Sorry, I'm not really adding to the conversion that much just waffling a bit.

wasn't there a guy who shot Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models with a point and shoot. Did Ansel Adams shoot 35mm? Did Chase Charvis write a book about shooting with an iPhone (the best camera is the one with you!). Mayby what I mean is the camera really is only part of the equation, a fair size part but still... a part.
Many very successful people have shot both Canon and Nikon and a bazillion other brands, possibly even box brownies...

As others have said, you haven't invested heavily yet, so your choice is still wide open.

like peterb666 said, if you can get your hands on your shortlist gear and try it out. Sometimes once you get test the gear out, you may get an appreciation for what you like or what produces better results.

Also did you get an reason for dropping the Canon over the Nikon from your friend? Too expensive? Slow AF? Lens quality sucks? Build quality? Images lack punch? It would be good to identify the problems you might be currently experiencing (if any?)

I do hope you seek clarify in your choice and get back to shooting (which is the mistake I made, too much research/forum trolling not enough clicking!)