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I'd suggest either the D5100 or D7000. Both are virtually identical on paper in terms of sensor performance. The main difference between the two are that the D7000 has a focus motor on the body, meaning you can use the older, yet still excellent AF-D lenses, in autofocus. The D7000 can also shoot 6 fps, as compared to 4 fps on the D5100. It also has a faster shutter speed of 1/8000 sec, with the D5100 topping out at 1/4000.
These are things to consider, as to whether they will make an impact on your photography? For me, the additional fps don't really factor into it, as I mainly do portraiture and macro, with the odd bit of still life. However I use a lot of older D-type lenses and so the addition of the focus motor on my D90 is a major plus for me. The D7000 will also meter with non cpu lenses, not sure if the D5100 does (the D90 doesn't, which is a bit annoying for me, when using my Ai-s lens).
The faster shutter speed would also be a bonus for me, not from a freeze framing action standpoint but, from using a wider aperture in bright light. Sometimes the 1/4000 sec can still result in over exposure on my 50mm f/1.8D on really sunny days, under certain conditions.
My personal preference would be for the D7000 for the above reasons, but if you have no AF-D lenses, plan to only stick to the AF-S and probably won't make use of the faster FPS and shutter speed, then the D5100 may be more appropriate for you.
Food for thought, anyway and I'm sure you'll be very happy with whatever model you choose!
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