I think the best thing to do might be to first decide how much you can spend, then download the demos of the programs in that price range. Try them out and see which one you feel comfortable with and which software lets you actually achieve the results you want. I heard a lot of good things about Lightwave, and like others have pointed it out, it's on sale right now. If you are a student, you can get it (and other programs) for even less. I think Lightwave is about $600 with a student or faculty ID.