...The Canons, according to their website, offer only a very limited series of 'L' lenses that are supposed to be the best. Nikon seems (and I can be wrong, obviously) to have a somewhat better range of their high-end lenses available. The last place to scrimp, as I'm hoping you'll agree, is the lens..
I'll try to be as clear as I can be here. This statement is utterly false. The truth is EXACTLY the opposite. At this point it makes no difference to you since you're tied to a system, but I want to be clear in case others are in the same position you were previously in and are reading this thread for information. It is VERY well known in the photography world, that Canon is VERY superior in the glass dept. Now, I'm speaking as a whole line up here. On a particular basis, Nikon has some nice pieces of glass, that are extremely spendy and very hard to find available. The remaining lenses in their line are not that impressive at all.
This is why when Nikon comes out with a nice SLR body, Canon still keeps it's consumer base BECAUSE of the excellent glass line up, and continues to sell many, many times more slr's. THis fact is certainly not because nobody has "discovered" Nikon yet
You are correct in your assumption that glass is what a system is all about, SLR bodies come and go. In that regard, Canon is HANDS DOWN superior. This is why at major sporting events, such as the NFL, NBA or the Olympics, 8 or 9 out of 10 (can't remember the exact stat, but it's one of those 2) photographers are shooting Canon. Trust me, Sports Illustrated is not shooting Canon to save a few bucks. Now, that's not to say a few photographers scattered in there don't prefer Nikon, of course theres some. But as a general rule, pro sports photography is dominated by Canon, and this fact is important when comparing systems (even though it may seem uninteresting to you) because they are no compromise photographers, and what they choose carries a lot of weight.
Just as a side note: I've been wanting a 200-400 VR/IS lens for a long time, just like Nikon's version. I wish Canon would produce this lens, and so do many other photographers. Well, when the D300 came out I bought one, and the 200-400VR to basically use as an isolated system. This is where I learned a lot about the new Nikon system. It was a total DOG compared to my 1DmkIII + 300/2.8IS combo, which is roughly the same money give or take a bit (both are expensive combo's). The focus is nowhere near as fast, the image quality is nowhere as good. I wish it was. I'd love to have that combo slung over my shoulder while shooting the big glass, for times when the subjects move in closer. I'll continue to use my 300/2.8 as the compromise with the Nikon system was just too great for me. Some decent images can be had, no question, but not even near the same league as the 300/2.8IS combo. Take that for what it's worth, but is't being as truthful as I can be.
