First off, let me say I used to do some fully manual 35mm work back in high school. I did not "get into" photography on my own until 1 year ago. College and Med School really got in the way (see my profile).
When shopping initially, I wanted a system that would be easy to use as automatic. I filled my head with other things since high school and forgot almost everything I once knew about photography.
I wanted a system that was not obscure or hard to find gear for. This left Nikon and C****. Can't find others as easily.
So, why Nikon? C****'s only advantage, to me, was AF. I wanted Nikon's famed metering and flash, as well as compatability, more than AF. I can be dead sure about focus manually, as long as my eyes work. Metering takes more practice.
I am now the proud owner of an N80 for over one year (I was one of the early birds). I could only be happier with an F100(maybe) or an F5 (definitely). The good news is I won't need to sell my lenses to upgrade. In fact, I can start using older lenses when I do.
I now shoot almost entirely in metered manual and manual focus. I shoot mostly outdoor and animal pics. I can change to auto very quickly for moving animal shots.
I found this site a few weeks ago and now I can't stay away.
Bo & JRP, thanks so much. I have found info here I couldn't find before. Great Job!
BJ & Doug, Can't we all just get along?
I will definitely be a regular around here.
Canon can keep their "Eye Controlled Focus". Way to hard to use (maybe I have ADD?).

Keep Shooting,
Jeff Johnson