the nikon vs canon battle is a warzone I was caught in the crossfire of recently. Reading about all the specs and comparisons of how the "D90 has this, but the 50D has that" (or 550D, as i was basically comparing it to) was great in discovering what dslrs really have to offer, and how the actual science behind image processing occurs behind the scenes, and most importantly, how it doesnt truely matter which mid-level camera you have as it is the photographer who captures the moment, the camera merely reflects the imagination of the user. In the end, it was physically holding the camera that made my decision for me. Something inside me just clicked with the nikon build and user friendly setup. Someone else will click with the canon (because it IS a very, very sexy piece of machinery). Get the specs, theres plently of info on the net about both, and comparisons to each other to boot, but in the end go for the camera that suits you and your personality. For me, and it might sound silly, it was also the energy behind both companies which influenced me: photojournalists and national geographic tend to use nikon, whereas canon is reknown for being the name for sports and beauty paegents. *shrugs*