Top shelf SLR digital?
 

OK, you are going to buy a $3K+ digital SLR, what would you choose & why?

I am very happy with the nikon D300 D300 from Nikon . I picked the D300 over the D700 because for telephoto work you get a 1.5 multiplication factor, this is great when shooting events, it is lighter then the D700. The only real difference is that the D700 does full frame which comes in handy for inside wide angle work. With some of the new dx wide angle lens (which happen to be lighter) this difference is less significant; you can get a 11 mm wide zoom which is equivalent to 16.5 mm wide angle. Nikon may release a D400 in the fall which is supposed to do video as well. The D5000 has video but the zoom does not have autofocus which is a pain when recording video. If the D400 video does have autofocus this would be great for travel because you have nikon optics for video and still pictures in one package.

Excellent, thanks David!

Are you just doing general photography or are you planning to use it for some specialized purpose?

As another D300 owner, David hit the nail on the head. If money were no object, I might go for the D700, but I've bought into the DX-based lenses which would be "lost" on the FX (full-frame 35 mm equivalent) D700. The ISO settings on the D300 are terrific, and I've been able to take great pictures in low light. If you're going to shoot a lot of indoors shots where you'll want a wide angle, the D700 is probably a better option, assuming you're starting fresh with the lenses; it has the advantage too with those lenses being compatible with DX-based models if you want a lighter weight camera like the D90 as a backup or travel camera. Putting together some lenses and a body or two isn't entirely unlike putting together an A/V system.

Also, one cool addition to get is a GPS unit that hooks into the camera. I have one that's about postage-stamp size, 3-4 mm thick, and is mounted on my camera strap. It's not that great indoors, but when you're traveling, it's very cool and comes with software that hooks into Google Maps. I haven't been on the road much since buying it, so haven't really put it through it's paces, but it is a very cool gadget. Having the Lat & Long in your RAW file has a lot of applications. I can appreciate that as I scan my old negatives and try to remember where a roll of film was taken 20 years ago if it wasn't labelled well ("yeah, these shots were in China, but where exactly....":scratch2:).

I can also highly recommend the Nikon D300. I have the 18-200 zoom lens that gives a 35mm equivalent field of view of 27-300mm. I also have the 12-24mm zoom that is effectively 18-36mm due to the 1.5 multiplication factor David mentions. Nikon has also just introduced a 10-24mm zoom lens that would provide a 15-36mm range when used with the D300.

General photography

Sounds awesome John!

My wife has a D3 with a assortment of lenses- overkill for your application unless you're looking for top of the line. She does not allow me to use it unsupervised so I just use my camera phone for pixxx. :D I'd go with the Nikon D300.

Check out this link-it allows you to select two cameras at the top box and then compare images.

Imaging Resource "Comparometer" ™ Digital Camera Image Comparison Page