Thanks everyone for your advice/opinions. I ended up buying the Canon 1100D with the 18-55 kit lens. That'll do me at this stage. Down the track I'll grab an additional lens.
Bought the Canon for a few reasons. 1. Seemed a little easier to use than the Nikon. 2. The LCD screen seems clearer (someone mentioned that I think) albeit slightly smaller, 3. Price - was $150 cheaper, and I need to get a new battery for my ride on mower. 4. They seem very popular for astro work. 5. They had it in stock.
Seeing that I'm just starting out I decided I'll just get an entry level unit for now and get a better camera later, if I need it.
The Canon includes an EOS Utility program for controlling the camera from a computer. Seems pretty useful. Is this software OK for setting the camera up and controlling it for astroph/y?
EDIT - Forgot to ask this. What do I need to buy to attach the camera to my Celestron C8? thanx.
Cheers all. Bring on the dry weather.