re: Camera advice

with DSLR's its best to find which you feel comfortable with. have your wife (unless it's a surprise) to hold both and see which fits her hands better. Once you start getting into it, and buying lenses and such, (which can get expensive) it's better to stay with one side instead of switching.

with that being said, I've had a Nikon since 2007. I've taken a lot of pictures over the course of this time (like over 20k) and I've never had an issue. I've since upgraded the body, but still use the same lenses I bought with the first one.