its a terrible choice we consumers have to make when we're about to make a <relatively> large purchase - so many manufacturers to choose from...

my search for a dslr continues.  after closely examining the a100 from sony, i've decided to give it a pass based on its less than stellar high iso images, as well as the relatively short supply of sony branded lenses (i know you can pick up used KM lenses but it seems like a hassle).  plus you never know if Sony is going to abandon the whole effort and leave you stuck with a bag full of expensive glass. 

That leaves me looking long and hard at the canon and nikon offerings, mainly the 350d, the 30d, and the upcoming nikon d80.  My friend Ervin and i had a long conversation about the relative merits of each but i'm still torn - Canon is announcing a new cam, rumoured to be a 350D update on the 24th of august and photokina may also hold some interesting surprises.

I wont bore you with all the <time consuming> reading i've been doing but here are a few good links that i've found. 

lets start with some actual photos:

http://www.pbase.com/fotoopa/water_figures&page=al...

then some early pics from the d80

http://photo-cafe.jp/scoop/index.html

http://nikonimaging.com/global/products/digitalcam...

http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/review/2006/08/1...

two very comprehensive SLR lens review sites i've found (somewhat depressing)

http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/index.php

http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/index.html

and two fascinating articles on the future of photography:

http://www.pcphotomag.com/content/2006/june/Future...

http://www.colorado.edu/isl/selpubs.html  this one is a very interesting read - Wavefront coding is going to be revolutionary.... imagine taking a photo and focusing after! the possibilities here are mind blowing.  Also, it's a nice blowback to my Uni days - it might be worthwhile to brush up on my signal processing!  hard to imagine once upon a time i could write that gibberish :)