stuck on choice between cannon EOS 350D and Nikon D70S

[Venzy001]

Hi

I have been shopping around for the past week trying to make a decision on a DSLR camera. Basically every store i go into has been trying to push either the D70S nikon or the EOS 350D.

I definately like the feel of the nikon in my hand much more than the canon, it feels small and uncomfortable and i know its going to bug me later on. However, the canon has an extra 2 megapixels over the nikon, has a system im familiar with (i own a EOS 3000v already, only with one lens) and i have been offered it with a canon 17-85 AFS lens with image stabalising for a price very comparable to the D70 with the AFS18-70mm IF ED Zoom lens.

I have been reading all over this site, and others and i just cant make a decision, its a fair bit of money and i want to make sure im making the right choice. The 30D would be the next step up but is a little out of my price range at the moment.

any help you can give me would be great. Anyway, this is my first post, so Hi everyone... im kind of new to photography, but am enrolling in some courses very soon and really want to get serious about this. have a great day!!

[Buddy4344]

Gee, I don't see a bad choice here. I have the Digital Rebel (300) and have loved it. My friend the Nikon - which he loves. If you currently have a canon, do you have any lenses that you would use on the new camera? If yes, that = $$.

Another chice is the 20D. It is a "last year model" but has the big sensor and nearly all of the features of the 30D at a discounted price.
Buddy

[Venzy001]

i have only one lens from my current cannon camera. Its strange, i really like the 350D, except for the shape.... and at the moment its a big thing for me.

Being an older model is the 20D still available in stores in australia? i didnt see it in any of my searching, only online. This is such a tough choice... one moment im leaning toward the nikon, the next to the canon. The further advantage of the canon eventually will be that i can use future lenses on both the digital and the film camera. But thats not a big concern for me right now.

Any more comments would be great.

Also i meant to write EFS lens, not AFS.