Best SLR for $1,500 budget

Go for Nikon D90. MS Color now selling $1,688.

why not consider a sony DSLR? like the A500. its cheaper compared to canon and sony and it has inbuilt image stabilisation. nikon D3000 and D5000 both require AF-S lenses(as they do not have a AF motor in the body) which cost a bomb. for sony you can use the DT lenses and even minolta lenses which are comparatively cheaper and more worthy.