Looking to take on photography & need a good camera?

At the moment I'm using an iPhone so anything will be an improvement my price range is £300-£450 500 max. I like the look of Nikon with the d3100 & the d5100 but have also been recommended the Sony A58, what's your opinions, thank you to all that will help make this difficult decision. If you have Instagram look at some of my pics @rjwilmott to get a feel of what I will be taking pictures of. This is more than a hobby for me & would like one of the best cameras on the market in my price range, I will take into consideration anyone else's opinions too.

Added (1). I have been taking pictures for the past 18 months with my iPhone and macro/widescreen lens & feels its time to move on up, I've even sold a few pictures printed on to canvas to people.

Added (2). Sorry I didn't mean to sound like I was going by the look, I want the camera that suits me best the hold the feel just wanted to know what yous people think of the 3 I have seen & held so far

Buying a DSLR is a big step, because lens greed makes it very expensive, and we All want bigger and better lenses.

Since it is such an investment, you really should not even be thinking about this until you have learned a LOT about photography.

You need to learn to take decent photos with whatever little P&S camera you have right now, and learn about all the techniques and all the available gear out there.

Only then will you be able to make an informed decision that you won't regret later on.

Never buy a camera for the 'look of it'. Learn everything that you can about photography and composition techniques. The mistake that people make is just looking at the lens when viewing cameras, the lens is interchangeable so you have to ignore that, no matter how cool it looks.
Congrats on your prints selling!

Good comparison sight
http://snapsort.com/...ikon_D3100

If your skills are lacking then you might just end up having a nice paper weight or becoming a GWC (Guy with a nice camera).

I like the look of Nikon with the d3100 & the d5100 but have also been recommended the Sony A58,

Oh, dear oh dear.

You are going about this the wrong way. Choosing a camera by the way it looks, or because someone has told you they like it, is the way to make an expensive mistake.

Go to a real camera shop, where you can handle actual cameras, and look at dslr's in your price range. Which feels best in your hands? Which has the most intuitive controls?

Bear in mind also that there are more camera manufacturers in the world than Nikon and Sony. Canon and Pentax are rumoured to be manufacturers of dslrs. You don't choose the best product by ignoring half of the available models.

Go here for a wealth of information: http://dpreview.com/...review.com. There are alternatives to an SLR in going from a smartphone to a better camera. As a relative beginner, you don't have the knowledge and skills to get the best benefit from an SLR. There are plenty of quality compact cameras that will serve you well. Buy one and educate yourself about photography. When you're better informed, you won't have to ask which SLR is for you.

Canon eos 1100d, is a good beginner. I use it for instagram purposes too, its a really good camera (not too basic or complicated) however i would recommend just going into a local camera shop and ask, i did and this guy took me through various cameras to hold and try out. Its good as a first, there's always a chance to improve when you know a bit more about photography. If you start with a camera like this you can learn on it then chose an expensive camera later on depending on the different field of photography you're aiming for