I also just posted an addition to my original post that details why I think I'd been considering the focus system to be finicky.

In terms of Canon D-Rebel (a.k.a. 300D) vs. Canon 10D vs. Nikon D70, the question really comes down to what you want to do with the camera. As I see it, Nikon offers a wider variety of wide-angle lenses than Canon, many tailored to Nikon's "DX" sized sensor. Nikon also has a significantly more sophisticated flash system. Canon, on the other hand, has a wider variety of longer lenses, and more of Canon's lenses use the whizzy ultrasonic motors that make the autofocus fast and quiet. Nikon is catching up, but if you're looking at used telephoto lenses, this could be an advantage for Canon.

Another Nikon advantage seems to be the way that they buffer images on the way to the memory card. The Nikon will multitask whereas the Canons will lock up while writing bits out to the card. In practice, this makes the Nikon feel much, much faster, particularly if you (like me) insist on shooting RAW mode rather than JPEG.

On the other hand, the Canon D-Rebel kit is $300 cheaper than the Nikon D70 kit.

The Canon D-Rebel is primarily a cost-reduced Canon 10D. They cut several important features, such as adjusting flash output, which are standard features on cheaper Canon's like the G3. They also shrank the memory buffer. And, of course, they made the whole thing out of plastic. The 10D feels far more solid in your hand, but it also weighs a good bit more. On the other hand, the D-Rebel kit lens (18-55mm) gets you good wide-angle coverage which you can't cheaply get for a 10D.

For contrast, the D70 is a significant evolution over Nikon's earlier D100. In many senses, the D70 is really a cost-reduced D2H. Several reviewers have written that they prefer the D70 over the D100.

The rumor mill is spinning overtime about when Canon or Nikon will release successors to the 10D and D100, respectively. You can go to DPReview forums and read all the conjecture yourself. At this point, I'll bet that there will be no 10D or D100 replacement in the market until 2005, although you may see some price reductions.

So, in the end, you have to ask yourself what you want to do with your camera, and you need to consider that you're not just buying a Canon D-Rebel or Nikon D70, you're buying into the Canon system or the Nikon system. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, and both are pretty damn good. I'd recommend the Canon or Nikon over any of the other D-SLR competitors such as the Sigma, Pentax, or Olympus offerings. Likewise, I think the low-end D-SLRs kits give you more for your money than the higher-end fixed-lens cameras like the Canon Pro1, the Sony F828, etc.

Give me a one-handed economist! All my economists say, "...on the one hand...on the other." - Harry S. Truman