Today Martin Francis commented courteously on the subject at
hand

"a fool and his spare money are soon parted". <grin>

"only YOU can prevent forest fires" - meaning, only /you/ can
decide which you want to keep, if either.

What criteria are you using for the comparo? What are your
needs, wants, and expectations?

Must have more money than sense - why buy cameras with incompatible lens
mounts?

WTF happend to th e D200?

Boy, if you had a D2X *OR* a 1DS MkII, this might be easy. As it
stands, I think both cameras have their flaws, given what they are.

You want my gut opinion? Here it goes...

I recently switched from a Nikon D70 to a Canon 20d. The reasons are
the following:

1. Canon seems more commited to "full frame" sensors ( the 1.3x crop
factor on your 1Ds vs your 1.5 on the Nikon must give you some kind of
sense of this). I switched to digital reluctantly, with format size
being my main gripe.

2. Canon seems more comitted to fast lenses. This is a generalization,
largely targeted at the user that can afford "L" glass. Look, I cut my
teeth, compositionally and otherwise, on Carl Zeiss superspeeds for
cinematography. I'm used to shooting at 1.3 most of the time. So when I
started shooting stills, I felt like anything slower than 1.4 was a
waste of my time. Irrational? Yes. But given my photographic
(cinematographic, really) training, this is somewhat excusable. Still,
Canon offers a 1.4 24mm. Canon offers a 1.4 35mm. Nikon's best
offerings in these lengths match Canon's second best (at least in
modern, autofocus lenses). I like fast lenses, so this is important to
me in ways that it might not be for you. Of interest as well is that
much of my photography is based around available light situations with
friends of mine at gatherings that are indoors at night. Fast apertures
help me out alot. Do they for you?

3. I hated Nikon's noise at 800 ISO. I find Canon's to be workable.
This is also important to me, so it made a difference. You might be
different.

At any rate, I think keeping both is ludicrous. Pick the one that works
for you. If you shoot mostly telephoto, the Nikon crop factor helps you
out and it might be a better option. Even if that isn't the case, you
may find a compelling reason for *you* to keep the Nikon system. I'll
be the last person to play brand troll and tell you that Nikon gear
isn't worth hanging onto. But I switched to Canon gear and have since
bought four lenses in the EF system. I defy any Nikon acolyte to tell
me that I made the wrong choice *for my photography*. But my best
friend shoots Nikon and it makes sense for him. Which system makes
sense for you? The points I've made in Canon's favor can be easily
turned around if you shoot drastically differently from my style. I dig
that, and you should too, if you wish to keepp your Nikon gear. If you
wish to keep your Canon gear, just be sure it is because Canon offers
you something better suited to your style. The digital age has finally
given us a very palpabile difference between the two systems and where
they wish to go in the future. Make your choice based on you and be
happy... both can give you amazing results as long as they suit your
needs.

Will

Go Canon.

Okay, a follow-up;

The D2Hs as i've mentioned was acquired almost by chance. I'd not really
considered it as a viable alternative to the D200 as I was convinced 4mp
wasn't enough. My brief ownership of the D2Hs has convinced me of two
things- one, that a 4mp DSLR like the D2Hs is capable of the most stunning
images, and two- that I was right, for me 4mp is NOT enough. My D2Hs is for
sale... as for the moment is my Hasselblad, as it's a luxury I can ill
afford now.

The 1Ds has been the model i've had my eye on since it's release. Compared
to the Nikon it has so many failings- slow review times, less-that-perfect
AF, slightly awkward ergonomics, horrible NiMH battery and therefore
incredible weight. But it has the most fantastic image quality... and the
build quality and feel is "right". The lenses might not feel as good as
Nikon's, and the Nikon 85/1.4 is the perfect compromise between the models
Canon offer, but then again the Canon 50/1.4 is the most superb optic and
i've high hopes for the 35mm L. My Nikon adapter and microprism screen for
my 85/1.4 are in the post :D The worst thing is, I might need a spare body

*sigh* why can't one manufacturer do it all?

Martin