ok in that case i would say canon, my uncle is a part time photographer and he uses canon him self and gefted me A620.
so go for canon, but what you can do is take both the cams and test it under the same light conditions using the same scene, and if possible test them under low light conditions.
and also try to get professional help from the place you are going to learn photography.
i love photography myself, but i am trying to learn it my self.