Originally Posted by Cmike2780

You can't go wrong with either one. Both companies make really good SLR's. The Nikon "feels" better IMO. Go to a shop or even Best Buy to see which one you like better. Also, the thing with DSLR's is at least they tend to hold their value a lot longer. When your ready to upgrade, you can easily get back most of your investment & use towards a better one.

Live View isn't all that handy for DSLR's actually and you get a better sense of how the image should be framed using a viewfinder. Nice to have but not a deal breaker. Usefull if your doing any macro photography or any video though.

Go for the D5100 if you can. I believe the D3100 has live view also.