Well I know that only I can really decide, but nevertheless I'd appreciate any advice going. Where I live it actually isn't very easy to go and try things out - we have no Pro shops and few amateur ones. So a bit of s/h experience can help!
Having recently returned from a 3 week trip including two major locations with over 700 35mm slides, and faced with the grim reality that a well-tuned scan on my Minolta MultiScan Pro takes between 30 & 45 minutes, I am finally facing facts...
I am in the unusual (?) situation of not have any "legacy" 35mm gear. All I have is Canon FD which is irrelevant to digital. So I can choose what I want. I'm also reasonably comfortable on the budget side, but I'm not a pro any never intend to make any revenue (never mind profit) from photography.
For me what really matters is to have a camera that allows me to make the most of any situation. I'm not scared of manuals and I'm no technophobe, but I want a camera to be intuitive. I'm also beginning to (finally) see that a good AF is handy to have when you need it, and to realise that a 1kg Canon T90 is heavier than it needs to be these days. One thing that is paramount to me is a good, clear viewfinder.
Unfortunately the Canon 1Ds is out of scope. Whatever I say about budget, this is a pro tool.
So as far as I can see I've got three options:
Canon 10d ... I once held one - that's the sum of my experience
Canon 300d ... I saw one last week. I was surprised by how robust it feels. But the viewfinder was horrible. So small...
Olympus E-1 ... for me the weak point is the resolution. From 35mm I can print up to Super A3. I don't want to lose this. Otherwise the body looks great and the lens range optimal.
I know I've left out Nikons. I know nothing about Nikons, although I did play around with a Fuji S2 and liked it. But I find Nikons fiddly and the lens range confusing and a bit expensive.
One thing I would really like to know - with a DSLR ("APS" size) sensor, what is, in general, the lowest DPI you can get away with printing at on inkjet ? When people quote things like "you can print easily up to A3", what DPI do they mean ?
Finally, an interesting (translated) thought from the Photim message board ... "it looks like the age of interchangeable bodies has taken over from the age of interchangeable lenses"