FWIW the nikon d3100 is meant to compete with the T3 and they were at the same price just a few weeks ago during the black friday sale. We have the d3100 now and it's great. Either way, get a good dslr and you'll be making a huge leap forward over basic p&s digital cameras.
Yes I agree! I also agree with the post above that lens selection is important. The difference in quality I get for close up shots from the stock 18-55mm and the Tamron 60mm doesn't compare. If you are wanting extremely close up detail with minimal noise and good color balance, you will most likely end up investing (or maybe the proper phrase would be "blowing your money on") a macro lens. A "value" macro lens will still end up costing you quite a bit more than just the camera body of a d3100 or T3.