Camera question

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Originally Posted by cedor

The camera would basically be for snake pictures and videos, vacations family portraits things of that nature

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I think you a will be better served by getting a small, but nice point and shoot camera and take the saved money to get the tripod, lights, and other stuff. There are a couple of reasons that I recommended this:

1-Entry level DSLR cameras are first and foremost a still camera, they take OK video, but they are optimized for photographs.
2-A small point and shoot camera is easier to keep with you, therefore, more likely to be used (you'll need a small to medium bag with a DSLR if you want to have your accessories with you).
3-The lights and tripod will help you take portrait pictures of your family members (you'll need a diffuser panel for the lights I recommended, remember that the light tent was the diffuser for taking pictures of your snakes, but that same tent won't work with your family members).
4-The settings on a point and shoot camera are much easier to learn than those on a DSLR.

Having said that, if you choose to go with a DSLR, go with Cannon. Cannon and Nikon both make good products, but generally speaking, Cannon camera bodies are more expensive than Nikon camera bodies, but Cannon lenses are cheaper than Nikon lenses, and you'll only be buying 1 camera body, but multiple lenses.