Now What ... 10D, D100 or ?

I have been reading & following the comments in the Canon SLR form for about 3 weeks solid with regard to the pros & cons of the new 10D. Essentially my situation is this:

Had owned 2 Olympus OM bodies and some Zuiko lenses since age 16. Used to love shooting with them & sold the occassional photo to the local newspaper as a kid and amateur photographer.

Sold those off just a couple of years ago & purchased a Nikon 990, sold that, upgraded to the Sony 707. Finally decided I had to get back to an SLR body (couldn't stand the ergonomics of handling the camera in anything but full auto) and sold the Sony just a couple of weeks ago when I had a look at the 10D in the store.

Now.....I made the (best decision/worst mistake - take your pick) of reading most of the traffic on the 10D in the forums and am completely baffled as what I should do. My biggest concern is picking the "right" system for me (Canon vs Nikon) so that I am not having to re-buy a bunch of glass for the other brand if I screw up. It seemed easier to me in my Olympus days as they made pretty good glass and thats all that really counted for what I did. As long as the shutter was accurate it seemed to me the body didn't have much to do with it - it was technique of the photographer and the glass. Now with digital the sensor becomes a huge issue along with a dozen other things + post processing. Complicates things considerably when trying to sort through everything for a purchase decision.

In any case I basically want to be able to shoot like I did with my OM1/2 - decent control of aperature & shutter with the ability to shoot in semi-automated modes if the situation dictates it. I spent 75% of my time with the two digitals I have owned shooting the kids on vacation and about 25% of the time shooting local news events in Madison.

Would the 10D realistically do it for me or do I need to move up to a better body? Realistically the 1Ds is out of reach as that blows my glass budget. I could swing the 1D or the Nikon D1X or possibly wait for the D2H. Perhaps the Nikon D100 would be a better choice for me? I am not sure if I can wait for a 1D, D1X or D100 replacement before needing to buy however.

I would certainly appreciate any feedback or opinions as how to sort this mess out. The local camera store hasn't been much help.

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Curt Chambers
Opinions & comments are my own and may not reflect those of PunchStock.

Both will do more than you want or expect. Evaluate the lenses and prices you would be comfortable paying. Remember these are cameras that do good pictures with good glass $350-$600. Great pictures, with great glass $1,000+.

I don't think you can 'blow' the decision. But one thing to keep in mind is going the Nikon direction means that you also have choices of Fuji and Kodak bodies. I went with the D100 this time around, but in 3 years, Fuji or Kodak might just have what I want/need. Just something to consider.

-Mark