QUOTE (chinamon @ Oct 5 2009, 01:16 PM) QUOTE (gaia.plateau @ Oct 5 2009, 12:52 PM) I think I'll decide on the more rugged series by Canon, to eliminate an overabundance of choices. good choice. i find that the sensors and bodies by canon and nikon are all top quality so its a tough competition between the two. however, canon glass is definitely better than nikon glass so canon ftw. i think you mentioned that you want to shoot sports. when it comes to sports you will want a lens that has a long focal length (70-200mm or longer depending on the sport) and fast (wide aperture). dont forget to factor in the 1.6X crop if you are not getting the 5d or 1d or 1ds. also when shooting with telephoto you will want a lens that has IS if you arent using a tripod. i think its always good to have IS even if there is a tripod being used. expect to spend as much on the lens as the body itself but that depends on which body you choose. Not sports, wars. They both have that WHORE sound to them. It's tricky. Does this affect your recommendation? Also: I'm going into conflict journalism, not conflict photography... I mostly just need this to get together a portfolio, and because I've always had a natural eye for it, and because I like to be prepared. The reason I want a good MP rate is for situations like, suppose I'm witnessing a genocide, and I have no idea who the military personnel are. Unless I have time to get close-ups of all of them, I need to just take wide shots, and be able to crop them when and if I get the information later.