Thanks Gaz, very informative!
I loved your tips esp. the ones about "getting the feel of the cam and liking it" and about the "spare batteries/cards".
I believe I am looking at Cannon and Nikon, but not really Olympus or Pentax or something else. It maybe to go along with the herd mentality but i'd rather say it's indeed the quality superiority of these 2 brands. So for now I'd stick to researching one of the 2 super competitors

As you said, its a personal thing ultimately.
Thanks, your insights were very useful!
Also, do you personally find anyone better than the other between Canon and Nikon?