$1400 isn't going to get you far with mid-spec digital SLRs in either Canon or Nikon. But agree - go with these as they have the most to spend on R&D.
Once you go with one, you tend to stick with it as you'll get a collection of lenses that fit one but not the other.
Canon's seem lighter (big generalisation) for body, but conversely it means lesser durability.
Ultimately it depends on what you use it for. If you're not going bush a lot and won't use it to death like a photojournalist then
see don't need high end.
Just beware of entry level as if you get a liking for it, you may wish you had bought a higher-spec one in the first place that lets you do things entry level does not.
FWIW i have Nikon D7S. Great as it's almost as good as the high end but without the fiddly controls. There's only a few things now that film does better than digital which will be very hard to replace (e.g. long-exposure at night to capture stars, etc. as CCD will pickup too much noise, and you need more than the camera battery to keep the shutter open for so long with digital! Film is all menchanical - minimal battery usage)
