Reply #6: I've heard the same complaints about noise with the D200...

[regnaD kciN]

...as with the A100. Don't know about the D80, as it hasn't been out long enough, but I'd be surprised if it's appreciably better than the D200 in that regard (unless Nikon has a death wish).

As to weatherproofing -- I can understand your concern. Last November, I went out shooting with my Nikon 5700 on a rainy day. Although I was trying to keep it dry, it locked up after about forty-five minutes and took a couple of hours before it, fortunately, started working again. That seemed to me enough of a reason to go for a camera with weatherproofing...until I found out the 5700 was weatherproofed. Go figure. :shrug:

In short, built-in weatherproofed seams will provide some protection, but are no panacea. I think the best weatherproofing is simply to have an umbrella or plastic bag over the camera at all times. There's also a new waterproof cover called a Shutter Hat (www.shutterhut.com) that clips on to the hot shoe and seems to work quite well, although I haven't tried it myself.