New York Times made a small comparison of Canon's and Nikon's new digital SLR cameras, here's a snip:

But very often, there's gold in the middle ground. Until recently, for example, digital camera makers saw every customer as either an amateur or a professional, and offered nothing but sub-$500 models and single-lens reflex cameras (S.L.R.'s ) for $2,000 and up. So when Canon introduced a digital S.L.R. for $1,000 - its Digital Rebel EOS 300D - it hit a sweet spot the size of the Sahara.

Link: The New York Times