Canon and Nikon products in your sub-$1k price range are pretty much interchangeable in terms of performance, reliability, and image quality. Either would be a good choice.
I prefer the Canon simply because I have a stable full of high end Canon glass from my film days. I have to admit being more than a little impressed by my t4i's video capture performance. You might check the Canon USA online store for a factory refurb t4i. Differences between it and the t5i are marginal and mostly feature-related. Image quality is the same. Price difference is substantial, especially if you catch the factory-store refurbs on one of their occasional specials. The 18-55 EF-S kit lens performs far better than it's modest price would lead you to believe.
The only other things I suggest are a investing in a good tripod and flash head. Middle-of-the-road is fine on a tripod for general use. Available from any number of sources. I think ball heads give max flexibility. Some tradeoff on stability but it's not an issue given the D-reb's relatively light weight. The flash? Stay with the mfg unit for better integration with camera functions. Get as much flash as you can afford. It's amazing what you can capture if your flash has the oomph to reach beyond casual snapshot range. Coupled with an F2.8 lens my 580EX flash will easily push past 100 ft. I've taken shots approaching 200 ft where the flash illuminated well enough to provide substantial fill.
Brad
