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I'm Swiss.
No, I don't mean that I'm from Switzerland (although I lived there for several years), but that I try to take a position of strict neutrality in the D-SLR Holy Wars.
You know...those D-SLR Holy Wars. The ongoing struggle between the Forces of Light and the Forces of Darkness. Between Nikon and Canon. (Or is that Canon and Nikon?) In a post I wrote for the photo section of a general-interest web site, I characterized the attitude of the true D-SLR Holy Warrior:
Actually, as a Canon owner......your first task, no matter the source of the original comment, is to launch into a extended and uncensored tirade on how Nikon is the biggest piece of crap in the camera universe, how they've never made a decent piece of equipment, how anyone who uses a Nikon will automatically lose any artistic ability they previously had, and how that doesn't matter anyway because anyone who would even think of using a Nikon is a talentless hack with the IQ of a particularly dense houseplant. Conclude by declaring that Nikon is losing market share precipitously, and it will only be a matter of months before they file for bankruptcy and leave any Nikon owners with orphaned equipment certain to break in the next year.
NIKON OWNERS: Same as above, except replace "Nikon" with "Canon."
But, like I said, I'm Swiss. Although I've owned both Canon and Nikon cameras in the past, I've never "plighted my troth" to either of them. When I first started out in 35mm photography, I got many great years out of Minolta's most bare-bones all-manual SLR, the SR-T200. So, when it came time to move up to a D-SLR, the Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D was available on closeout sale (KM had sold their camera business to Sony, who would be continuing the line as the Sony Alpha), and it proved to be equal to the competition in the testing procedure I'll describe below, it became an almost-automatic choice. But not because of brand loyalty; rather, it offered the quality and feature set I was looking for at the best possible price. Since then, I've picked up the 5D's successor, the Sony Alpha 100, once again when it went on closeout-sale status, to give myself two compatible camera bodies with which to work.
Speaking of features: There are a handful of "esoteric" features that, while unimportant to the casual or amateur shooter, I think are practically indispensible to the serious nature photographer. Because they don't have the "flash" of something like LiveView, these features are increasingly left off of lower-priced D-SLRs, but the nature photographer would be well-advised to make sure that cameras they're considering have them.
One other feature that I consider a nice "frill," but not vital, is in-camera image stabilization (currently offered by Sony, Olympus, and Pentax). The main benefit to this is the cost savings in having one stabilization system that works with all lenses, instead of the Canon/Nikon approach of building the stabilization into the lenses themselves, thus making each lens considerably more expensive. Stabilization can be addictive -- there's nothing like getting a tack-sharp enlargement from a handheld 1/15s shot -- but it really only matters for handheld "grab" shots. Since most professional nature photography is done using a tripod, stabilization is a luxury rather than a necessity.
Another feature which may or may not be important is good high-ISO (low-light) performance. The main use for this, of course, is in being able to use fast shutter speeds in less-than-optimal light. If your nature photography is primarily in the area of wildlife (and especially birds), this may be a vital feature for you. For those who primarily shoot landscapes (which aren't going anywhere in a hurry), not so much. Landscape artists should be fine as long as your camera gives good results to ISO 400, and decent ones to ISO 800. Keep in mind that there are several Photoshop plug-ins that can do a great job cleaning up noise in low-light images; my preference is for NoiseNinja.
So what's the best way to choose a D-SLR from one of the many available today? Once you have made up a preliminary list of models to consider (based on info from photo magazines, websites, and the like), I would start out by getting a blank memory card for each model of camera you're considering. (Most D-SLRs use CompactFlash cards, but an increasing number of less-expensive models use SD cards instead.) Find as well-stocked a camera store as is available in your area, or several of them if one doesn't carry all the models on your preliminary list. Ask to look at each of the cameras, put in the appropriate memory card (be sure to ask permission first!) and take as many pictures of varied subjects as possible. You almost certainly won't be allowed to take the camera outside, but you can always shoot out the windows, as well as various displays and fixtures within the store. You're not trying to create great art, but merely to put each camera through its paces. Try, as far as possible, to duplicate the same shots with each camera. I find it useful, for comparison's sake, to shoot a similar set of test images on the major cameras one step up in price from your budget as well.
One thing you will probably pick up on immediately is that some cameras will feel instantly intuitive to you, while others will seem more of a struggle to operate. While this probably won't be the absolute determining factor in your final choice (cameras which seem thoroughly unintuitive at first will feel much more natural to you after a few shoots), it's a good thing to take note of if you need to break any ties in your final choice.
Once you have gotten the shots you need, return home (you did remember to take the memory cards with you when you left the store, didn't you?), process them as best you can in Photoshop or whichever image editor you prefer, and print selected ones out at 8x10 or larger. Carefully compare the enlargements -- sometimes, details which can become obscured when scaled-down on the computer screen will be obvious in a print. See if any of the matched images jump out at you as looking better than the competition, or more equivalent to the images taken on the next-higher-price-level cameras. (Now you see why I told you to take those extra shots on cameras you had no intention of buying, right?) It may be that, after such a comparison, your choice will be clear, as one D-SLR will seem clearly superior to the others. If you can't see any difference between them, then realize that each of the cameras in question will suit your image-quality needs just fine, and make your choice based on ergonomics and/or price. In any event, you'll end up with the D-SLR that's right for you. It might be from one of the "big two" manufacturers...or you might discover that you, too, are Swiss, and can enjoy your new camera while remaining blissfully unconcerned with the D-SLR Holy Wars.