I'm looking to get into a DSLR, and I've got it narrowed down to a couple of choices-
the Sony a57 (which just came out in April)and the Canon T3i.

I'm leaning toward the Sony, but I was wondering if anyone has any opinions on the matter?

I have a T3i, it's my first SLR, and I really really like it. I'm a Canon fan though, other than the first cam I ever bought (a 1.3MP Sony teeny thing) they're all I've owned.

I'm a nikon shooter so I don't know much about the T3i or a57, but I will suggest that you should try and get your hands on both before you commit to buying something.
Get a feel for how the camera sits in your hands; see if you can comfortably reach all of the buttons that are arranged around your right hand. Whilst camera technologies are somewhat similar and what most people look for, ergonomics is one thing that you can't really tell until get your hands on one. If it doesn't fit your hand that well and some buttons are tricky to use, then you're going to have trouble using it in practice.

Whatever your choice, happy shooting!

Gopher, that was fantastic advice!

i went to my local camera shop, and the Nikon D5100 they showed me felt real nice in my hands, much better than the Sony. I was also able to get my hands on a Canon T3i, and it just didn't feel as nice as the NIkon. I guess I know what I'm going to be picking up!

Thanks!!

Do you know what kind of photography you'll be doing? Portraits/people, really close up stuff, things that are far away/wildlife/airshow?

Only reason I ask is that once you have a camera, you'll be (somewhat) obliged to start looking for lenses once you've got to grips with it - which is where the choice of Canon/Nikon/Sony/Pentax starts to come into play... not that I want to muddy the waters further or anything

Yep - definitly: Select a camera based on the LENSES you will need for it. Which is a pretty good point against Sony/Minolta and Pentax.

Generally Nikon does better wide-angle, a bit better flash system. Canon has great action photo/tele lenses and such.

And if you realize you only need "some standard lens" then consider if you really need a DSLR. IMHO they only make sense if you have lens requirements you don't get in an all-in-one compact.

Worked for Nikon, so I stayed out of this as long as it was about Canon and Sony.

When looking at the 5100, I strongly suggest also considering the D90. It has an AF motor, which allows the use of tons of older lenses and a second dial wheel. I used both cameras ad nauseam and the quality of live improvements offered by these two items are absolutely major. You will use controls quicker with the second wheel and in the end you will actually *use* these controls when you can select them quickly with a wheel instead of thumbing thru an onscreen menu. And there are motifs which don't wait for you to be ready.

Mind you, you will 100% not make better photos with the D90, you might have more fun shooting them. If you intend to also record videos, the D5100 is vastly superior in that aspect.

And for Bob's sake, stay miles away from point-and-shoot cameras, unless they have a serious sensor like the micro Four_Thirds. The rest offers roughly the same quality as the cameras included in better smartphones.

edit: spelling

I prefer the Pentax DSLR series especially the K-5. My wife just bought a Nikon D5100 and it created a split household because now her lenses will not work on the Pentax and vice versa. I love the features on the K-5 and love the photos that have been taken with it. In Raw or ISO from what I have seen with her new camera the K-5 blows it away.

I'm a Sony guy and have a Sony SLT-A77. If you are interested in the A57, read Kurt Tucks take on it. He likes it almost as much as the A77.

http://visualsciencelab.blogspot.com/2012/04/preliminary-tests-of-sony-a57-walk.html

This camera will actually be a return to SLR for me. I used to have a Pentax K1000 ages ago, but I got rid of it when our
first child was born. It was a great camera, but it was completely manual, so it was hard to get that quick picture when
something was happening with the child. The digital camera we replaced it with was all automatic, but the shutter speed
was kinda slow, so eventually we replaced that one with a wannabe DLSR type camera - a Fuji Finepix. It was decent, but it's
been flaky lately - not turning on at times, not turning off others, LCD display not working, so it's on its way out.

Like I said, after getting a feel for each of the three I was looking at, I kept coming back to the Nikon. It felt the most comfortable
in my hands, all the controls seemed accessible enough. My mother-in-law has a D3100 and she has already offered to let me borrow anything
of hers (she's retired and her has taken up photography as a hobby) so that is a good fit too. I appreciate everyone's advice. So I wound up ordering this. UPS says it will be here tomorrow, so I may have a new toy to play
with over the long weekend!