Sorry.. I know you're a die-hard Canon fan.. But after handling both and operating both, the D300 just seems to fit my needs/wishes more than the Canon.
With regards to brand loyalty I think it was said best on the Luminous Landscape;
"I have no loyalty to either brand.(Canon Vs Nikon) All I care about is features, functionality and performance"
I think you could have made a wiser choice but that has nothing at all to do with brand in this case. Clearly you were sold on Nikon before you started shopping. I'll look forward to seeing some of those 14 bit RAW conversions.
Happy shooting!
