Nikon D700

This is it. The Nikon D700 has been announced by Nikon to join the D3 in their FX lineup. It has the same 12.1MP full frame sensor as the D3. Basically it's a D3 with a D300's clothing. The robust body has a taller viewfinder hump (compared to the D300) to accomodate the larger pentaprism. It has 95% frame coverage but will still be much larger than any DX/APS-C viewfinder. Surprisingly, but possibly useful, there is a pop-up flash in which some would question the robustness of. The frame rate at 5 fps is one frame per second slower than the D300, but the optional battery grip increases it to an equal 8 fps, but both are still slower than the D3. Scheduled to launch in the summer, it is priced at about $3000 US body only.

Personally, this drives me completely crazy. I was leaning most towards the K20D and a lot of lenses for a large dSLR investment but now this drags me back. DSLRs that I consider are: Pentax K20D, Canon 5D, Nikon D300, and now the Nikon D700. Nikon's got a lot more speed than both the K20D and the 5D, plus an FX sensor for the D700. The D300 on Nikon's side is probably a more wise choice for me. Entering a new system is an investment, as you have lenses, flashes, etc. locked into the system.