I've narrowed my choices down to these two cams and for around $2000 USD I can get the following body and lens. Any thoughts on which would be the better choice? I know the 20D is the latest and greatest with more pixels but I'm not ruling out the Fuji S2 since its on the cheap with the S3 somewhere on the horizon.

Canon 20D body
Canon EF-S 17-85MM f4-5.6 IS USM LENS

or

Fuji S2 Pro body
Nikon 18-35MM f/3.5-D ED ZOOM AF

I guess you have to answer that question yourself. Find a dealer that stocks them both and give them a try. Which one feels more comfortable in your hands?

Personally I prefer the 20D, especially with the additional battery pack attached. And I like the Canon glass which is of magnificent quality and about 20% cheaper than the comparable Nikon lenses (at least over here in Germany). Actually that was the main reason why I bought the 20D.

As for the number of pixels: 6 million pixels is enough for, say, 90% of what I shoot and 8 million pixels suffice for 98%. But of course, that depends on what you are going to do. If you need 16x20" or larger prints regularly then 6 million pixels may be a bit scarce.

If the comparison was between the 10D and Fuji I would probably give the node to the S2. However, the 20D has substantial improvements over the 10D. Here is a list I just recently compiled comparing the 20D to the 10D:

Better low light/higher ISO performance, less noise. Dark frame subtraction from long exposures reduces noise even more.

Faster start-up, almost instantaneous, this improves battery life and you're always ready for the next shot.

Better AF. Nine AF points vs. 7 AF points. Focuses on subjects in lower light levels quicker.

Reads and writes data to CF cards much quicker. Fastest camera Rob Galbraith has tested to date. This is a huge improvement if you shoot jpegs. Raw files are limited by the internal buffer size, but still an important improvement. Shoots 5 FPS.

Better energy management, improves battery life.

Higher resolution, 6 MP vs. 8 MP.

Slightly smaller in size and lower in weight.

Longer life shutter, twice the life of the 10D.

Improved flash metering with E-TTL2

Some users are finding the VF to be improved. The focusing screen appears courser to many and is said to improve manual focusing.

Joystick control for selection of AF point and home point.

Added some special modes like B & W, also added more control to color balance and other settings.

Image quality approaches the 1DMkII. This surprises many people but I've found the files from both cameras hard to tell apart in many cases. Outback Photo (http://www.outbackphoto.com/) has a side by comparison if you're interested.

<<<-- Originally posted by Jeff Donald : Image quality approaches the 1DMkII. This surprises many people but I've found the files from both cameras hard to tell apart in many cases. -->>>

That's very interesting, Jeff. So I'm even more confident now that my choice was a good one.

Thanks for the replies! Unfortunately I don't have a local dealer that still stocks the Fuji S2 but I'm feeling more comfortable about going with the 20D.

In fact I'll be placing an order as soon as I can find someone reputable that has both the 20D body and 17-85mm IS USM together in the $1999 USD kit.

Order placed.

Thanks again!

I think you're gonna be soo happeee Tommy! Click, click, chimp, chimp, happy lookee!<g>

Since chimping has been mentioned I guess it's about time for this. (http://www.sportsshooter.com/special_feature/chimping/index.html)

There is something about placing an order at 5pm and having it arrive at your house at 10am the next morning even though home and store are over 2000 miles apart. :)

I immediately went out and snagged a cheap 512MB CF to get me started and I can't believe how improved the 20D is to my past 10D. It was hard to get a feel for the 20D at my local Best Buy with it tethered to a security chain and the cheap 18-55m lens attached.

I was quite surprised at the lack of red-eye with the onboard flash of the 20D. I still want a 580ex but I've got some great candid family shots without a trace of the dreaded red-eye effect.

A couple more trips to the local zoo and sporting events and I should have my chimping stance perfected. Unfortunately due to several restraining orders and public humiliation I've had to scale back my throwing of feces at onlookers who would not peer into my LCD. Perhaps less Animal Planet and more sporting events.

Don't forget, you have to make the noise as well.