m also aware that the kit lenses that come bundled with the cameras tend to be on the, well, crap side. So I’m prepared to buy the kit and a lens or two seperately, as long as it doesn’t really blow my budget. Which at this stage, is approximately AUD1500 give or take.   If I bought lenses seperately, should I buy Canon/Nikkor or are there just-as-good drop in replacements eg Tamron?
• Since I’m a newbie I’ve been told to invest in a 50mm f/1.8 fixed lens which sounds pretty reasonable to build skills framing and preparing a photo before I snap it.
• I’m not interested in video. OK, so 720p might come in handy for spontaneous video recording bu that’s about it.

So that’s about all.  Would love to hear your thoughts/comments! Especially from those who have experience first hand with the 500D and the D90, or even better with other types of cameras they think would suit better! (please?) TY!