Originally posted by libbyh I'd have reservations about going the Sony route. I would agree with another poster here in that if I were to switch or carry a second system, i'd want it to be one of the big boys where there is abundant support (ie rental equipment available etc). Sony just isn't there yet and their proprietary hotshoe shape is a pain. Zeiss glass is nice, but i don't know that it would justify the price it commands...
I love my Sony A700, not only for the one Carl Zeiss lens that I own, but also for all the other great Sony & Minolta ones (for instance, my cheap albeit warm "Beercan" 70-210 F/4; my cheaper-than-cheap yet oh-so-luminous Minolta 50mm F/1.7; the stunning Sony 16-105mm or Sony 70-300mm G, my two razor-sharp Sony 100 F2.8 Macro or Sony 50mm F1.4, etc.! Above all, this camera and its bigger brothers the A850 or A900 feel just amazing in my hands: sturdy, logical, buttons all well located, etc. The viewfinders are large and clear, same for the 920000 LCD, their AF are super fast and ALWAYS precise, moreover their WB works well inside or outside (in other words, big advantage here for Sony), and last but not least their dynamic range capabilities and tonal/color sensitivities are as strong as Nikon's D300 (same Sony sensor) / better than Canon's 40D-50D.
The reason why I have decided to write here was rather inspired by your comment regarding a SECOND SYSTEM... How many people here do that, i.e. get another system in order to experiment something else instead of simply buying a same-family 'sidekick' as a backup? Since you already know that I am well equipped and quite happy with Sony, would you suggest that I get my dream camera (the K20) or rather that I go straight to a good Nikon dealer nearby (there's one at every corner indeed)?