LOL! Did I ever do reasearch! I bugged my girlfriend for about a year and a half before I finally bought a camera. (At one point she ws actually encouraging me to by the D2X, I think just to get me to shut up!!!) I was very seriously considering a D2X, but in the end I just could not justify the expense. I looked at the 20D when it came out, but I really did not like the way it felt in my hand. Ditto for the D70. Both are just too small for me. I only had 2 Nikkor lenses (24-85/3.5-4.5 & 50/1.4) -- I was not heavily invested in Nikon, so I kept my options open. I was really, REALLY tempted by the 5D when it hit. The only negatives in the press seem to be the lack of weather sealing & prehaps a bit of 'under-build' for the price Canon is asking. I held that one too. It was better than the 20D, but it still felt wrong on my hand. Shortly after that, the rumors of the D200 started to swirl, so I decided to wait. I handled the D200 shortly after it was released and knew the feel was right -- very like the F100, very 'Nikon'. The European press has been very enthusiastic about the camera, so I made the plunge. NOW, I am heavily invested in Nikon -- I picked up the 17-35 at Christmas when I was back in the States & will probably replace the 24-85 this year with something with a constant aperture & and IF. And I am hoping Nikon will bring out a 35mm DX...I like that focal length & it would be nice to have a new, inconspicuous wide angle for street shooting.
The S3 was never in the running -- the press on it was not very good -- nor was the Canon 350D. All of the Sony shooters I know are looking to move up to Canon or Nikon, so they were out. Unfortunately, I know nothing about Pentax, Minolta or Olympus cameras and don't have the time to learn. What struck me as odd about the Canon world are the lenses, or perhaps the lack of lenses for their full-frame DSLR -- people seem to be buying Leica, Zeiss and Nikon glass to put on these cameras. I am surprised Canon has not stepped up here and I am sure they will correct this in the near future.
In your budget range & your previous shooting experience, I think the D200 would be an excellent choice. You should be able to pick up the body for about 1100 quid (they are about 1800 euros on the continent), leaving you 500 to play around with for a lens. I would bet that the D200 kits with the 17-55 are around 1800 or 1900 pounds. (FYI, kits seems to be more readily available than the body only.) The 5D will probably 1600 to 1700 for the body.
Final point, at this level of camera, you will not make a bad choice either way you go. The D200 & the 5D both produce outstanding images, which in the end is all that really matters.
Good luck and please post additional questions if you have them!
